Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Five takeaways from the Thunder’s easy win against Indiana

By Tony Heim

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 25: Head Coach Billy Donovan and Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder talk during a time out during a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 25, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 25: Head Coach Billy Donovan and Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder talk during a time out during a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 25, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – OCTOBER 25: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder points to his team during a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 25, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – OCTOBER 25: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder points to his team during a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 25, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

And the offense is at its best when Russ is in command

Russell Westbrook shattered the NBA record for usage rating in a season last year. It was almost mandatory though – the Thunder simply had no other offensive weapons to take the ball out of his hands. Fast forward to this season and Russ has his weapons. That doesn’t necessarily mean he should give up the ball that much though.

Westbrook is a different player this year. Through four games he’s looked to get his teammates involved more than ever, only taking shots when the defense gives him an opening. It’s no coincidence that their best offensive performance of the season was when Russ had his highest usage rating. With that in mind it only makes sense for the Thunder to keep using Westbrook as the main focal point of the offense and Melo/George as glorified role players.

Oklahoma City was able to win 47 games last season with almost no shooting/spacing on the court. This offseason they added shooting while also improving their defense – theoretically they could play the exact same system and improve on their win total. Obviously Russ’ shouldn’t have the ball as much as last season, but he also shouldn’t give up the reigns of the offense as much as we first thought.

The Thunder’s best play is the Westbrook/Adams pick & roll. We saw that on full display Sunday against the Timberwolves when OKC almost solely ran it in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. With George, Anthony and (insert shooter) on the wing it’s nearly impossible to stop because of the massive amount of room for Westbrook/Adams to rim-run. While some see the repeated play as a problem, I see it as a blessing. If teams continually prove they can’t stop it, why do anything else?

MUST READ: This season is Russell Westbrook’s chance to change his narrative

Russ’ usage rating shouldn’t come close to the figures we saw last season. But if he hovers around the 30% range like he did the last two games then the Thunder offense will be at it’s best. Melo and George are going to have to give up a few isolation touches, but it will only result in more open shots in the long run.

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