Player Grades
Russ was all over the place tonight. He played solid defense and offense with tons of energy as usual, but Westbrook has continued to show us something this season that he has struggled with in years past: control.
I love watching Westbrook play, but sometimes he can “fly off the handles” so to speak. However, this season he has shown smart decision-making consistently. Sure, he still attempts a few threes to try and get some rhythm from beyond the arc, but for the most part he chooses appropriate times this season!
Dennis Schroder is playing extremely well lately! Oh, you needed more? Just watch the guy. I never thought I would say this, but this NBA player looks more confident off the bench than he did as a starter. There I said it, but don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying he can’t stand the pressure of being a starter or the system did not work for him in previous seasons.
I’m saying this guy is hungry to win, has a strong mentor in Westbrook, and has improved in all aspects of his game while embracing wins over the title of “Starter”. He is definitely in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year and should be leading the category right now.
I don’t want to take anything away from Paul George and I’m not! This wasn’t a signature game from Paul George, but it was a very good one. He didn’t score particularly much but he was a definite plus on defense. He continues to amaze with his constant deflecting and contesting thanks to his arms always moving around. Any players wanting to improve on defense needs to watch PG13 because his defense is scary good.
Jerami Grant has been amazing all season long and he continued playing well today. There is a reason the Thunder wanted to lock Grant up this offseason and it is paying off big time! He was well worth the paycheck for his performance last season off the bench, but this season he is giving us a three-point shot as well!
Now, that contract the OKC Thunder gave Grant is a steal for a player who seemingly won’t stop improving season-to-season! OKC should look to capitalize on Grant’s efficiency by getting him even more involved in the offense.
I hate to do it to my guy, Steven Adams, but I have to be honest. Although, this wasn’t a “bad” game for Adams, it wasn’t the type of game we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Adams. He never seemed to dominate the low post like he usually does. He still looked good overall, but just not dominant like he normally is. However, he was still making other players look really small in comparison to his frame, and at least we know that won’t change.