OKC Thunder player grades – start east road trip with oust of Detroit

OKC Thunder Best Reserve:

It’s a toss-up here on Nerlens Noel or Dennis Schroder both of whom contributed to the victory. I liked the complete game Schroder brought to the court. Unlike some recent games where it felt like he was perhaps calling his own number too often or forcing his shot, this was the opposite.

He got his reserve unit rolling and was huge on the glass (hello NINE rebounds). Ish Smith has been a big factor for the Pistons, but Schroder completely dominated that matchup.

Schroder’s stat line: 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists.

As per above, I have to give Nerlens Noel honorable mention here simply because his activity was highly important to the win. He helped keep the Pistons bigs off the glass and for one of the first times I felt we started to get a glimpse of the developing chemistry between Noel and Schroder (and what that duo could become).

Like Adams, his stat line doesn’t tell the full story – 12 points, 8 rebounds (3 offensive), 2 steals, 2 blocks.

Best Opponent:

If you follow my musings, you’ll know I’m not overly fond of Blake Griffin for a number of reasons. That said, it’s impossible to deny how much he means to the Pistons. The OKC Thunder were definitely cognizant as they employed double teams to cut down Griffin’s ability to pass the ball (which is key to the Pistons offense succeeding).

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

In spite of the extra attention he drew Griffin still managed a hearty stat line of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

Final Thoughts

With two lower tier clubs on tap in the mini three game eastern trip this win was likely the most difficult. Still, the OKC Thunder need to stay focused as a perfect week might find them sitting atop the West by week’s end.

Certainly, the way OKC made the Pistons look like another lower tier squad speaks to the defensive prowess of the team. They aren’t just good defensively they are GREAT. OKC held Detroit to 33.0 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from the perimeter. All we can do is admire it and know EVENTUALLY Andre Roberson is goind to return and I can’t even imagine how he’ll affect what is already by far the best defense in the NBA.

For the full ESPN box score visit this link .  Also make sure to listen to the Topic: Thunder podcast crew for the post game analysis and three takeaways available in the morning.

Next up the OKC Thunder face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT or 7:30 p.m. EST