Missing Andre Roberson creates unknown in Thunder starting lineup
By Joshua Lea
The OKC Thunder are starting off the 2018 year on the west coast. They are also doing it without Andre Roberson.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are starting the New Year against the Los Angeles Lakers without Andre Roberson. In fact, they’ll be without their defensive anchor for at least the next three games. While this doesn’t cripple the Thunder’s chances of success, it does throw a wrench into their well-oiled defensive machine.
Head coach Billy Donovan has a decision to make as to who starts in Roberson’s place. In previous games, Alex Abrines and Josh Huestis have both seen the floor during tip-off. Both players have their respective positives and negatives. Huestis is ideal if you’re thinking defense, while Abrines is helpful with floor spacing and three-point shooting.
Most fans would argue that Jerami Grant is the ideal candidate. He provides offense, defense and a little bit of floor spacing. However, in doing that, you completely disrupt the production of the bench. Grant is the spark off the bench for the OKC Thunder – he enters the game and gives instant energy to their attack.
Grant isn’t averaging a huge stat line on the season, but his 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists a game are needed on a nightly basis. What most people don’t really shine a light on is the fact that Grant has a win share percentage of 2.1 this season. He also has a defensive win share of 1.0, which is decent for a role player coming off the bench.
Abrines needs the confidence boost for sure. Currently his defensive box plus-minus lies at -1.3; more alarming is that his offensive box plus-minus is a -1.8. The Spaniard Sniper is struggling to prove that he’s more than just an effective three-point shooter (38.3% this season). However, Abrines has shown that at times when his number is called he will step up to the plate. On December 9th, the 24-year old dropped 20 on the Memphis Grizzlies, giving the Thunder much needed help offensively and securing the 102-101 win.
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Huestis is the most interesting man on the team. He has a PER of 6.1 and a WS of 0.3 on the season. The 26-year old has made the jump in games played from 2 last season to 31 this season. However, he’s struggled to score offensively. When you have Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George it may be difficult to get shots during the game, but Huestis’ 2.7 attempts a game may not be impactful enough to start him again.
The only other option that Billy Donovan may have is starting rookie Terrance Ferguson. However, fans may lose their minds if Donovan rolls the dice on a move like that. Donovan is a tinkerer though, so don’t be surprised if Ferguson gets a crack against a young Lakers team.
The 19-year old has appeared in 22 games for the Thunder this season. He’s averaging 1.3 points per game in around seven minutes of action per game. If Donovan decides to roll with Ferguson it could keep the bench chemistry solid and help Ferguson get some real NBA game experience as a rookie.
While I doubt Billy D would make such a ricky move, I believe Ferguson should get the start tonight. The idea is to simply maintain the starting five without compromising an already struggling second unit. Plus, I think the pure experience could help with Terrance 2K’s progression as one of the youngest players in the League.
Next: Isolating the three games that changed the Thunder's season
Don’t be surprised if Westbrook and George ball out under the bright lights of the Staples Center. Without Roberson the offense is going to need a boost – I expect them to show up when this team needs it most.