Inside the Thunder: Centers

The final installment of "Inside the Thunder" will look at Oklahoma City's weakest position, the Center.


Overview:

Nenad Krstic, acquired midway through last season, will once again be charged with anchoring the Thunder. He brought the Thunder a much stronger presence in the paint. While he is not a great rebounder (5.7 per game) or blocker (.7 per game), he does have the ability to pull up and shoot the ball. Nick Collison will, likely, see a lot of minutes at Center again this season. Collison is a great rebounder (despite being a natural PF), and solid scorer. Etan Thomas, acquired by OKC from Minnesota, is a solid veteran, but ineffective on the floor. Rookie Byron Mullens has a lot of potential, but until he can add some bulk and develop more consistency he will be pushed around by most NBA fives.

Strengths:

If there is a strength to be found, it is the ability to stretch defenses. Krstic, in particular, has the ability to pull defenders out of the paint and allow Oklahoma City's wing players lanes to attack. As he continues to regain his pre-injury form, Krstic's offensive numbers should continue to improve. Collison is, arguably, the team's glue right now. Last season, he played despite a broken finger for much of the end of the season, and was willing to play any position for Coach Scott Brooks. Having a leader like Collison in the locker room will continue to be a great thing for this young team. Thomas is a player who has never played to his full ability. The Booker T. Washington product has never averaged more than 8.9 PTs and 5.8 RBDs in his career. While he doesn't bring much on the court for the Thunder, he does bring a valuable veteran presence for the young team. Mullens is the definition of raw. In Summer League games, Mullens looked like a younger Krstic. He can shoot the ball from outside the post, but tends to fall apart in the paint. He can score on raw ability alone, but needs to focus on his defensive growth in order to really contribute in his rookie season.

Weaknesses:

Where to begin? The Thunder's Centers are either undersized, or they aren't strong enough to play with the best Centers in the league. Krstic isn't aggressive defensively. If he could push his block average more towards two per contest, rather than 1.1, he will be a much more imposing force down low. Collison's main weakness is that he isn't a Center. He is a Power Forward who plays where ever his coach needs him. This offseason he has spent a lot of time in the weight room, and, hopefully, this will show in the upcoming season. Thomas doesn't take advantage of his height or strength in paint. Yes, he is still struggling with injuries, but most expect that a player built like Thomas would be more productive than he has been over his career. Mullens needs to develop a defensive mindset. Last season with Ohio State, Mullens had a decent stat line (for a back-up), but needs to develop defensively in order to hang with most NBA Centers. If Mullens can add muscle mass, the combination of height and strength will put Mullens in a great position.

There is a lot of room for improvement at the Center position for the Thunder. They aren't the worst unit in the league, by any means, but they have a lot of room to grow and get better. A full season with the defensively minded Brooks should be great for these big guys.

(Stats from NBA.com and picture from PicApp.com)


This Is Thunder Basketball

Inside the Thunder: Power Forwards

Today, This Is Thunder Basketball will look at, arguably, Oklahoma City's deepest position.

Overview:

Jeff Green will likely enter the season as the starter at the Four. His improvement during his Sophomore campaign was overshadowed by Kevin Durant's breakout season. Even in the shadow of Durant, Green increased his season averages by 6 PTs, 2 RBDs, and 1 STL per game. While he is naturally a Small Forward, Green has thrived at PF and should only improve in his third season. After Green, the Power Forward position gets quite murky for the Thunder. They have five year veteran Nick Collison, who will also see time at Center, an incredibly consistent (and witty) player. D.J. White, who was out the majority of last season with a benign jaw tumor, showed what he can do at the end of last season and should be able to compete for minutes. Finally, there is Congo native Serge Ibaka. Ibaka played in Spain last season, and drew a lot of attention at the Summer League this year. Because he is still a "raw" talent, he will likely spend a lot of time with D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66'ers.

Strengths:

Jeff Green has the ability to stretch defenses like few PFs in the league right now. He can post up, or pull up for the three. His work ethic and attitude is perfect for a young team like the Thunder. Collison, whose rebound totals dropped a bit due to injury last season, is a more traditional Four than Green. He is more likely to spend his time in the paint, and fight for rebounds. White improved with each game last season, ending the season with a Double-Double against the Clippers, and will be back in playing shape after the summer. From his limited exposure, he is more of a "banger" than the rest of the Thunder's PFs. He will fight for rebounds, and is the perfect kind of player to relieve Green when Collison is playing the Five. Ibaka is an unknown for most Thunder fans. He showed that he can score, but his inexperience shows on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully, time spent with Head Coach Scott Brooks and the rest of the coaching staff can help accelerate his learning curve.

Weaknesses:

Green is a small forward, and it shows when he goes up against some of the NBA's better PFs. Dirk Nowitzki in particular showed what a more powerful Four can do against Green, scoring more than 40 Pts against Green twice last season. Unless Green can get a stronger post game, bigger PFs will be able to take advantage of him. Collison is a player that you either love, or hate. He is consistent, but his play could also be considered boring. He never does anything to amaze fans, but is the type of player OKC needs to keep around. White is a relative unknown, but he needs to work asserting his self defensively and he will be a valuable contributor. Ibaka could be Oklahoma City's biggest defensive liability if he doesn't improve. In Summer League games, he was slow to rotate and was often caught off guard when someone attacked the rim. More court awareness will go a long way towards improving his game.

The Power Forward position is deep for the Thunder. Whether it is the finesse of Green, consistency of Collison, power of White, or unpredictably of Ibaka, these guys will surely give Thunder fans something to cheer about next season.

(Stats from NBA.com)

This Is Thunder Basketball