The Oklahoma City Thunder are ensuring that their season doesn’t depend on Andre Roberson’s knee by signing Nerlens Noel.
Even when the Oklahoma City Thunder assembled their big three last offseason, Andre Roberson remained a key piece of their lineup. One of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, and a guy who can guard up to four positions, he was a key piece of their defensive identity.
Once he broke his patellar tendon, the Thunder’s defensive rating tanked, and they weren’t the same team. They certainly couldn’t hide Carmelo Anthony’s horrible shooting numbers in the playoffs.
It’s hard to think a team anchored by Russell Westbrook and Paul George would rely so heavily on Roberson, especially since the latter’s a great defender himself. But in an effort to prevent another late-season collapse, Sam Presti has given his team an upgrade on the defensive end by signing Nerlens Noel:
This is an excellent signing for a number of reasons. It means one or both of Anthony or Patrick Patterson will be gone. The Thunder also have someone else that can play minutes at the five, which they’ve been sorely lacking ever since Enes Kanter left. And opponents will struggle to get buckets against a lineup of Westbrook, Roberson, George, Noel and Adams.
By re-signing George, the Thunder essentially committed to running it back. They still have a big decision to make with Anthony, but short of buying him out, their best option would be to stretch his contract. But Noel fits in perfectly with this team, and should increase their ceiling.
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The Thunder’s first-round exit makes it easy to forget how much talent is on that team. Even with the LeBron James-led Lakers, they should still be considered an upper echelon team in the West.