Five takeaways from the Thunder’s blowout win in Milwaukee

Andre Roberson is playing with a chip on his shoulder

Nobody on the Thunder has gotten more criticism than Andre Roberson early-on this season. The first six games showcased a player with zero confidence in his offensive game. With average to above-average defenders littered on the roster, his elite perimeter defense became less-and-less important.

Apparently Roberson heard the haters.

I love seeing this irritation from the Lowkey MVP on a random game in October in the middle of Wisconsin. Roberson should be upset with those (including me) who have denounced his importance to this team. We may ultimately be correct in our thinking, but the 25-year old isn’t going to relent without a fight.

In a two minute span Roberson scored seven points on perfect shooting from the field (2-2 FG, 1-1 3PFG, 2-2 FT). That scoring stretch is what resulted in his kiss to the Milwaukee crowd. Although he ultimately finished 3-7 from the field and 1-5 from three, those two minutes gave Roberson a much-needed confidence boost.

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/925539589560852482

The key for the fifth-year player is to figure out how to play with that offensive tenacity every time he’s on the court. Roberson is at his best when he’s running in-front of the ball during the fast break. He and Russ have a great rapport after playing together for five seasons now; Roberson knows when to cut to the basket and when to flair out behind the arc.

The same goes for the half-court offense. Roberson is a fantastic cutter, but the Thunder offense doesn’t employ many plays with built-in cuts. Plays like the one above showcases how he can create easy opportunities for himself as defenses focus on Russ and the other OKC stars. It’s up to Andre and Billy Donovan to figure out where they can add in this type of movement for the unskilled shooter.