'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
3. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka; Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook’s absence was sorely felt during the postseason last time around.
Westbrook is over-assertive, forgets his role in the team often and makes bad judgement calls. But he’s an explosive scorer and shoulders a sizeable part of the team’s offense. This was what the team missed last season after his injury ruled him out of the playoffs. Durant would rather take Westbrook and his flaws than suffer through another game of constant double teams and noone else to shoulder the scoring.
Durant is the second best player in the planet. He’s coming off a 90-50-40 season and will be hoping to build on his scoring prowess from last season. However, Durant’s abilities as a defender and a facilitator tend to get overshadowed by his phenomenal scoring ability. He’s the team’s best defender in terms of opponents’ PER and has an impressive 4.7 APG (especially for a Power Forward).
Ibaka is the slightly weaker link in their chain. While he has improved as a defender and shot blocker, Ibaka is still a liability on offense. To truly better himself and the team, he needs to focus on his offense and become more assertive. Some tips on that from Westbrook maybe?
