Oklahoma City Thunder: Who Will Take Kevin Durant’s Spot At SF?

As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for life without Kevin Durant, the first order of business is finding a new starting small forward

Now that Kevin Durant has left town, the Oklahoma City Thunder need to rethink their approach with Russell Westbrook entering free agency next year. For now, though, they need to find a new starting small forward.

Unless they decide to trade Westbrook before the season, the Thunder are still projected to be a playoff team out West and will need a complete starting lineup if they want to be competitive.

Obviously, no one will be able to fill the massive shoes Durant left behind. KD averaged 28.2 points, 5.0 assists and a career-high 8.2 rebounds this past season, also coming extremely close to another 50/40/90 season (50.5 FG%, 38.8 3P%, 89.8 FT%).

LeBron James was the only other player to clear 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

So, the chance of finding anyone who could even compete to match Durant’s stats is near impossible. But we already knew that. So, let’s take a look at the best contenders for the new opening slot in Loud City.

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The current options that are already on the Thunder roster include Andre Roberson, Kyle Singler and Josh Huestis.

The clear best option at this point is Andre Roberson.

Although primarily used as a shooting guard, Roberson’s height and length allow him to switch over to the forward spot.

At 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Roberson is known for his defensive prowess. Often assigned to the opposing team’s best player, Roberson has made the league for his ability to stick with players and making life difficult for them.

It is no secret that his offensive deficiencies make him hard to play at some times but an improved three-point stroke that was evident in the playoffs and another offseason to work on that shooting should at least make opposing teams guard Roberson.

If the shot doesn’t improve more, however, it will be tough to leave him on the floor for extended minutes.

Even with his offensive shortcomings, he is lightyears ahead of the other in house competition.

Kyle Singler has been dreadful since joining the Thunder at the trade deadline in 2015, posting career-lows in every category either in the 2014-15 season or this past season.

At one point, Singler was the only player in the entire league with a negative PER.

It’s safe to say that Singler shouldn’t be starting next season.

The last option would be Josh Huestis, who has spent the vast majority of the last two seasons with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In fact, Huestis has only appeared in five regular season games in his career, averaging only 2.8 minutes in 11.0 minutes.

Huestis’ inexperience costs him a chance at the starting small forward spot but the Thunder will still be looking to develop him after using a first round pick on him in 2014.

Now, let’s take a look at the still available and realistic (LeBron is not coming, guys) free agents the Thunder could target as a starting small forward:

While there may seem to be a lot of options, there are some players on that list that are almost certainly not coming to Oklahoma City.

Portland Trail Blazers Allen Crabbe and Maurice Harkless are more likely to find better deals that pay better money elsewhere. Also, they are restricted free agents so Portland has the right to match any offer sheet

Cleveland Cavaliers Richard Jefferson and J.R. Smith are also likely to stay in Cleveland following a championship.

That leaves two players – Lance Stephenson and Gerald Green.

Stephenson and Green are similar in that they experienced their best seasons back in 2013-14, with the Pacers and Suns, respectively. Stephenson finished 2nd and Green 4th in Most Improved Player voting.

Since then, the two players have been unable to reach their previous heights, bouncing from team to team. Stephenson has since spent time with the Hornets, Clippers and, most recently, the Grizzlies. Green spent one more season in Phoenix before signing with Miami last offseason.

However, there is one big difference between these players – their age. Green is already 30 but Stephenson is only 25.

What reason is there not to take a chance on Lance?

I think that the Oklahoma City Thunder should give Lance an opportunity to start in OKC and see if he can find his old form in OKC. He started to show some signs of that form in the second half of last season, when he averaged a career-high 14.2 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting in 26 games with Memphis, making them better when he was on the court (plus 5.2 per 100 possessions).

Although the Thunder may have to outbid Lance’s former team Indiana (who are rumored to be interested in him) and he may come with his fair share of troubling characteristics, the Thunder now have the cap space to offer Lance a rich one-year contract to prove his worth to the organisation.

I believe Lance Stephenson still has a chance to regain his old form. He’s still young and he has shown us that he still has a lot of talent underneath this facade of silliness and stupidity.

If he doesn’t work out, he can be traded (the Hornets and Clippers have proven he is tradeable) or buried on the bench. After all, it’s only one season and there are a new crop of free agents next offseason. Plus, Andre Roberson is still on the roster as a serviceable starter.

If Stephenson is able to produce at the rate he was in Memphis, the Thunder would be in good shape at the starting small forward position.

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If he is able to produce like he did in Indiana, then this move would make Thunder GM Sam Presti look like a genius

So, I ask you, what reason is there not to take a chance on Lance?