Wake Up Call: Bring Back Last Season’s Pick and Roll Offense

The bread and butter of the Thunder offense is the Russell Westbrook pick and roll. A season ago, the team employed it at a historic rate, ending over 10 percent of all offensive possessions in a shot, pass, or turnover off of Westbrook’s hands coming off a ball screen, per Synergy Sports data.

That recipe worked for 47 wins in 2016-2017, which at the time was a sign that the Thunder needed to shake things up. An indication that they were never going to be good enough. That they needed to make a change. The primary problem to be solved was spacing for Westbrook to operate. Too often last season he charged into a clogged toilet bowl of defenders in the lane, throwing up a wild layup (that he…