OKC Thunder: Debating whether Nick Collison deserves to have his jersey retired

Nick Collison helped define Thunder basketball

The former Kansas star was a human embodiment of what the OKC Thunder were trying to build as a franchise. His intangibles checked off all the boxes. He was a hard worker. He was a team player. He put the team ahead of himself whenever it mattered. He never complained even as his role gradually diminished.

He was an underrated player

It’s been so long, but Collison was more than just a locker room presence. He was a great role player who helped elevate the Thunder second unit. Collison particularly developed strong chemistry with James Harden during his three years in OKC. And no matter how old he got, who could forget those timeless backdoor cuts he generated?

Looking back at the 2012 Finals, Nick Collison should have gotten way more minutes. In the Thunder’s 100-96 game two loss, Collison played just 14 minutes. While not scoring, or even taking a shot for that matter, he was a +8 and had an offensive rating of 226 with a defensive rating of 110.

Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder’s starting center at the time, played 19.5 minutes. He was a minus -16 with an offensive rating of 72 and 116 defensive rating. Albeit a small sample size, had the Thunder give Collison more of Perks minutes, OKC could have headed to Miami up 2-0 instead of 1-1. Had that been the case, would the ringless LeBron at the time have cracked under pressure? We’ll never know because Scott Brooks thought benching Perk would upset the team.

Of the eight OKC Thunder players that series that played meaningful minutes, Collison had the highest offensive rating at 126. He also had the fourth best defensive rating at 114. In total, Collison played 83 minutes that series while Perkins played 116. If those numbers were flipped, what would the history of the Thunder look like?

Collison’s play was seen in more than just that series. Even with a limited role his final few years, he still ranks high in a variety of OKC Thunder all-time leaderboards. Collison is sixth all time in points, fifth in rebounds, and fourth in minutes, assists, and blocks. While some of these total numbers aren’t all that impressive, the fact remains he’s been one of the more critical players in the franchises’ early years.

Loyalty isn’t totally dead

Finally, Collison played his entire career with the franchise. There’s a good chance he could have spent his final few years somewhere else with another team and gotten more money and/or playing time, but nonetheless, he wanted to stay in OKC. That says a ton in today’s age.