December, 24, 2014
Dec 24
2:51
PM ET
By Michael Schwartz, ESPN Stats & Information | ESPN.com
Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY SportsThe Thunder are a vastly different team with both Westbrook and Durant on the floor.
When Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missed the majority of November while Oklahoma City slumped to the bottom of the Western Conference, it appeared the Thunder would be fighting for their playoff lives the rest of the season.
However, once their stars returned at the beginning of December, the Thunder quickly resumed their place as an elite team in the Western Conference, albeit one with a deficit in the standings.
How big of a difference have Durant and Westbrook made, and where do the Thunder stand in their playoff push?
The Durant and Westbrook Effect
When the Thunder don’t have both Durant and Westbrook in the lineup, they are just 6-14, a .300 winning percentage that would put their record in the area of the Lakers and Jazz as one of the worst teams in the West.
But the Thunder have won seven of the nine games in which both stars have played, and one of the losses came on the road against the 23-4 Warriors when Durant missed the second half.
Overall, the Thunder have averaged 14 points higher in the games both stars have played and shot almost five percentage points better from the floor.
The Dynamic Duo
Durant and Westbrook have shared the floor for almost 200 minutes this season, and the Thunder have outscored opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions in that time while shooting 49 percent.
The Thunder have also pushed the pace, averaging 100.6 possessions per 48 minutes, according to NBA.com, which is in line with Golden State’s league-leading pace. For the season, Oklahoma City ranks 18th in pace.
Westbrook’s Incredible Start
Statistically, Oklahoma City’s best player this season has been Westbrook, who is averaging a career-high 28.2 points to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists. His rebound and assist numbers are in line with career averages, but his previous career high in points is 23.6 in 2011-12.
What’s most incredible is that Westbrook is putting up those numbers in just 31.7 minutes of action per game. In NBA history, there have been 68 different seasons entering this year in which a player has averaged a 25-5-5, and all those players averaged at least 36 minutes.
Having lost three of four after their seven-game winning streak, the Thunder are now 2½ games behind Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the West. That deficit should be no problem for the Thunder if Durant and Westbrook stay healthy based on how well they have played with their stars.
Over the last four seasons, the Thunder have won over 73 percent of their games played by Durant and Westbrook. If they win 73 percent of the rest of their games, the Thunder would comfortably be in the playoffs as the No. 7 seed with 52 wins, based on current standings.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Thunder have a 60.5 percent chance of reaching the postseason. If the Thunder do become a playoff team, they will have overcome the worst 15-game start by a Western Conference playoff squad since the 1996-97 Suns rebounded from a 1-14 start to their season.
Of course, most teams that start 3-12, as the Thunder did, can’t rely on stars like Durant and Westbrook to save them.
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