Fansided

5 NBA teams that should start tanking now

By Adam Cox

Oct 13, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton talks with Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) while playing against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton talks with Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) while playing against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

I said winning record would not disqualify a team from this list. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-6 and in 1st place in the Northwest Division. Russell Westbrook is supremely talented, as he is one of the five best players in the NBA. He is almost averaging a triple-double through 14 games this season — averaging a triple-double!  That is ridiculous. However, the Thunder aren’t really that good.

The Thunder are first in their division but only 6th in the Western Conference. They are 4-6 in their last ten games. They can beat a team like the Houston Rockets and the Thunder can play with, and sometimes beat, teams like the Clippers and the Toronto Raptors. Yet they can also lose to teams like the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. Especially relevant, considering the Thunder’s championship aspirations,  is the Golden State Warriors ran the them out of the gym.

For all of Russell Westbrook’s individual talent, he has no idea how to lead a team. There is about a season’s worth of data of Oklahoma City Thunder games with Westbrook but without Kevin Durant. Westbrook puts up great numbers, but is inefficient, and the Thunder’s record in these games is 41-33. That’s pretty good, but in a conference with the Warriors, Clippers and Spurs it’s not good enough.

The problem with the Thunder with Westbrook at the helm is that the games become dominated by him. To a degree, this is understandable given the Thunder’s lack of other scorers who can create their own shot. The Thunder are not completely lacking for talent, however. They have shooters and rebounders and defenders, yet they don’t win. They can’t win as currently constituted, they need another top talent to replace Durant and take the burden off of Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook has three triple-doubles this season. Most noteworthy, the Thunder are 1-2 in those games. Tank now, just for one season, add another player who can create his own shots and score. They will be better for the long-run.

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