The Oklahoma City Thunder are finally healthy after having their two stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, miss a combined 37 games due to injury. The Thunder were supposed to start making up for early season losses with everyone back in the fold.
Russell Westbrook’s slump is hurting the Thunder’s playoffs chances
The Thunder need all the wins they can get if they plan on making the playoffs but Russell Westbrook’s recent scoring struggles are making it hard for them to get them.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
But things haven't gone as planned. Since Durant returned to the lineup on Jan. 2 against the Wizards, the team has gone 1-2 and is still below .500 after dropping the last two games by large margins against the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
A big reason why they have struggled: Russell Westbrook's mini slump. The Thunder star began at a torrid pace upon returning from injury, but has fallen back to earth in a big way. Westbrook finished Wednesday's game a wretched 3-for-19 from the floor after going 5-21 against Golden State on Monday.
The 2-for-8 from near the basket jumps out immediately. Westbrook has been a below-average percentage finisher close to the rim this season despite his reputation, but 25 percent is still shockingly low. He usually makes up for his low efficiency from the field by getting to the free-throw line, leading the league in free throw attempts per game at 9.4. But against the Kings, he only shot five free throws, as the officials were hesitant to call fouls on his drives. Making matters worse, he had seven turnovers too.
Westbrook’s struggles had a direct impact on the game. What set up the 104-83 blowout for the Kings was a first quarter in which they outscored the Thunder by 12 points. Westbrook went 1-for-7 in the period, missing the two three-pointers he took. The two teams traded buckets in the second quarter, but after the break, the Thunder’s offense became anemic again, scoring only 14 third-quarter points. Not coincidentally, Westbrook went 1-for-7 again.
When asked what went wrong in Sacramento, he simply said he's "missing shots" to The Oklahoman's Anthony Slater. And he is right. Westbrook's shot selection is not always stellar, but he has made a very successful career out of hitting tough looks that he is simply missing right now. The Thunder need him and Kevin Durant to create a lot since no one else but Reggie Jackson can do it with any regularity. So of course when things don't go his way, Westbrook comes up looking terrible with 3-for-19 games.
Everyone can have and off night and killing Westbrook for a bad performance would be an overreaction. The problem for the Thunder is Westbrook having bad scoring nights has become a trend at the worst possible time. Over the past five games, Westbrook has shot 27.3 percent from the field (27-for-99) and only 12.5 percent on three-pointers (2-for-16). He has struggled from almost every spot on the floor:
The Thunder have lost three of their last five games, with two of the losses coming against West playoff teams. Those they can live with. The loss against the Kings, on the other hand, was not only unexpected, but seriously harmful to Oklahoma City's playoffs hopes. If they are going to make a serious push to unseat the Suns or the Spurs, they need to start gaining momentum now, when there are still enough games to make up ground. The Thunder are four games back of eighth place and there are fewer games left to make up the gap.
The eight-seeded Suns are projected to win 47 games. The Thunder would have to win 30 of their remaining 46 games to match that total. With everyone healthy and clicking, they can definitely do it. With things going like they have so far in 2015, they have no shot. Time is running out for the Thunder and only a speedy return to form from Westbrook can salvage their season.
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