Inside the Thunder: Point Guards

Oklahoma City will be taking the court for the preseason in a little over a month and the starting line up will be largely the same as when last season ended. But through the offseason, the Thunder have made a number of moves to improve its young roster. Today, we will look into the Thunder's Point Guards

Over View:

Russell Westbrook will once again be at the helm of Oklahoma City, but his supporting cast will be different from the one that finished last season. Westbrook's backup will be Shaun Livingston. Livingston. Last season, Livingston showed flashes of what made him the fourth overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. But with the departure of veteran guards Earl Watson and Chucky Atkins, Oklahoma City acquired 12 year veteran Kevin Ollie to help mentor the Thunder's youngest position.

Strengths: Westbrook can score with the best of them and, in the Summer League, he has showed that he knows how to play like a "pass first" PG. Livingston is more of a play making PG and will bring a totally different dynamic to the Thunder when he is on the court. Ollie can hopefully show the young guards why he has never averaged more 1.54 TOs per game in his entire career (NBA.com).

Weaknesses: Westbrook can be reckless and needs to improve on his dismal Assists to Turn Overs ratio this season. Livingston still has questions on whether or not his knee can take a full season in the NBA. If he can improve his scoring, then he will see a large chunk of minutes thrown his way. Ollie has never been a scorer, but he knows how to control the ball.

The Thunder have a nice mix of players at PG, including a couple Shooting Guards who can play the point when called upon. The pace that the team plays will be different depending on who is in the game. As long as each of these players continues to improve, the Thunder will have always have an able player at the point.

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