Inside The Nuggets

Former OKC Thunder Starter Reveals Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant Story

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a lot of talent in the 2010s

Joey Linn

Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0), forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Andre Roberson (21), and forward Serge Ibaka (far right) huddle during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.
Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0), forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Andre Roberson (21), and forward Serge Ibaka (far right) huddle during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. / Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
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The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the most consistently good NBA teams in the 2010s. Making the postseason nine times from 2010-2019, OKC had one NBA Finals appearance (2012) and four Western Conference Finals appearances (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016) in that stretch.

Led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook all of those years, OKC had one of the best duos in basketball. That tandem was also surrounded by some solid role players in a few 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 that was when Serge was trying to prove that he can shoot… Trying to break that narrative. He would come off that screen and want to shoot it every time. And Russ wouldn’t mind… But then you got Kevin Durant on the other end like, ‘Yo, swing the ball…’ You gotta give guys an opportunity to grow, but at the same time, if that s—t ain’t broke, don’t fix it… [Durant] putting the ball in the hole at a high level, Russ doing his thing… That was a unique experience and battle, because that ultimately changed our team as a unit, as well.”

Revealing this unique story about how Westbrook and Durant adjusted to Serge Ibaka wanting to be more involved offensively, Roberson shared some untold insight into one of the more underrated dynamics of that Thunder group.

Ibaka spent seven seasons in OKC, and saw a large increase in three-point volume during the 2014-15 season. Attempting 205 threes that year, Ibaka set a career-high after having previously never attempted more than 60 threes in a season. Ibaka converted on 37.6 percent of his shots from deep that season which helped create a whole new element of his game.

Durant and Westbrook have both been on several teams since leaving OKC, with Durant now on the Phoenix Suns while Westbrook recently signed with the Denver Nuggets.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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