News / Updates

The Thunder strolls along at 24-10, the fourth-best record in the NBA and pace to produce 58 victories. Which is chump change only in comparison to the Warriors’ 31-2 start.

Fifty-eight wins is a lot. The Thunder went 60-22 in 2012-13, when it was the best team in the NBA regular-season but lost Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. And the Thunder went 59-23 the next year, OKC and the Spurs staged a spirited Western Conference Finals showdown, won in six games by San Antonio, which people still talk about as an historically great team, for the way it played.

There are reasons to be pessimistic about the Thunder, primarily on defense, but reasons to optimistic, primarily about the gradual adjustment to Billy Donovan’s system.

It certainly seems that the Thunder is sharing the ball more. Not as much Kevin Durant and/or Westbrook isolation.

But is the Thunder sharing the scoring load more than it has in the past.

The Thunder has four double-digit scorers — Durant 26.6 points a game, Westbrook 25.6, Serge Ibaka 13.4 and Enes Kanter 11.9 — plus Dion Waiters knocking on the door at 9.6.

How different is that from years past?

Don’t count last season, when the Thunder had seven — that’s right, seven — double-digit scorers. With so many injuries, someone has to score, else you’ll get beat 91-68 every night. The double-digit guys last year were Westbrook 28.1 (in 67 games), Durant 25.4 (27 games), Kanter 18.7 (26 games), Ibaka 14.3 (64 games), Reggie Jackson 12.8 (50 games), Waiters 12.7 (47 games) and Anthony Morrow 10.7 (74 games).

But the Thunder’s 2015-16 scoring distribution is quite similar to 2013-14’s: Durant 32.0, Westbrook 21.8, Ibaka’s 15.1 and Jackson’s 13.1, with Caron Butler chipping in 9.7 in 22 games. That was top-heavy scoring for a great team.

Same with 2012-13: Durant 28.1, Westbrook 23.2, Kevin Martin 14.0 and Ibaka 13.2. No. 5 on the list was Thabo Sefolosha, 7.6.

The NBA Finals team of 2011-12 was the most top-heavy: Durant 28.0, Westbrook 23.6, James Harden 16.8 and Ibaka 9.1. Daequan Cook was fifth on the team in scoring at 5.5. Four players averaged more than 5.5 points a game, yet that team won the Western Conference.

The mid-season trade team of 2010-11 wasn’t quite as top-heavy: Durant 27.7, Westbrook 21.9, Jeff Green 15.2, Harden 12.2 and Ibaka 9.9.

The first playoff team, 2009-10, was quite top-heavy: Durant 30.1, Westbrook 16.1, Green 15.1, Harden 9.9, Nenad Krstic 8.4.

So what’s the preferred makeup of point distribution? Well, it can come in a variety of ways.

The most balanced team in the NBA this season is the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee has seven double-digit scorers: Khris Middleton 16.2, Giannis Antetokounmpo 15.5, Greg Monroe 15.5, Jerryd Bayless 12.0, Michael Carter-Williams 11.9, Jabari Parker 10.7 and O.J. Mayo 10.0. Yet those Bucks are 14-21 and a major disappointment.

The Kings, who are in town tonight, have six double-digit scorers: DeMarcus Cousins 24.4, Rudy Gay 17.5, Darren Collison 13.7, Omri Casspi 12.8, Rajon Rondo12.0 and Marco Bellinelli 11.2. Sacramento is 13-20.

The Grizzlies have six double-digit scorers: Marc Gasol 16.5, Mike Conley 15.2, Zach Randolph 13.3, Jeff Green 10.8, Courtney Lee 10.0 and Mario Chalmers 10.0. But that’s a shaky six. Those six are averaging 75.8 points a game. The Thunder’s top fourscorers average 77.5. And Memphis is a disappointing 18-17.

Washington has six double-digit scorers: Bradley Beal 19.8, John Wall 19.5, Marcin Gortat 13.5, Otto Porter 12.3, Gary Neal 10.5 and Ramon Sessions 10.0. The Wizards are 15-17.

Miami has six double-digit scorers: Chris Bosh 18.6, Dwyane Wade 18.3, Hassan Whiteside 12.5, Goran Dragic 11.9, Gerald Green 11.6 and Luol Deng 10.1. And the Heat buck the trend — 20-13.

So seems clear that balanced scoring is not the ticket to NBA success.

In fact, the team whose scoring most closely mirrors the Thunder? Golden State. Steph Curry averages 29.7, Klay Thompson 20.1, Draymond Green 15.1 and Harrison Barnes 13.4. Then comes Festus Ezeli 8.5, Andre Igoudala 7.9, Shaun Livingston 6.3, Leandro Barbosa 6.0, Andrew Bogut 5.6, Marreese Speights 5.1, Ian Clark 5.0 and Brandon Rush 4.8.

On the other spectrum, the teams with the fewest double-digit scorers are the Knickerbockers and the Celtics. Each has three.

New York has Carmelo Anthony at 21.5, Arron Afflalo at 13.7 and Kristaps Porzingis at 13.1. Then it dips to 7.6 (Jose Calderon). That’s no way to win ballgames. The Knicks are 16-19.

Boston has Isaiah Thomas 20.9, Avery Bradley 14.7 and Jae Crowder 13.5. But at least the Celtics have four players averaging in the nines — Evan Turner 9.7, Jared Sullinger 9.5, Kelly Olynyk 9.3, Marcus Smart 9.1. Boston is 18-15.