Hope, in the form of Russell Westbrook, returned Sunday night in the Thunder’s 103-96 win against the Phoenix Suns in the Thunder’s home opener. It was announced Westbrook was medically cleared to play early Sunday morning, and he didn’t disappoint.
It began when Kevin Durant gave up his normal spot in the announcement of the starting lineup, letting Westbrook be the last starter announced. Durant denied it was his decision. Either way, the Loud City crowd met the decision with the zeal of thousands of kids unwrapping the first Christmas present all at once.
Then, the game began. Would Westbrook be rusty? He hadn’t played in an NBA game in months due to two knee operations. He missed one out of his first two free throws, lost control of his dribble a couple times, and threw the ball away once. He totaled three turnovers in the first quarter alone.
“That’s expected. I didn’t come back and expect to be bionic man. I’m just trying to work my way back through it,“ said Westbrook of his return. “I’m going to continue to go. Stay in attack mode. Continue to try to win.”
Still, he had already changed the feel of the game. He brought back the defensive intensity by forcing an early Eric Bledsoe turnover. He assisted on a Serge Ibaka score, getting Ibaka an easy jumper. His presence allowed Scott Brooks to go with a small lineup, replacing Kendrick Perkins with Jeremy Lamb midway through the first quarter.
Westbrook brought chemistry, intensity and versatility and with all that, hope.
Once Westbrook settled in, all the major questions were answered.
Would he look explosive immediately? He was as aggressive to the basket as ever, with four layups on the day, while going 11-14 from the free throw line.
How would he look with Durant? They hooked up a couple of times. It all felt right again when Westbrook threw a nice alley-oop to KD midway through the third quarter.
How would Reggie Jackson look off the bench? Jackson had 10 points and 5 assists to lead the second unit.
Would the fourth quarter offense finally get on track? The Thunder offense exploded in the fourth quarter for 36 points. Durant was able to move around freer off-ball. The return of the KD-Westbrook pick and roll led to some easy scores for Westbrook on drives. All in all, Westbrook looked like his normal aggressive self.
“The guy plays the game like it’s supposed to be played. It’s not always going to be perfect but he plays with everything he has every single night, “said Brooks of Westbrook.
Sunday night will be remembered (as much as third games of the regular season get remembered) as the night Westbrook returned to score 21 points with 5 assists and beat the Suns. The trouble is Westbrook doesn’t solve most of the Thunder’s pressing issues going forward. He isn’t a new piece fitting in seamlessly; he’s an old piece returning to give the Thunder more of the same.
“We’ve missed him, for sure,” Thunder forward Nick Collison said when he spoke to The Oklahoman before the game. “It’s been obvious with our play. We struggled without him. It’s not just going to be ‘Add him and everything is great.’ We still have a lot of work to do.“
The team still relies on a young bench which could prove costly down the road. The team still can only count on reliable scoring from two options with Durant and Westbrook account for over 50 percent of the team’s points against the Suns. Lastly, the Thunder bigs still can’t provide easy scoring in the paint.
All the issues that made it difficult to beat the Utah Jazz without Durant’s 44 points or that caused a blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves still exist. The defense will find its way. There’s too much athleticism and length present for it not be a strong unit. The offense needs work. An NBA team can’t rely on just two reliable scorers and hope others chip in when they can.
Lamb provided eight points Sunday and maybe he’ll continue to improve. Perry Jones looked like he can contribute, but only managed one shot attempt, which he made. Everyone’s favorite preseason standout, Steven Adams, was limited last night and wasn’t a factor.
Looking ahead can be hard when something shiny is right in front of you. Yesterday, Westbrook was shiny. He might be for a couple more days. Then, we will need to take a look at what the future holds for this team. Will the Thunder’s young players progress? Can the bigs start generating more help down low? For now, fans just have to wait and hope.
