The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the most successful and consistent NBA teams in the 2010s. Having reached the playoffs nine times between 2010 and 2019, OKC appeared in the NBA Finals once (2012) and the Western Conference Finals four times (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016) during that span.
Led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook for all those years, OKC had one of the best duos in basketball. That tandem was also surrounded by solid role players in some of those seasons, including elite defensive forward Andre Roberson.
During a recent appearance on Dwight Howard’s Above the Rim podcast, Roberson was asked about his time with Westbrook and Durant, and shared some insight into their time as teammates.
“It was special,” Roberson said of playing with Westbrook and Durant. “We had our battles at times. Russ, his pick and pop with Serge [Ibaka]. One of those years, Serge was trying to prove that he could shoot… He was trying to break that narrative. He was coming off the screen and wanted to shoot every time. And Russ didn’t care… But then you had Kevin Durant on the other end of the court saying, “Yo, shoot the ball…” You have to give guys an opportunity to grow, but at the same time, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… [Durant] putting the ball in the hole at a high level, Russ doing his thing… It was a unique experience and battle, because it ultimately changed our team as a unit as well.
By revealing this unique story about how Westbrook and Durant adapted to Serge Ibaka’s desire to be more involved offensively, Roberson shared a never-before-seen glimpse into one of the most underrated dynamics in this Thunder group.
Ibaka spent seven seasons in OKC and saw his volume of three-point shots increase significantly during the 2014-15 season. By attempting 205 three-pointers that year, Ibaka set a career high after never attempting more than 60 three-pointers in a season. Ibaka converted 37.6 percent of his three-pointers that season, which helped create a whole new element to his game.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook closed out WCF Game 6 against the Spurs! (2012)
During: 34 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST
Westbrook: 25 PTS 8 REB 5 AST pic.twitter.com/PdkrczWmp3— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) May 12, 2024
Both Durant and Westbrook have played on multiple teams since leaving OKC. Durant is now with the Phoenix Suns while Westbrook recently signed with the Denver Nuggets.
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