National Basketball Association

Thunder player grades from win over defending champs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:54 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tony Heim/FanSided via Thunderous Intentions

Feb 9, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) fights for position with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Andre Roberson (21) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder used a total team effort to beat the defending champions 118-109 at Chesepeake Energy Arena.

There’s nothing like watching your basketball team play well. Especially when the expectations are low.

This morning/afternoon the belief was that Cleveland was going to rest their Big Three. I promptly roasted them for it. But once Tyronn Lue announced they would be playing, my confidence turned to dust. It’s just impossible to guess what version of the Thunder are going to come out.

Well tonight was a version of OKC basketball we haven’t seen much this year. The ball was moving beautifully, the communication on defense was delicious…they were actually playing like a team.

This isn’t to say that the Thunder aren’t a team. They interact off the court like a team, they talk about each other as if they have fun together like a team. But they don’t necessarily how to play off each others strengths like a team.

	1	2	3	4	T
Thunder	29	26	31	32	118
Cavaliers	21	36	25	27	109

Tonight they did.

Russell Westbrook passed up contested shots in crunch time for better looks for his teammates. Andre Roberson opened up the offense by cutting to the basket; I won’t even talk about his defense on Lebron James just yet.

Still, we can’t get overly excited about this game. The Cavs were playing their third game in four nights while OKC had two nights off. And it’s almost guaranteed the Thunder won’t magically start playing like this from here on out. But there were a lot of positives tonight. And those are reflected in the following grades.

Alex Abrines

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

A-Abrines probably gets an extra letter grade for putting Tristan Thompson on a poster, his only basket of the game. But that basket will also be apart of my daily column (which you should check out) for the next three months. The beauty with the Spaniard Sharpshooter’s game tonight though was everything he did besides shooting (he missed his only attempt from deep). Abrines only played nine minutes but he recorded three assists including a well executed drive and dump to Steven Adams in the third quarter. The 23-year old couldn’t play extended minutes because Cleveland exploited his on-ball defense by forcing him to switch on players like Derrick Williams, but the defensive improvement is there. At the beginning of the season Abrines had no idea what do when playing off the ball; tonight his positioning forced an easy steal and transition bucket for Anthony Morrow. The simple fact that Billy Donovan was able to play Abrines in the first quarter and trust him enough to bring him back later in the game is honestly one of the biggest moments of Abrines’ short career.Next: Steven Adams

Steven Adams

Center, OKC Thunder

AIf Most Improved Player was given to the guy who improved the most over the course of the season, Steven Adams would be the clear winner. Adams dominated Tristan Thompson tonight and all of a sudden that $100 million contract looks even better. At the beginning of the season Adams still relied on Russell Westbrook alley-oops and penetration to score, but now the Thunder are calling legitimate isolation post-up plays for the big man. Tonight he scored with his spin move-hook shot combo, his patented flip shot and of course a couple dunks on an efficient 9-14 shooting. Oh and he outrebounded Thompson 13-5, including grabbing a ridiculous 9 offensive boards. Simply put, Adams has been the biggest benefactor from Enes Kanter’s injury. He’s seeing an increase in minutes and offensive touches, and the role increase has only improved his skills as a leader. Next: Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant

Small Forward, OKC Thunder

B-I’m actually slightly surprised by Jerami Grant only playing 17 minutes; his athleticism and length is perfectly suited to defend Cleveland’s inside/outside game. When Grant did play, though, he impacted the game just as you would expect. The 22-year old scored two points on an easy dunk, grabbed two defensive rebounds and topped it off with a highlight-reel block on Tristan Thompson (poor guy will try to forget this game as quickly as possible). As enticing as Grant is as a stretch four, I almost get more excited when he’s playing small forward. As great as Andre Roberson’s play has been recently (more on that later), his offensive ineptitude is going to make it incredibly difficult for OKC to resign him. Well Grant has the potential to be just as good at defense as Roberson while also providing more pure athleticism and offensive ability. Plus with Grant’s contract running out after next season the Thunder could sign him to a cheap extension a la how the Celts locked in Jae Crowder. IDK just a thought…Next: Joffrey Lauvergne

Joffrey Lauvergne

Center, OKC Thunder

BJoffrey Lauvergne is making me forget about Enes Kanter *ducks. I know I know I know you’re talking to the same guy who has been vouching to keep Kanter around after this season. But after seeing the Thunder play without him I think it makes sense to get rid of him. Lauvergne is nowhere near as talented as Kanter, but he makes up for it with better energy, fundamentals and basketball IQ. King Joffrey finished the night with 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 21 minutes of play. His ability to hit the mid-range jumper was essential for the success of Cameron Payne tonight because teams had to defend Lauvergne on the pick & roll. While Kanter does a good job of being in the right position on offense, Lauvergne does it on defense too. When Westbrook came out it was the bench’s defense that helped them push the lead; Joffrey was the anchor behind it all. He will never be a starter in the NBA, but Lauvergne is the perfect role player on a contender because he doesn’t make mistakes. Sam Presti should seriously look into signing Lauvergne to a long-term extension like he did with Kyle Singler back in the day. Except this time it would actually be going to a contributor.Next: Anthony Morrow

Anthony Morrow

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

C+Anthony Morrow’s shot is broke. And I say that with love because my jumper is also broke at the moment. This happens to us shooters sometimes, and it’s no fun. I’m not sure if it’s a mental block thing or what, but Morrow has got to get back to the basics and start with his form. He has a natural quick release, but it seems like Morrow is rushing his shot quicker than normal. The 31-year old hit 3 shots tonight on 7 attempts, but only 1-5 from deep. His two mid-range jumpers were more Adams’ flip shots than legit jump shots which tells me he’s not confident in his shooting form. He even airballed a wide open three attempt. On the bright side Morrow played better defense than we are used to and even grabbed two rebounds in his eight minutes of play. Nevertheless, Abrines deserves any minutes that Morrow is getting at this point of the season.Next: Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo

Shooting Guard, OKC Thunder

AYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. This game was exactly what the Three-Headed Monster of Steven Adams, Oladipo and Russell Westbrook was supposed to look like. We covered how Adams dominated the game down low, and we’re going to talk about Russ soon, but this is about Dipo Da Gawd (I just really miss Dion Waiters and I need his nickname back in my life). Dipo played like the perfect Robin tonight, scoring 23 points on 9-17 shooting, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. And he didn’t turn the ball over. And he played great defense on Kyrie Irving at points, finishing with two steals. Oladipo has taken at least 16 shots in the Thunder’s last three games and that couldn’t be a better sign for OKC. Westbrook needs a second scoring weapon on the perimeter to take pressure off, but too many times this season Vic has allowed Russ to run rampant. Now he’s finding his voice in the locker room and on the basketball court; he isn’t afraid to call for the ball anymore with Westbrook on the court. It’s baby steps, but it’s steps nonetheless.Next: Cameron Payne

Cameron Payne

Point Guard, OKC Thunder

A-WHERE ARE ALL MY CAMERON PAYNE HATERS NOW?!?!? I will never get over how reactionary fans get after one games/a string of games. Payne went from having “no basketball skills” to being “the Thunder’s secret weapon” in a matter of three days. The second-year point guard had his big breakout game of the season tonight, scoring a season-high 15 points on 6-12 shooting. Payne’s statline would look even better but he missed three open shots (including an ugly airball) in one short possession. Other than that he was marvelous. Payne led a Thunder second-unit to a +24 on the night by pushing the pace against a tired Cavs team. Normally the Thunder bench slows down to run their offense through Enes Kanter, but with Kanter gone the offense has become more fluid. It helps that both Oladipo and Adams are playing more with the non-starters, but either way Payne is the primarily ball-handler. The reason Thunder fans are discouraged is because the shots aren’t falling. Other than that he’s doing everything right (on offense). Once the shots consistently fall like they did tonight, the wizardry of Payne will be realized.Next: Andre Roberson

Andre Roberson

Small Forward, OKC Thunder

AYou know it’s coming….The lowkey MVP strikes again. 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 1 steal. It’s not fancy, it’s not awe-inspiring, but it’s crucial. There aren’t many times when you see LeBron James physically get frustrated. Sure he cries and complains to refs, but he never pushes other players in frustration. Well he sure gave Roberson a shove in the third quarter. The lowkey MVP help LeBron to 18 points on 8-19 shooting; he only went to the free throw line three times. The defense is a constant, but the evolution of Roberson’s offensive game has happened almost overnight. The 25-year old is the team’s best cutter, but he would only employ the baseline backdoor periodically. Now he’s using that skill to help the offense at nearly every possession. An open cutter draws defenders’ attention away from their own man; that’s exactly how Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis were able to find holes in the defense all night.Next: Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis

Power Forward, OKC Thunder

B-Playing veteran teams like the Cavs just aren’t good for Domantas Sabonis. Domas has been abused by referees all season and Cleveland played to that idea once again tonight. In 21 minutes Sabonis registered 4 fouls as Kevin Love used his old man post moves to force the rook out the game. When he was in the game, however, he looked comfortable playing against the best competition. The 20-year old finished with 8 points on 4-9 shooting and 2 rebounds. He didn’t force anything on offense, but if an opportunity was there he took it. The mid-range game has almost been erased by playing under the analytical Billy Donovan, but Domas took and hit a couple jumpers from that range. When defenses collapse on Russ those shots are there because teams are more worried about defending the three. With the way Sabonis has been shooting, it makes sense for him to move in and start shooting from where he did all of college.Next: Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook

Point Guard, OKC Thunder

With that, we can solely turn our attentions to Saturday night against the Warriors. All week I’ve been so excited for [REDACTED]’s return. Now that it’s here I just want it to be over.

But I don’t want to spoil an entire column I have planned…Come back to Thunderous Intentions on Saturday for that ????