Can OKC Thunder wing Andre Roberson return to his elite defensive level?

Can OKC Thunder forward Andre Roberson return to his elite defensive status after being injured for over a year?

The OKC Thunder are welcoming back Andre Roberson with open arms. The defensive wing has not played since January of 2018. As we continue our one question series, Robeson’s is rather easy to narrow down.

It was announced on Media Day by both Billy Donovan, and Andre Roberson that the 27-year-old Colorado University product would be a “Full go” for training camp. The now veteran presence in the OKC Thunder locker room showed something on Monday that he has not shown in his entire NBA career, that he has swagger. Or at least confidence.

So what is the big question around Andre Roberson? No, it is not his dreadful free throw percentage that averages out to 46 percent from the line throughout his NBA career. It is not even a question of if he can improve his offense. Given how old he is, and the fact that you can not improve that much when you are rehabbing, it seems like both those ships have sailed…Or sunk if you ask Jerami Grant.

More from Thunderous Intentions

The big question around Andre Roberson is his defense. The once Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner and member of the 2016-17 All-Defensive team on his way to getting the 2017-18 nod before his season was derailed with injury, has to prove it all over again.

It has to be made clear that this is not a video game, this is real life, with real bodies. Andre Roberson will not return to the floor and immediately return to his DPOY status. It will take time to shake the rust off, and get back into game shape by his own admission.

But when the rust is off, and when he is back in shape, can he physically be the defensive nemesis he once was? That is the biggest question around Andre Roberson.

If the answer is yes, then you know the drill. He will be a lockdown wing that helps the OKC Thunder defense as a whole and if this sneaky squad nabs the eighth seed he will be played off the floor in the final two minutes.

But what if the answer is no? Well, Andre Roberson is an expiring contract so it does not really matter in terms of hampering the future of OKC, however, if he can not return to his elite level defense his career will be in jeopardy. You can get away with no offense if you have an elite trait but if that defense dips to a Terrance Ferguson level, then Roberson becomes expendable, and sadly useless. So you can see why Andre might be feeling a lot of pressure heading into this season.

Let’s end this article on a high note, let’s say he does return to his Defensive Player of the Year form, as his confidence at Monday’s Media Day suggests.

Andre Roberson on the one thing he misses the most: “Locking people up."

“Let’s just put it this way, some of these guys have been too happy, too free.”
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) September 30, 2019

If that happens, the Thunder defense will either be at elite status with Andre locking down the perimeter with the help of Terrance Ferguson, and Steven Adams anchoring the backend of the OKC defense that could be enough to earn a playoff spot. They would at least be fun to watch and get out in transition.

Go back to the fact that he is an expiring contract. There is no such thing as a bad expiring contract in this league. A team that feels like they are right there but need a boost defensively to win a title could make a trade for Roberson at the deadline.

Now a trade that features Roberson will not be a blockbuster, the return might not even make a blip on most fans radars, but something is better than nothing.

There are so many different ways this season could go for OKC and Andre Roberson, and it is all centered around the question “Can Andre Roberson return to his elite defensive status.”

Do you have confidence in Andre Roberson’s ability to return to his elite defensive form? Let us know in the comments.