The on-court version of the post-Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder is unfolding and their 6-1 start invited a reframing of offseason expectations, but the material consequences of their talent drop around Russell Westbrook is soberly taking shape. Westbrook is a top-10 talent who plays his heart, soul and body out every night of the season, but the Thunder can’t shake the ostensible reality they have one of the NBA’s least talented and incompatible supporting casts around him.

Steven Adams has yet to show development on offense and his production is down with a more central role this season, but he is still categorically one of the best young traditional centers in the league. More worryingly, the 2, 3 and 4 positions for the Thunder are amongst the worst in the league, certainly amongst teams with playoff aspirations, and also don’t accentuate the strengths of Westbrook.

In the aftermath of Durant leaving for the Warriors, the Thunder convinced Westbrook to sign an extension, appealing to his hubris and the sellable notion of continuing to contend on his own where he can do what he wants. Westbrook didn’t want to be on the next plane out of Oklahoma City and he was smart enough based on what happened to James Harden to know he would be if he didn’t extend his deal. The subtext of everything Westbrook said and did after July 4th was “I’ll take it from here” and there has been an earnestness in that even if it may be short-lived.

Westbrook is preternaturally inclined to overrate his powers and he’s been justified in doing so at many points in his career, particularly as an overlooked, under-recruited high school player. But Westbrook only committed one additional season to the Thunder in exchange for the unfettered attempt to test the limits of the hubris possessed, perhaps equally, by both himself and the franchise.

This roster is structurally inimical to his game and instead of assembling a supporting cast that could nurture Westbrook’s impulses, Sam Presti has largely done the opposite. Oklahoma City’s wings don’t enable Westbrook any notion of space, something that was even problematic for their offense when they had the best floor spacing pair of forwards in the NBA in Durant and Serge Ibaka. Even then, the Thunder were always one shooter short of fully spacing the floor and that issue was compounded by their predictability in the halfcourt, and one or two-pass possessions that allowed defenses to cheat unpropitiously.

The Thunder are teeming with one dimensional players. Role players are by nature defined by their incompleteness, but this franchise has uniquely specialized in role players with partial skill sets even by that lesser standard. The Thunder are best exemplified by Andre Roberson who can defend but can’t shoot, and Anthony Morrow who can shoot but can’t defend.

Presti has seemed to prioritize defensive versatility over floor spacing and playmaking in the recent additions of Victor Oladipo and Jerami Grant both of whom were costly in terms of trade price. Oladipo has so far only given the Thunder a similar level of inconsistency as Dion Waiters at a substantially higher price with his four-year, $84 million extension. It is difficult to envision the Thunder re-signing Roberson long-term in this economic climate after committing to Oladipo; trading for Grant, who is signed until 2018, felt like direct protection against losing Roberson. Unlike Oladipo and Grant, at least Roberson is consistently very good at one NBA skill. The additions of Alex Abrines, Semaj Christon and Joffrey Lauvergne have given no indication of working out. Josh Huestis is a 24-year-old D-Leaguer. Cameron Payne can’t stay healthy and it’s hard to see the logic of that pick when the scenario of maximized talent still led to an under-capitalized trade in Reggie Jackson.

The most encouraging aspect of the early part of the season has been the play of Domantas Sabonis but his 46.9 percent shooting on three-pointers is unsustainable and his inability to switch effectively on defense impedes the scheme with how the remainder of the roster was put together.

Opposing defenses overwhelmingly wall off the paint against Westbrook, who is more aggressive than ever in drawing fouls this season. Westbrook is averaging nearly one free throw attempt for every two field goals, which is easily a career high.

Westbrook is also taking more mid-range jumpers this season as the painted area in the halfcourt has become more inhospitable. Smart defenses will attack Westbrook with double teams while laying back with the other three defenders and that is after they dare him to shoot three-pointers off the dribble. 

The Thunder want Westbrook and their bigs to have space in the middle of the floor for their pick and roll action. The most exciting play in the NBA this season is perhaps Westbrook ricocheting through all five defensive players to get to the rim. Westbrook is capable of being a wrecking ball, even through limited airspace, but he can’t be one for 82 games and that’s unlikely to make for a team that wins 50+ games and a playoff series. 

There is a way Westbrook could contend without Durant, loading up on three-point shooters who can defend their position. Westbrook is perfectly built for a pace and space system in which he can dive into the paint and kick to his choice of three or four shooters spotting up at the three-point line wide open with the defense collapsed upon him. Westbrook could gorge himself at the rim with driving lanes wide open. Westbrook doesn’t play the game to cautiously check his blind spots but affording him more openness could turn him into a far more efficient, uncontainable player. This is the exact type of opportunity that could have been afforded to him with a team like the Celtics.

After the Thunder were eliminated by the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, I wrote how no superstar had ever left a team as talented as Oklahoma City. Durant still left because the sum was less than the parts. The scenario is very different for Westbrook and few superstars in this era stick around playing for teams this inept when their free agency lurks in the near future.

The Thunder ultimately are the same pragmatic franchise that opposed lottery reform just two years ago a few months after Durant won his MVP. There will never be a protracted Westbrook-mare, just as Presti stealthily traded both Harden and Ibaka. There is no sentimentality with this franchise. Either a formula of the right players and style will emerge for the Thunder around Westbrook, or you’ll see a Tweet out of nowhere that he’s been traded without a single warning rumor. The Thunder have two trade deadlines and one offseason to figure it out.