OKC Should Send Thank You to Beverly

As the NBA playoffs heat up and the Oklahoma City Thunders’ season comes to a screeching halt, most of Oklahoma is cursing the same name. Patrick Freakin’ Beverly. What if that… punk hadn’t gone for a steal before a time out? Do the Thunder sweep the Rockets? Is the Memphis series still 3-1 but this time for the Thunder? Does anyone know where the heck Patrick Beverly lives??

If anyone finds out please let Thunder GM Sam Presti know because Patrick Beverly is the best thing that ever happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

When Beverly lunged for the ball as Thunder guard Russell Westbrook took a timeout in Game 2, the collision caused Westbrook’s knee to twist awkwardly and the UCLA product crumbled in obvious pain. Westbrook would finish the game with 29 points and another Oklahoma City victory but the damage to their 2013 title hopes was already done. 

The future looks brighter than ever though.

The first improvement was Kevin Durant being called on to take more shots than a birthday boy on spring break. We saw Durant take his play to a whole new level and develop, now by necessity, a more aggressive mentality. 

That’s not even the best part. 

Seldom used second-year point guard Reggie Jackson has been thrust into the starting lineup and after a few games, has the look of a potential stud. He’s not an all-star yet but he could be a better point guard than Westbrook.

No seriously, look at the two scouting reports per ESPN’s John Hollinger: 

+ Athletic point guard who plays out of control. Needs to calm down. + Good court vision but instincts are as scorer. Quick and has good size. + Disappointing shooter as rookie. Must improve finishing and shot selection.

Vs.

+ Freakishly athletic shoot-first guard with great burst to basket. Penetrates at will. + Shaky long-range shooter but excels at mid-range pull-up. Makes bad decisions. + Could be excellent defender, but effort has slackened. Great offensive rebounder.

Who’s who?

Obviously the “as a rookie” gives it away that the first is Jackson but the comparison is very similar and when you look at their rookie stats, it’s almost uncanny. 

For the sake of comparison I am calling this season Jackson's rookie season because he actually had a summer league, full training camp and wasn’t in the shortened, full sprint season like last year.

Westbrook shot 42% from the field, 22% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency rating of 1.14. Jackson shot 46% from the field, 23% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency of 1.15. After that, Jacksons (effective) rookie year basically beats out Westbrook's rookie year in almost every efficiency and “per 40” category but I’ll save that for another post. 

This is about options. 

So what if Reggie Jackson is a poor man’s Westbrook, or as I like to look at it, a more true point guard Westbrook? 

That could mean a lot of things for the Thunder. 

In a draft that lacks a certain super-star and has a lot of question marks, the Thunder could really capitalize. They already have a lottery pick from Toronto via Houston for the James Harden trade and then a late round pick (#29).

So let’s assume they don’t hit the jackpot (since it is top 3 protected that would be #4) and pick somewhere near 11. That arms them with a lot of ammo to make a move. 

The one glaring weakness for the Thunder is in the paint. Kendrick Perkins is an offensive wasteland and the only things he adds to the team are a couple hard fouls and a consistent frown. Serge Ibaka is constantly improving at the 4 and Nick Collison is a great energy guy off the bench but a true big man next to them could do wonders for the Thunder. 

The Thunder should look into trading this year’s lottery pick and next year’s first rounder (the 2014 draft is supposed to be stacked with talent) and Reggie Jackson and maybe a throw in or two to whoever wins the draft lottery. 

They should then, not walk, but sprint to the podium and take Kentucky center Nerlens Noel. He is one of the few players in the draft with star potential and he is an above the rim center. He doesn’t need the offense to run through him to score and he blocks shots, much unlike Perkins. With Noel and Ibaka roaming the paint, there might be more blocks in Oklahoma City than a Lego factory.

If you think that’s crazy, remember Noel’s knee injury will likely scare off some suitors and a lottery pick, a first rounder and Reggie Jackson would likely be better than the magic beans Orlando got for Dwight Howard.

Hell maybe Presti shocks everyone and trades Westbrook. Just kidding… kind of. Presti already traded James Harden and this wouldn’t go over well but he did trade Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in one offseason back in Seattle.

Of course, this is a small sample size and Jackson hasn’t exactly been unstoppable or even stopped Mike Conley. OK maybe Beverly isn't the BEST thing to happen to OKC but either way I’m excited to see what Sam Presti does, even if it could mean trouble for the Rockets and the Mavs.