Who Needs to Step Up for OKC to Win the West?

It's now been two years since the Thunder made it to the NBA Finals, and fans are starting to become impatient on getting back there. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka are still carrying the load for head coach Scott Brooks, but they've gotten little help from the rest of the roster. Who are the players they will look to this summer to take them over the hump and get OKC back to the Finals?

STEVEN ADAMS

Last year's first round pick saw a lot of minutes in the postseason last year thanks to Serge Ibaka's injury, and that experience should help him be more prepared this time around. On top of being Kendrick Perkins' understudy as the team's enforcer, his offensive game showed signs of growth throughout the course of last season. If he can give the Thunder an inside offensive threat to counter Serge Ibaka, he will take the starting center position away from Perkins.

JEREMY LAMB

Lamb is a deadly shooter and can fill it up from anywhere on the court, and many expected him to take the scoring role off the bench over for James Harden. Instead, it was Reggie Jackson who seized the reins to that role. Too many times Lamb would never impact the game and would just be content to jog from foul line to foul line, staying outside the arc so someone could create an open shot for him or in case someone needed a bailout pass.

Now that Jackson will be starting alongside Westbrook in the backcourt, that role is up for grabs again. Lamb is the only real scorer OKC has on their bench, so if he doesn't step his game up, the Thunder are going to have to trade for someone who will.

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