Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin unspectacular with Thunder so far

Both Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin have played two games each for the Oklahoma City Thunder after being part of the exchange with Detroit which sent disgruntled floor general Reggie Jackson to Motown.  Since the transaction, Kyle Singler has worked his hipster Oregon voodoo and managed to sideline Kevin Durant with a minor foot injury, opening up the starting small forward slot on a temporary basis.  D.J., meanwhile, has slotted in as expected as Russell Westbrook's capable backup, and both players have neither shined nor embarrassed themselves thus far.

Both players made their debut against Charlotte on Saturday.  Kyle started as mentioned, and ended up playing 18 minutes in a seven-point victory over the Hornets.  He started out sluggishly, missing his first four shots before connecting on a traditional Bucket Man bucket, a corner three, much to the delight of Russell Westbrook.  He hit another three to finish with six points (2-4 3PT), two rebounds, an assist and a block.  In his second game, against Denver, he was more accurate, nailing all three of his field goal attempts (1 three) to finish with seven points and two rebounds, in only 15 minutes of action.

D.J.'s role has been more curious.  As expected, he starts on the bench behind Westbrook, and comes in at around the two-minute mark of the first quarter, but his minutes have been well above Kyle's, who is of course starting in Durant's absence.  In his Thunder debut, D.J. finished with 12 points on 3-9 shooting (2-3 from deep), two assists and three rebounds.  He also missed a free throw, a rare occurrence as he had the longest active streak in the league hovering in the early 40s.  His second Thunder outing was no better shooting wise, going 2-7 (2-5 3PT) to finish with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

The most curious case is the minutes.  While Kyle has been in the 15 minute range, D.J. played 23 in his debut and nearly 30 against Denver.  It appears that Scott Brooks, in Durant's absence, has finished games with a three-guard lineup consisting of Westbrook, Augustin and Dion Waiters.  Whether that's just temporary while Durant is out we don't know, but it certainly is interesting given both Augustin and Waiters have a reputation for being allergic to defense.  Stay tuned.