Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

The Thunder's Kevin Durant goes up for a shot against the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

Obviously, no one’s afraid of a team with a 13-43 record.

It’s also fair to say that no one instinctively cringes in fear at the sight of a leading scorer who looks like he’s never lifted anything heavier than a basketball in his life.

And you’re certainly not going to run and hide from a 20-year-old rookie point guard who’s still learning the position on the pro level, nor will you be outwardly intimidated by an individual whose playing style has been likened to that of your uncle.

In sum, the Oklahoma City Thunder may not look like a force to be reckoned with — and that’s because, quite frankly, it isn’t one. But while other lottery-bound teams like the Clippers and Kings stagger downward with no clear remedy for losing and no tangible blueprint for future success, Oklahoma City is quietly stockpiling talent for a run at respectability that’s probably coming sooner than most of us realize. Here’s a look at the key components:

The Kid
A moment that’s quietly emblematic of Kevin Durant’s proficiency took place in the closing moments of the Thunder’s 100-98 loss to the Hornets on Feb. 17. With the Thunder trailing by three, Durant curled toward the right sideline, caught an inbounds pass, and in one fluid motion the electric swingman faded to his right to bury a line drive three while falling out of bounds.

If you didn’t see it (or simply can’t quite visualize it), the operative word for that play — and for Durant’s scoring acumen at large — is effortless. In fairness, you don’t score 47 in a game (as Durant did that night against New Orleans) without exerting considerable effort. However, there’s something about Durant’s style — from the way he glides down the floor on a fast break to the quiet but forceful release of his jump shot — that exudes an overriding measure of ease. And the force with which he’s able to finish at the rim or propel a jumper from several steps behind the arc is made even more surprising by his physical appearance: with his rail-thin 6-foot-9 frame and clunky, oversized shoes, Durant looks less like a pure scoring machine than he does a slightly awkward kid who borrowed an older player’s jersey before sneaking onto the court.

And on that note, the most striking fact to understand is that Durant doesn’t turn 21 until September. Considering the leap he made from being a 19-year-old rookie last year (when he averaged 20.3 points on 43.0 percent shooting) to a 20-year-old averaging 26.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting to trail only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in scoring output, it is nothing short of staggering to realize how prolific he could become.

Uncle Jeff
During his brief stint as a broadcaster for the Rookie Challenge over All-Star Weekend, LeBron James bestowed forward Jeff Green with the moniker “Uncle Jeff,” a nod to the fact that Green plays basketball like that uncle you used to compete against at family gatherings.

LeBron gets a significant amount of credit for coining this rather inspired nickname, and Green’s game has enough old school, efficient-but-not-that-flashy characteristics to largely justify the label. At the same time, your uncle probably never rose up out of nowhere to violently swat a layup attempt off the backboard or drove to the rim for an unexpectedly forceful dunk, so please understand — while he does occasionally resemble a crafty, middle-aged man out on the court, Green is also more than a little bit explosive in his own right.

In February, the second-year pro has averaged 20.1 points and 9.2 rebounds, notable considering that as of Monday only five players had averaged better than 20 and nine on the season: Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh and Al Jefferson (who’s out for the year with a torn ACL). Granted, Green’s sample size is only nine games in February as opposed to the entire season, so any comparisons to the likes of Duncan or even Jamison are obviously unfounded. But let this much be clear: With averages of 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in his second season, Green is quite a bit better than your dad’s brother, and at age 22, he’s still got plenty of old man tricks to add to his repertoire.

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Jim Mone / AP

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