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The Kevin Durant (Non-)Effect

By Daniel Tran

Dec 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks between New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks between New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Durant made an effect on the Oklahoma City Thunder, it just wasn’t a winning effect

As Kevin Durant walked off the floor of the Smoothie King Center, he and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder were sure of one thing: at least he didn’t spend the game wearing a suit.

For the first time since fracturing his foot in early October, Durant put on his Thunder jersey and took part in a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans. With the Thunder fresh off a win against the New York Knicks where the returning Russell Westbrook became the first player ever to record 30+ points and 8 assists in 24 minutes, the return of the reigning MVP was going to spark an Oklahoma City run back into the playoff picture, right?

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Not exactly.

The Thunder looked out of sorts and was down 19 at one point before falling to the Pelicans 112-104. Durant had a decent debut game, scoring 27 points on 18 shot attempts. He didn’t contribute much else unfortunately, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. That shooting stroke is still smooth as silk, but the rest of his game needs to catch up.

The result was not the storybook ending to his comeback to the court and with Durant back in the fold, one thing is for certain: they need to get reacquainted with each other. Even though Durant is a superior talent, it was obvious after tonight that even with him returning, the Thunder still has the same problems to deal with.

Without Durant on the court, the Thunder offense ran like a Chevy Nova that went through a chop shop. They ranked 29th in the league in offensive rating at 99.9 points per 100 possessions and 28th in field goal percentage, shooting 42.2 percent from the field. Hardly lighting the world on fire.

Even with Durant’s standard shooting prowess, the Thunder continued to struggle on offense. With Durant on the floor against the Pelicans, the Thunder shot 44 percent from the field, barely a 1.8 percent improvement from their season average mostly due to Russell Westbrook shooting 6 of 20 from the field. It is also tough to get a decent look when the ball is sticking.

Coming into the game, the Thunder averaged 18.8 assists with 36.0 made field goals per game, good for 27th in the league. When the team is only assisting on 56 percent of their baskets, the offense isn’t exactly going to be a juggernaut. This alarming trend didn’t change when Durant was playing.

The Thunder finished with 16 assists on 37 made field goals. The ball continued to stick, but instead of being in the hands of Reggie Jackson or Serge Ibaka, it was now Westbrook and Durant that had the burden of bailing out the Thunder with isolation plays as the shot clock ran down.

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    • Let’s be real. Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks isn’t exactly an offensive genius. The Thunder has routinely finished in the bottom 10 in the league in terms of assists. His offense is predicated on giving the ball to either of his two stars and letting them create for themselves or their teammates with room to operate.

    Usually this works out because either Durant or Westbrook have some games under their belts and are in rhythm. Against the Pelicans last night, both stars had neither.

    However, not all is lost for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Saying that the reinsertion of Kevin Durant into the lineup is not a beneficial move is preposterous. Even though they still shot poorly from the field tonight, the Thunder still managed to score over 100 points, which is only the 6th time they managed that feat this season.

    The 100-point mark is important for the Thunder because their defense has been top tier, giving up a scant 93.2 points per game and ranking 3rd in the league in field goal percentage against at 42.3%. With Durant bringing his career average 4.4 defensive win shares, Oklahoma City will be shutting down teams like Fox shut down Firefly (yeah, I’m still bitter).

    Durant will continue to gain rhythm and mesh with the team as they move forward and mold them into the same dangerous team they had the previous year when they ranked 6th in the league in both offensive and defensive rating.

    Tonight, Durant couldn’t help the team overcome their woes. With brighter and healthier days ahead however, he can take solace in knowing he replaced his suits with more athletically appropriate attire for game time.

    Next: Who is the greatest player in Thunder history?

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