Fan Question: Who Will Step Up for OKC Thunder Off the Bench?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still the Western Conference's best team at 20-6. A recent five-point loss to the Sacramento Kings has the Thunder looking to avoid a two-game losing streak . The Thunder shouldn't panic just yet.

However, someone needs to step up and start scoring more points and get quality minutes for the Thunder. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook clearly can't shoulder the entire team's burden. Durant averages over 27 points per game and Westbrook contributes nearly 23 points per contest. That's nearly half of the team's offensive output.

James Harden scores nearly 17 points per contest off the bench. He has a great free throw percentage and has come up huge in recent games.

Yet no one else has been able to step up to provide more offensive help in the past few weeks. Serge Ibaka is huge on defense and averages 7.5 points a game. He had two games in February in double digits but has since gone back down closer to his average.

Daequan Cook is starting to come around with a six-point average . Three of his last four games have been in double figures for the perimeter defender.

I'm still waiting for Thabo Sefolosha to break out and have a monster game like he did against the Boston Celtics. He was just starting to come into his own when he injured his foot Jan. 27. Sefolosha's return can't happen soon enough.

Nick Collison has been strangely silent this season. He was huge in the playoffs last year. He has had two double-figure games this season. In the final two games against the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs last year, Collison had 12 points each . This season, he has just 4.6 points per contest in 20 minutes.

Cook looks to be the next big player to step into a new role on Oklahoma City's bench. Someone has to get in there and hit some key shots. Cook is the most likely candidate until Sefolosha gets back from his injury.

Head coach Scott Brooks will need a fourth decent scorer to take the pressure off Durant and Westbrook. Otherwise, they will have to play more minutes and get more worn out as the season progresses.

William Browning has been a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder ever since the team relocated from Seattle. As the closest NBA team to Branson, Mo., the Thunder serve as the regional team for southwest Missouri.