OKC Thunder need Russell Westbrook and Paul George to fail immediately

Act like you’ve been there

Creating a formidable Thunder team sans Westbrook and George isn’t simply about helping the supporting cast of starters and role players find their own collective identity. The Thunder already have an identity that has garnered great success in strong rebounding, a suffocating defense, creating turnovers, and a fast-paced offense. Unifying the team without its superstars serves a more important purpose – preparing OKC to contend on short notice without numbers 0 or 13 on the court due to injury.

No Thunder fan wishes it to happen, but the potential is always there for an injury to occur to one half of the R-PG tandem. Even if only for one game it would behoove the Thunder to know how to adjust without Westbrook or George on the court. As the word on the streets go, “act like you’ve been there.”

Should Westbrook and George simultaneously fail to live up to their standards for an extended period, the Thunder wouldn’t have to act because they will have already been there. Knowing how to adjust the lineup and strategy will create confidence rather than panic. It would prevent an urgent rush to learn on the fly because OKC will have already developed an alternative identity to fall back on.

The Thunder shouldn’t try to act like they’ve been there. Instead, they should be able to respond and act decisively because they have already learned how to adjust to that situation in the event of losing one or both of their superstars.