The lost season: What’s next for OKC Thunder defensive master Andre Roberson?
By Alex Mcewen
Getting Defensive about Andre Roberson
When Roberson last stepped on the floor for the Thunder, he and teammate Paul George formed one of, if not the best defensive tandems in the NBA. Unfortunately, the duo has appeared in 36 contests, totally 763 minutes. When the pair shared the hardwood, Oklahoma City possessed a plus/minus of plus +196, the seventh best among two-man lineups on the Thunder in 2017-18.
It’s still unknown when the pair will take the court together, from an individual standpoint Roberson should be able to help shoulder the load for the Thunder in PG’s absence. According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann Dre possessed the largest on-court/off-court defensive rating deferential among 266 qualified players, 96.4 on-court, versus 107.6 off-court, good for a difference of 11.2 points per 100 possessions.
2017-18 Traditional Stats
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 39 | 26.6 | 4.2 | .537 | 0.9 | .222 | .627 | .562 | 1.0 | .316 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 5.0 |
| Career | 295 | 22.5 | 4.0 | .482 | 1.4 | .257 | .609 | .528 | 0.9 | .467 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 4.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2019.
2017-18 Advanced Stats
| Season | PER | TS% | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS | WS/48 | BPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 10.9 | .543 | 7.8 | 12.2 | 9.9 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 14.4 | 8.6 | 2.2 | .100 | 1.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2019.
Where Dre can Grow
The largest knock on Roberson throughout his entire career is the fact he has not shot the ball well from the foul line, or perimeter. The perimeter shooting, likely will not improve, Dre realized such and attempted a seldom 36 treys, just under one per match.
If his 3-point accuracy does improve, his game would become one of the most sought after commodities in basketball, a three and ‘D’ wing. Again that scenario is unlikely. The most logical situation moving forward would be to use Dre as a power forward on offense. While true power forward Jerami Grant uses his 3-point marksmanship to space the floor, creating an effective offensive scheme.