Taj Gibson is enjoying a change of pace with the Oklahoma City Thunder
By David Ramil
Russell Westbrook starts walking off the court after a recent shootaround in Orlando and yelling at no one in particular that he’s ready to talk. It takes a moment for the assembled reporters to realize if he’s serious, if Westbrook is merely walking a fine line between aggressive and playful, until he begins to count down over the chorus of murmured voices, dull thuds of dribbled basketballs, and nets swishing after each made shot.
“Five…four…three…” he says loudly, and the throng of media starts herding toward the Oklahoma City Thunder guard.
As you’d expect, it doesn’t go smoothly. There’s a limited space along the baseline where Westbrook is holding court and the confused reporters gather awkwardly, jamming phones, voice recorders and cameras as closely as they can. Strange as the process seems it’s all by design, a fact he makes obvious as he begins directing traffic, gently nudging the group to ensure there’s a clear space both behind and at either side of him. He’s carved out an escape route that he’ll likely never employ — he answers all questions in direct, typically Westbrook-ian fashion — but it surely provides some comfort to know it exists.
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Taj Gibson, a member of the team for a little over a month, watches the scene unfold with a wide, incredulous smile. If popcorn were available, you’d swear he’d reach for a bag; he seems entranced by the display. He chuckles loudly, knowingly nods and then walks away from the spectacle as if he’s not entirely surprised. The message is clear if just a bit cliched: this is Westbrook’s world and we are all just living in it.
There’s a tendency to believe that an adjustment is needed to fit alongside Westbrook, particularly during this season of sustained, historic dominance. He chases down rebounds and controls the pace with a savage, constant fury. Westbrook is a monster truck racing alongside training-wheeled bicycles and you’d better learn to keep up or get out of the way before you’re run over on his snarling path to rim. At least that’s the general idea, one certainly emphasized by Kevin Durant’s decision to play elsewhere this past summer.
But don’t count Gibson, an eight-year veteran who has seen much during his NBA career, among those willing to buy into the notion. In just 17 games with the Thunder, he’s found the transition surprisingly easy.
“Learning to play with Russ wasn’t hard at all, to be honest,” Gibson revealed to The Step Back. “He’s so unselfish. He’s always looking to hit you [with a pass] or get you the ball. It’s been great, I’m having fun and enjoying it.”
Gibson’s experience has played a huge factor in easing the transition. As he puts it, “The Thunder just let me be myself, let my instincts take over, lend myself to the game and it works well.” Oklahoma City has amassed an 11-6 record since acquiring Gibson and Doug McDermott in a midseason trade with the Chicago Bulls.
But an adjustment has been needed, one that does tie into Westbrook’s unique impact on the floor. Since joining the Thunder, Gibson has played a total of 299 minutes alongside Westbrook. During that stretch, they’ve outscored opponents by an average of 12.0 points, playing at a pace at 101.1 possessions per 48 minutes. In Chicago, no two-man lineup with Gibson ever eclipsed 99.9 this season.
“The West Coast style of play, it’s much more up-and-down. I haven’t played like this since college,” Gibson admits. “In the East, it’s more half-court…you got a lot of banging, lot of low-post guys. But it’s been great. West Coast sprint. I love it!”
Always the consummate role player, Gibson has long embodied a lunchpail approach to the game, one that made him beloved by Bulls fans. He grabs his rebounds, finds a way to score and goes to work. As he explained to David Aldridge at NBA.com of his time in Chicago, “We gave it our all…we gave the city all we could. We fought through injuries, a lot of shorthanded nights…I played my heart out for that city.”
There’s no lingering resentment toward the Bulls front office and Gibson acknowledged that a trade was inevitable. “Well, I was a little bit aware [that a trade was happening] because we couldn’t get anything done from a re-signing standpoint,” he explained. Gibson is a free agent at the end of this season.
But the writing on the wall was made clear to him this past summer, when the team lost both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol to free agency. “They didn’t get anything in return for either of those guys,” said Gibson. The risk of losing another front court player in free agency was too great for Chicago, and a deal was struck with Oklahoma City in the waning moments before the NBA’s trade deadline came to pass. “It’s the NBA,” said Gibson with a shrug of the shoulders. “Anything can happen. With 20 minutes left until the deadline, something did.”
Chicago, however, is behind him and Gibson is pleased to be part of the Thunder, at least for the rest of the season. “Coach makes it so easy for me. My teammates have been great. I’m on a winning team. We’ve got the playoffs ahead. I’m happy,” said Gibson.
The fit works even if isn’t always seamless. Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is still figuring out how to use Gibson, who’s been inserted into the starting lineup for the past 10 games. Donovan explained to reporters in Orlando that a lot of his lineup decisions are based on what’s happening in the game. How the Thunder match up with a particular opponent dictates who will play and for how long. But this is a problem of the good-to-have variety, a result of frontcourt depth in Oklahoma City which makes them a dangerous opponent as the postseason inches closer.
Donovan has to dole out minutes to Gibson (who has spent time at the center position in recent games), as well as Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and rookie Domantas Sabonis, whom Gibson replaced as a starter.
The obvious flip side is that production from this deep group will wane across the board. Gibson doesn’t see that as a problem. “This is a great group of guys,” he said. “No egos. Everybody just wants to win and that’s made it easy for me to fit in with the team.”
Later on that night, the Thunder faced a Magic team that is in the perfect position to play the spoiler role that is begrudgingly filled every year. With nothing to lose, anything is an option and that type of chaos can be difficult to prepare for. Oklahoma City found themselves down 21 points in the second half.
Westbrook was at his most lethal at this particular night, one that ended in historic fashion as he set a record for the most points ever scored while notching yet another triple-double this season. The final stat line; 57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists. Lost in the noise of Westbrook’s accomplishment is that the Thunder staged the largest comeback in team history, winning it 115-107.
Gibson’s night was far less spectacular than his MVP-caliber teammate’s, scoring just 2 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
But the buzz from Westbrook’s performance is infectious, even this late in the regular season as things seem to fail in place league-wide. Boxscores were passed around the locker room and Gibson, despite his struggles that night, was as caught up in the excitement as everyone else.
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It’s easy to believe there’s a problem in Oklahoma City and that finding your role alongside Westbrook can be a chore. Gibson’s eight-year career has been built on doing the dirty work and this season isn’t any different. He knows how to clear a path for Westbrook to do what he remarkably does best and there’s a contentment in doing that job well. Whether it’s to avoid getting run over or as a path to escape doesn’t matter as long as the end result, a historic win, remains the same.