The Oklahoma City Thunder found out early on in the preseason that the start to their 2014-15 NBA season was going to be rough. When it was announced that Kevin Durant would be out at least a month and a half with a foot injury, they knew that the start to the year would be an uphill battle. The saving grace was that they had point guard Russell Westbrook to shoulder the load.

However, Westbrook wasn’t able to shoulder the load for long at all. It wasn’t that he was unable to perform at a high level, but rather the fact that he suffered an injury of his own that sidelined him for the majority of the first month of their season. That left the Thunder with a slew of role players to try and navigate the start of this season.

As you might expect given the injuries that the Thunder have been dealing with, things haven’t gone so well for them to start the year. Oklahoma City currently sits with a 5-12 record. Things are certainly looking up now that Westbrook has returned to the lineup and with Durant’s return looming in the seemingly near future.

When you look back at the first month of this season, though, it’s hard to give them a substantial grade for what they’ve accomplished. When a team is relying on guys like Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb to be primary scorers, that’s certainly an issue.

On the positive side, the first month of the season may pay dividends for the Thunder in the long run. With their role players being thrust into bigger roles within the team, they could be better equipped to step up when necessary down the road. As for a grade, it’s hard to focus on anything but the injuries this Thunder team has dealt with and how it derailed the first month of their campaign.

Final Grade: Casts And Crutches