Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Top 15 NBA Draft picks in OKC Thunder franchise history

By Tamberlyn Richardson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 6: Oklahoma City Thunder players, from left, Kendrick Perkins #5, Kevin Durant #35, Serge Ibaka #9 and Russell Westbrook #0 celebrate with the Western Conference Finals Champions trophy following their team's victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on June 6, 2012 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 6: Oklahoma City Thunder players, from left, Kendrick Perkins #5, Kevin Durant #35, Serge Ibaka #9 and Russell Westbrook #0 celebrate with the Western Conference Finals Champions trophy following their team's victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on June 6, 2012 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 16
Next
NBA Draft - Top 15 picks All-Time
Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors tries to push his way around Andre Roberson #21 of the OKC Thunder during the first half of an NBA game. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

Andre Roberson – NBA Draft pick traded for piece of future core

2013 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 29 traded for Roberson who was selected 26th

Scan through the notes of the 2013 draft and upon landing on Andre Roberson it’s a convoluted mess of notes. Six different teams were involved in one way or another prior to Roberson finally landing with OKC.

Critics will cite Rudy Gobert being left on the board, but in hindsight, the ARob pick filled an equally important roster hole for the Thunder. Initially, the Thunder either were trying to manage their salary or weren’t completely sold on Roberson as they only offered 80 percent of the rookie scale. Typically teams pay their rookies 120 percent.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P% eFG% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS
2013-14 40 16 10.0 0.8 1.7 .485 0.1 0.3 .154 .564 .500 .700 0.9 1.5 2.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 1.9
2014-15 67 65 19.2 1.4 3.0 .458 0.3 1.3 .247 .612 .510 .479 0.9 2.9 3.8 1.0 0.8 0.4 3.4
2015-16 70 70 22.2 1.9 3.9 .496 0.5 1.5 .311 .608 .555 .611 1.1 2.5 3.6 0.7 0.8 0.6 4.8
2016-17 79 79 30.1 2.7 5.9 .464 0.6 2.3 .245 .609 .513 .423 1.2 3.9 5.1 1.0 1.2 1.0 6.6
2017-18 39 39 26.6 2.2 4.2 .537 0.2 0.9 .222 .627 .562 .316 1.9 2.8 4.7 1.2 1.2 0.9 5.0
Career 295 269 22.5 1.9 4.0 .482 0.4 1.4 .257 .609 .528 .467 1.2 2.8 4.0 0.9 0.9 0.7 4.6

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/19/2018.

Defensive Talent:

Flash forward and it was clear Roberson filled an extremely important role on the team. This was best evidenced this past season when the team experienced major regression defensively following Dre’s injury.

Accolades for Roberson extend beyond his own team as New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry referred to him as the ‘best glue guy in the league’

TI’s own Gideon Lim demonstrates via film room how valuable the wingman is to OKC. And as Paul George prepares to make a big decision this summer his frequent comments regarding playing alongside Roberson stand out.

Related: The OKC ‘Suicide Squad’

In the end, Andre Roberson is a vital part of the Thunder’s core whereas the player most directly linked to him in the 2013 NBA Draft (Archie Goodwin)  played 30 games two seasons ago and none in 2017-18.

Ultimately, there is no denying Roberson’s defensive value, and if he ever adds a consistent 3-point shot expect to see him fly up this list.

Home/Thunder All-Time Lists