Today’s edition of OKC Thunder In The News looks at Dennis Schroder‘s great opening week hair, reasons to watch every OKC Thunder game the rest of this season (and opponents), and finally, the team’s big offense problem.
OKC Thunder squad’s opening week saw matchups against two Western Conference teams at opposite ends of the spectrum, the defending champions in Golden State and the rebuilding LA Clippers. With 2 games down and 80 more games to go, the Thunder continue to break news as a watch-worthy enigma of a team. We start off on a light note with the biggest style moment of opening week in Dennis Schroder.
Dennis Schroder’s Hair…and some Charles Barkley-isms
In case you missed it, Dennis Schroder showcased some new attention-grabbing hair this week, incorporating some Thunder orange and blue. I am obsessed with the look, though Shaq not so much. He makes a point to feature this style critique on TNT’s American Express Halftime Report. And I quote:
"Ernie, Ken, Chuck…WHAT THE H*LL IS THIS??…wash it out."
My very sportsy-analytical takeaway from this is that Shaq is salty about his own bald look. 🙁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLDhu3QNPtA
Charles Barkley always has great insights, and he did not fail to deliver on this opening night game:
- When OKC Thunder gets healthy, they will get really good
- Doesn’t know who names their kid Nerlens
- OKC Thunder will be better than the Lakers. YES.
The segment is worth a re-watch just to hear Chuck stumble over Noel’s name. This is what quality television is about, folks.
Will Westbrook + George finally be better than Westbrook + Durant?
Block off your social calendar until June, if you haven’t already. Our friends at Bleacher Report served up their annual “The 1 Reason to Tune into Every NBA Team’s Games This Season” article, so you won’t have much time for the other nuances of life.
Unsurprisingly after Paul George‘s big re-sign, the bit on OKC highlights the fact that we get to see Russ and PG get to work after a slightly awkward first run with superstar Carmelo Anthony last season. While the OKC Thunder did not make it past the first round of the playoffs, we did see some great chemistry between the two remaining All-Stars:
"Westbrook and George proved natural fits. The former averaged a triple-double for the second straight season. The latter had the best three-point shooting season of his career (244 makes at a 40.1-percent clip). Together, they bested opponents by 7.0 points per 100 possessions across 2,328 minutes."
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- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
With Westbrook and George, the OKC Thunder are at the strongest they’ve been since losing Kevin Durant in free agency. With the great friendship and chemistry, the current pairing may be better for the OKC Thunder team overall, as Westbrook and KD had difficulty figuring out how to really maximize each other’s strengths.
Make sure to read the full article, as it details the rest of the league — AKA the guys who will be facing our dynamic duo.
OKC’s Next Best Offensive Options
Our second newsworthy article focuses on the biggest foreseeable problem with the OKC Thunder this season. That of course, is their offensive capabilities sans Durant. Paul George has helped, (and I hate to admit this) but he is just not as good as KD, and the first two games of this season saw a Russ-less Thunder team.
Haley O’Shaughnessy for The Ringer takes a hard look at OKC’s roster, and exposes the grim likelihood of another early playoff exit:
"…The roster is composed of streaky shooters: Schröder, Patrick Patterson, Alex Abrines, even Westbrook. For the Thunder to hang past the first round of the playoffs this season, they’ll need to find a nightly threat from their pile of unreliable options. The answer could be Grant, who became much more consistent last season in attacking the rim."
Yikes. Without Westbrook, OKC Thunder’s first game against the Warriors relied on the opponents playing poorly, and the game against the Clippers (c’mon, the CLIPPERS) was a loss which should’ve been avoided. That said, Schroder brings some fresh energy and Adams is taking on more leadership offensively, both of which will take some time to adjust.
In addition, Jerami Grant and Patrick Patterson have no reason not to improve from last season. Only time will provide the answers on whether the OKC Thunder can improve their offensive woes, or if the defense can take them further.
That wraps up this Saturday’s OKC Thunder In The News. Check back as we journey through the regular season for big OKC Thunder updates.