The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons 121-108 in a decisive victory. The Thunder hit on all cylinders throughout the game dominating on both sides of the floor. However, it all came crashing down in the third quarter when Guard Andre Roberson attempted an alley-oop, but his legs gave up from underneath him and crashed hard on the floor. The staff had to bring a stretcher to get Roberson off the floor in a tragic moment for Roberson and the Thunder team.
One may not notice the impact that Roberson has on this team because his effectiveness doesn’t come from the sexy side of basketball operations, he’s atrocious on offensive ability, but he’s the best in the league on the defensive side. Roberson is such a great fit with the current group because he allows them to be creative on defense while locking up the other team’s best offensive player on a nightly basis. He’s similar to what Dennis Rodman did for the 90’s Bulls. With Roberson, I believe the Thunder were championship contenders, but I’m not sure where they could stand without him, that’s how important he is to team’s overall success.
My hope is that the Thunder find a suitable replacement at the deadline. I’m not sure about the availability of Jonathon Simmons from Orlando or Caldwell-Pope from the LA Lakers, but those would be good defensive pickups. If not, it means Terrance Ferguson and Josh Huestis need to make sure they focus on defense and try to find chemistry with the rotation.
APreZzo Vox 