DENVER -- Practice time in the NBA can be sparse, so even in the midst of a four-game road trip spanning a week, the Thunder manages to find time to make changes and adjustments.
Scripting out specific scenarios and finding ways to improve on the margins is crucial to the development of the team heading into the playoffs, so that’s exactly what the Thunder did on Monday in Denver.
On offense, spacing and execution are the top priorities. Everything stems from there. If Head Coach Billy Donovan and his staff can help put the players in position to succeed and then they go out and perform, the Thunder’s offense can hum. The oxygen it needs to breathe on offense is space, particularly for its primary playmakers - Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. What can suffocate the Thunder offense, on the other hand, is turnovers.
“Without question it’s taking care of the basketball,” Donovan offered as the most crucial area on offense. “We’re one of the best offensive rebounding teams. Every time we don’t get a chance to shoot the basketball, we don’t get a chance to rebound our misses.”
“There’s such a priority and premium on transition defense,” Donovan added. “When you turn the ball over it puts an enormous amount of pressure on your transition defense.”
Problems sustaining efficient offense or not getting a shot every trip down court can pile up into problems on the other end, as Donovan referenced. Out in the open floor, NBA players are very difficult to stop in transition, and many times turnovers lead to those fast break situations.
While the Thunder’s defense has been one of the best in the league since mid-March, one area in the half court it still wants to remain vigilant with is finishing off possessions with defensive rebounds. Against the Houston Rockets on Sunday afternoon, 39 percent of the points the Thunder allowed came either after turnovers or after Houston offensive rebounds. Those types of statistics won’t be sustainable for the Thunder to win in the postseason, which is why the team is devoting time to address those areas now.
“Defensively, in the half court, we’ve been a top five team all year long. Where we’ve struggled have been in transition defense and second chance points.” Donovan explained.
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Full Roster Available Tuesday Against Nuggets
Last week the Thunder rested Durant and Serge Ibaka in Detroit against the Pistons, and with the third seed in the Western Conference playoff race nearly locked up, it is certainly possible that the Thunder medical staff, Donovan and the players could collaboratively decide upon times for players who log heavy minutes to rest up before the playoffs begin. Those decisions are made on a day-by-day basis, and for now, Donovan says that he’ll have his full complement of players to work with against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
“I admire Serge, Kevin, Russ and the amount of minutes those guys play and their competitiveness,” Donovan said. “If it was up to those guys, they’d play 48 minutes every night.”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Singler Encouraging Voter Participation in Oregon
Thunder players always try to find ways to help their communities, both in Oklahoma City and their hometowns. For many it’s a reach-back effort to give to those less fortunate or to spend time with kids, but often players will branch out and find other ways to make an impact.
On Monday, it was announced the Kyle Singler and his brother, E.J. who plays for the NBA Development League’s Raptors 905, have teamed up with county clerks back in their home state of Oregon to encourage voters to participate in the electoral process with the upcoming United States Presidential election just seven months away.
“Voting is important – it helps shape our lives, our jobs and our health care,” said Kyle Singler. “It’s really important to us that Oregonians of all ages realize how much voting matters.”
For more on Singler’s efforts to promote participation in politics, click here.