With Kevin Durant taking his talents to Golden State we now have a new pecking order in OKC, with OKC’s new Big 3 consisting of Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter. The Thunder lost 28.2 points per game and 19.2 shots a night (30.5 percent of the Thunder’s offensive possessions went through KD during the 2015-16 season) with the departure of Durant, and while it’s obvious that Westbrook will be taking some of those shots for himself, he can’t take everything. I believe Oladipo will establish himself as the clear-cut No. 2 option in OKC’s offense, with Kanter assuming the starting power forward position and also seeing a substantial boost in value.
Let’s start with the stats-monster himself, Mr. Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook (27 years old)
Players tend to hit their prime around 27 years old, and then they have roughly three years of being at their best, so basically Westbrook will be in his prime and coming into the largest role of his career as OKC’s unquestioned No. 1 guy on offense (Oh yeah, he’ll also be in a contract year). Luckily, we already have an idea of what Westbrook is capable of doing sans Durant (KD suited up for a mere 27 games during the 2014-15 season, and basically didn’t play after the All-Star break) and simply put, the numbers are scary.
Rankings
27 games sans Durant during the 2014-15 season:
No. 6 overall 9-cat, No. 2 overall in 8-cat, No. 1 stud in points settings.
The Numbers
38.1 usage rate, 45.3 assist percentage, 36.7 MPG
31.3 points (24.1 shot attempts), 8.8 boards, 9.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 triples per game on 41.7 percent shooting from the field and 83.3 percent shooting from the stripe (11.1 trips to the line). He also turned the rock over 5.3 times per contest, which will obviously be an issue this upcoming season, but an issue that will be easily forgiven given the gaudy stat totals Mr. Westbrook is about to unleash upon the NBA.
What to Expect?
We haven’t seen a player average a triple-double through the regular season since Oscar Robertson (30.8 points, 11.4 assists, 12.5 rebounds) did it during his 1961-62 campaign, but if we are ever to see another player accomplish such a feat, I believe the stars are aligned for Westbrook to produce some historically great numbers. Westbrook could certainly lead the league in both points and triple-doubles, and I believe his name will be at the forefront of the MVP conversation for much of the year. The green light for Westbrook on offense will be blindingly bright, and he’s going to be an easy No. 1 overall pick in both 8-cat formats and points leagues. The turnovers will weigh down his value down a bit in 9-cat formats, but given the ridiculous output that Westbrook is capable of, I wouldn’t mind taking him within the top-3 in 9-cat leagues, particularly in head-to-head settings.
Victor Oladipo (24 years old)
Oladipo is immensely talented and has shown improvement each year he’s been in the league, and I think Year-4 with the Thunder will be a career-year for Dipo. Now technically Oladipo’s overall output took a bit of a hit during his junior year, but that’s because Scott Skiles inexplicably decided to bring him off the bench for 20 games. Let’s go ahead and throw out those numbers, as Billy Donovan assuredly does not view Dipo as a Sixth Man, and let’s take a peak at what Oladipo was able to accomplish in his 24 games after the All-Star break once he resumed his rightful place in Orlando’s starting five.
Rankings
Post All-Star break during the 2015-16 season:
No. 9 overall in 9-cat, No. 13 overall in 8-cat, No. 28 overall in points leagues
The Numbers
22.6 usage rate, 36.6 MPG
19.4 points (15.4 shot attempts), 5.3 boards, 3.7 assists, 1.4 triples, 2.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.9 turnovers per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 82.0 percent from the stripe.
What to Expect?
As we can see, Oladipo doesn’t necessarily need an insane usage rate to produce gaudy statistics as a lot of his value comes from his ability to rack up the defensive stats (particularly blocks) from the guard position. That being said, Oladipo is sure to see a bump in usage as he assumes his role as the No. 2 option in OKC, and with that bump in usage, his offensive production figures to see a boost as well. I think his shot attempts will jump to around 19 a night, so I feel Dipo establishing himself as a 20+ scorer in OKC is a reasonable assertion. Spending a late-first round selection on Oladipo seems like the right move to me.
Enes Kanter (24 years old)
Kanter is in for a big year with both Durant and Serge Ibaka no longer a part of the equation, and we already have an idea of what he’s capable of producing when given a starting role, as Kanter stepped up in a big way during the 2014-15 season when both KD and Ibaka hit the sidelines.
Rankings
17 games sans KD & Ibaka during 2014-15 season:
No. 20 overall in 9-cat, No. 16 in 8-cat, No. 15 in points formats
The Numbers
23.9 usage, 32.7 MPG
20.8 points, 12.2 boards, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.3 turnovers per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 83.3 percent from the line.
What to Expect?
I’d be shocked if Katner didn’t begin the 2016-17 season as the Thunder’s starting power forward and with guys like Ersan Ilyasova, Nick Collison, Mitch McGary and Domantas Sabonis behind him on the depth chart, he should have no trouble earning 30-plus minutes a night. Kanter may not have any idea of what he’s supposed to do on defense, but his value will be carried by his scoring, rebounding and high percentages. Interestingly, despite only earning 21 minutes a night during the 2015-16 season, Kanter still managed to rank No. 2 overall in putbacks; so he could very realistically take the crown in that department this upcoming season. He’ll be a double-double threat every time he steps foot on the court, and I think he’ll make for a fine early-middle round selection next season.
The New OKC
The Russell Westbrook/Victor Oladipo backcourt is going to be an exciting thing to watch. Both play with a ton of energy, and both guys like to score in transition, so expect some explosive numbers from the new tag-team in OKC. The Thunder are built to run and they will likely be amongst the top-3 teams in pace, which means more fantasy goodness for all those involved. If you’re in a points league or an 8-cat format, you should do everything in your power to nab Westbrook. I’m calling it now: Westy for MVP.
