OKC Thunder: Is Andre Roberson biggest x-factor of NBA restart?

OKC Thunder wing Andre Roberson revamped 3 and D skill set might make him the biggest x-factor of the season restart.

With the return of Andre Roberson to the OKC Thunder lineup, there was much to celebrate this past weekend. Just the fact ARob had overcome all the trials and setbacks he endured over the past two and half years offered reason enough.

But what made the return more impressive was this version of Roberson not only had all his benchmark defensive abilities he’d delivered pre-injury, but his time off was clearly spent working on his shooting form. The result, at least initially, is the ability to now nail perimeter shots with abandon.

On Friday versus the Celtics amid raging nerves Roberson’s effect was immediate. All the typical defensive traits were on display. When he hit the 3-point shot there was a moment where it almost felt like he had an internal dialogue to remind himself of the work he put in to improve the shot while away from the game.

Sunday versus the 76ers the nerves were noticeably gone. The energy those nerves sapped on Friday that resulted in him looking winded late in that Celtics match was replaced by Roberson looking fresh the entire time he was on the court Sunday.

From the moment Roberson checked into the game the shift in defensive intensity was palpable. He was cutting through passing lanes deflecting passes and, grabbing offensive rebounds. Dre was picking up Shake Milton full court and not allowing Furkan Korkmaz any space to get off a deep ball. And most importantly he was calling out defenses to his teammates.

Through two games ARob has been impressive in limited minutes:

• Friday vs Celtics: five points (one 3-pointer), two rebounds, steal, block, plus two in 11:56
• Sunday vs 76ers: six points (two 3-pointers), six rebounds, assist, block, plus 29 in 15:12

Scan the other 21 teams and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bubble addition player who has made a bigger impact. The closest would be Joakim Noah for the Clippers although technically he was added pre-suspension.

Although Roberson has always been a great teammate this new squad may be helping his own confidence as we’ve seen through two matches. Undoubtedly, the youngsters will benefit from his encyclopedic defensive knowledge and as Sunday demonstrated excel with him on the court helping direct traffic.

Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort in particular seemed buoyed by Roberson with the latter the first to jump on Dre after his dagger 3-pointer put the Thunder ahead.

Moving forward, the young group of wings fighting for time on the court now has to contend with Roberson stealing their minutes. Bazley, Dort, and Hamidou Diallo all seem stoked for the challenge while Terrance Ferguson seems content to sit back and watch his minutes go elsewhere.

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Chris Paul has played two games with Roberson although Roberson’s minutes haven’t come with the pair sharing the floor. Yet, CP3 is already referring to Roberson as one of his best teammates ever!

While every team is dealing with the challenges of the Disney bubble finding a late advantage could give the Thunder an edge they never imagined.

Ultimately, the value of a healthy Andre Roberson completely alters the potential of the OKC Thunder. While his new shooting prowess from the perimeter may be an outlier (let’s hope not – that was fun), the one thing that is a constant is his defense.

For a squad that already ranks in the top ten defensively, his presence could drive them much higher up the ladder. In the interim Roberson is 3 for 4 from deep with a 75 percent perimeter efficiency. For more than two years Thunder Nation has awaited ARob’s return and worried he might never step foot on an NBA court again.

After the events of this past weekend, Mike Muscala’s words best describe the fan base’s feelings ‘it couldn’t happen to a better guy.’