Season Preview: Thunder set for second season in Oklahoma City
Oct 27 2009 5:48PM
Consistency will be a popular word this season.
It’s something the Thunder wants to develop in every facet of the game. And as cliché as it sounds, there’s really no way around it.
With a mix of youth, experience and players on the rise, the Thunder is trying to develop continuity this season. That starts with getting better every time it steps on the floor.
Judging by what was accomplished during the offseason and training camp, the Thunder will enter the season an improved bunch.
Forward Kevin Durant added more muscle and became a better all-around player. As sharp as he is from the perimeter, Durant attacked the basket more willingly this preseason. Jeff Green worked on his midrange jump shot, dribbling and post moves, and his versatility at the power forward can help stretch the floor. Russell Westbrook has improved his playmaking. The game has slowed down. He’s thinking pass-first. And as Westbrook said several times this preseason, the game tells him what he needs to do.
Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic, both acquired during last season, went through their first training camp with the Thunder. Adding veterans Kevin Ollie and Etan Thomas bring leadership and experience and also adds depth to the backcourt and frontcourt.
Rookie guard James Harden brings his playmaking and shooting touch while rookie Serge Ibaka brings athleticism and a shot blocking presence.
And the list goes on.
So when the Thunder opens the regular season on Wednesday, at home against the Sacramento Kings, it will have another year of experience. It will have more depth coming off the bench. And it will continue to grow.
That’s why the organization strays from making any grandiose expectations. It would be foolish to underestimate, or even overestimate, what a team is capable of. The NBA is a fluid situation. Injuries can change the course of one’s season and have a trickle down effect. Trades can rattle chemistry. Things can go wrong. The Thunder knows it’s no longer under the radar. Both the national media and the rest of the league have taken notice of its talent crop and upside. But both the players and the Thunder’s front office have learned to keep things in perspective.
“We’ve got to tell each other to take it a game at a time and get better,” Durant said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to. That’s what Scotty’s been preaching to us these last couple of years, is to always take it a day at a time. Never take steps back.”
TALKIN' ABOUT DEFENSE
The Thunder will employ a shell defense, which centers on protecting the basket and using help defense. The goal is to make an opponent run its offense in a half court set.
The No. 1 thing about the shell defense, Brooks said, is getting back on defense and taking away transition opportunities. That means sending three players immediately back on defense after the Thunder puts up a shot.
“It’s still evolving,” veteran guard Kevin Ollie said. “We have a unique team. We have Jeff Green at the (power forward). We can do a lot of switching. We haven’t put that in yet but we can do certain things and kind of junk up the game a little bit. But we’ve been really working on our fundamental principles and hopefully our triangle behind whoever’s pressuring the ball. That’s what we’ve really been concentrating on.”
After Monday, Brooks gave reporters a demonstration of some defensive fundamentals, replacing a player’s name with ‘x1’ through ‘x5.’
He spoke about a point guard getting into the ball by applying a significant amount of pressure up top, and how he has to fight over a screen. For centers, it’s about a “long arm show” in the post. The small forward has to jump to the ball and always have an eye on his man and the ball.
The shooting guard, probably on the weak side, has to “squeeze the paint,” knowing where his man and the ball are at all times. The power forward will probably be positioned near the low post. Since he can see a play develop, he has to provide early help defense and get above the restricted area in the paint to take a charge or block a shot.
It’s about keeping a tight shell and being in constant communication.
“It isn’t really on the ball,” guard Russell Westbrook said. “It’s mostly help side and watching back doors and stuff like that.”
Brooks said that the key to defense, something that often isn’t talked about, is taking a good shot offensively. Taking the highest percentage shot usually dictates how quickly the defense will be able to get back and set up.
'THUNDER OFFENSE'
After a recent practice, Brooks pulled out a schedule card that had a list of drills and concepts the Thunder worked on during practice. On one side were two columns of offensive sets. Above it was the title, “Thunder Offense.”
Asked what the name of the team’s offense was – a motion, Princeton or triangle, for example – and Brooks pointed to the card. There’s no fancy name for it. It’s just called “Thunder Offense.”
And what that means sounds just as simple.
With its personnel, the Thunder wants to get out in transition. But that can’t happen without a defensive stop; it’s hard to start a fast break when a team is constantly taking the ball out of bounds.
“We want to utilize our speed and quickness on the wings and utilize our speed going to the basket,” Brooks said. “As a point guard or a big guy we call it ‘rim running.’ You run to the rim. So that is the general first part of our offense, trying to get a good shot – a layup, an open jump shot, a post-up, or an attack to the basket for a free-throw opportunity.”
So the Thunder Offense wants to get out in transition. Oklahoma City doesn’t want to be the Phoenix Suns of old, but it would like to run when the opportunity presents itself. Of course, that can’t happen all the time.
The Thunder Offense includes motion, but not every second of the shot clock. And with the continued development of Westbrook at point guard, it’s something that will continue to evolve.
“It’s a spacing, attack for others (offense),” Brooks said. “It’s taking advantage of mismatches. It’s setting good screens. Every team tries to do the same things but the better teams that execute it are the teams that can score in the half court.”
VETERAN HELP
The Thunder acquired two more veterans this offseason in guard Kevin Ollie and center Etan Thomas, both of who have been in the league for at least five seasons and have been to the postseason.
Ollie has played in 41 career playoffs games, including a trip to the NBA Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the Thunder and has studied under head coaches Maurice Cheeks, now a Thunder assistant, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown and Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, to name a few.
Thomas, meanwhile, reached the playoffs in three straight seasons with the Washington Wizards, totaling 15 games in which he averaged 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
While both bring leadership and professionalism to the locker room, the fact that each play different positions could be beneficial to a Thunder roster that has young players in both the backcourt and frontcourt.
3 QUESTIONS
Here’s three quick questions that come to mind as the regular season is set to begin:
Will the Thunder take better care of the ball this season?
The Thunder committed 16.2 turnovers per game last season. Throughout training camp, it’s put an emphasis in cutting back on those mistakes. One sign that the Thunder is taking a step in that direction: point guard Russell Westbrook had 54 assists to 18 turnovers in seven preseason games. Because Westbrook has the ball in his hands quite a bit, that’s a promising start.
Will the Thunder be as good if not a better rebounding team?
The Thunder was one of the league’s best rebounding teams last season, as it ranked sixth. The addition of Etan Thomas and Serge Ibaka should help. Westbrook was already one of the better rebounding guards in the league. More rebounds mean more opportunities for the Thunder to get out in transition.
How much can rookie James Harden contribute this season?
Of course, this will play out over time. There’s always a learning curve for rookies, especially on the defensive end, where Harden, a shooting guard, will have to defend some of the top perimeter scorers in the league on a nightly basis. Brooks has said he wants Harden to be a playmaker and defensive presence, and to not pass up shots.
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It’s something the Thunder wants to develop in every facet of the game. And as cliché as it sounds, there’s really no way around it.
With a mix of youth, experience and players on the rise, the Thunder is trying to develop continuity this season. That starts with getting better every time it steps on the floor.
Judging by what was accomplished during the offseason and training camp, the Thunder will enter the season an improved bunch.
Forward Kevin Durant added more muscle and became a better all-around player. As sharp as he is from the perimeter, Durant attacked the basket more willingly this preseason. Jeff Green worked on his midrange jump shot, dribbling and post moves, and his versatility at the power forward can help stretch the floor. Russell Westbrook has improved his playmaking. The game has slowed down. He’s thinking pass-first. And as Westbrook said several times this preseason, the game tells him what he needs to do.
Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic, both acquired during last season, went through their first training camp with the Thunder. Adding veterans Kevin Ollie and Etan Thomas bring leadership and experience and also adds depth to the backcourt and frontcourt.
Rookie guard James Harden brings his playmaking and shooting touch while rookie Serge Ibaka brings athleticism and a shot blocking presence.
And the list goes on.
So when the Thunder opens the regular season on Wednesday, at home against the Sacramento Kings, it will have another year of experience. It will have more depth coming off the bench. And it will continue to grow.
That’s why the organization strays from making any grandiose expectations. It would be foolish to underestimate, or even overestimate, what a team is capable of. The NBA is a fluid situation. Injuries can change the course of one’s season and have a trickle down effect. Trades can rattle chemistry. Things can go wrong. The Thunder knows it’s no longer under the radar. Both the national media and the rest of the league have taken notice of its talent crop and upside. But both the players and the Thunder’s front office have learned to keep things in perspective.
“We’ve got to tell each other to take it a game at a time and get better,” Durant said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to. That’s what Scotty’s been preaching to us these last couple of years, is to always take it a day at a time. Never take steps back.”
TALKIN' ABOUT DEFENSE
The Thunder will employ a shell defense, which centers on protecting the basket and using help defense. The goal is to make an opponent run its offense in a half court set.
The No. 1 thing about the shell defense, Brooks said, is getting back on defense and taking away transition opportunities. That means sending three players immediately back on defense after the Thunder puts up a shot.
“It’s still evolving,” veteran guard Kevin Ollie said. “We have a unique team. We have Jeff Green at the (power forward). We can do a lot of switching. We haven’t put that in yet but we can do certain things and kind of junk up the game a little bit. But we’ve been really working on our fundamental principles and hopefully our triangle behind whoever’s pressuring the ball. That’s what we’ve really been concentrating on.”
After Monday, Brooks gave reporters a demonstration of some defensive fundamentals, replacing a player’s name with ‘x1’ through ‘x5.’
He spoke about a point guard getting into the ball by applying a significant amount of pressure up top, and how he has to fight over a screen. For centers, it’s about a “long arm show” in the post. The small forward has to jump to the ball and always have an eye on his man and the ball.
The shooting guard, probably on the weak side, has to “squeeze the paint,” knowing where his man and the ball are at all times. The power forward will probably be positioned near the low post. Since he can see a play develop, he has to provide early help defense and get above the restricted area in the paint to take a charge or block a shot.
It’s about keeping a tight shell and being in constant communication.
“It isn’t really on the ball,” guard Russell Westbrook said. “It’s mostly help side and watching back doors and stuff like that.”
Brooks said that the key to defense, something that often isn’t talked about, is taking a good shot offensively. Taking the highest percentage shot usually dictates how quickly the defense will be able to get back and set up.
'THUNDER OFFENSE'
After a recent practice, Brooks pulled out a schedule card that had a list of drills and concepts the Thunder worked on during practice. On one side were two columns of offensive sets. Above it was the title, “Thunder Offense.”
Asked what the name of the team’s offense was – a motion, Princeton or triangle, for example – and Brooks pointed to the card. There’s no fancy name for it. It’s just called “Thunder Offense.”
And what that means sounds just as simple.
With its personnel, the Thunder wants to get out in transition. But that can’t happen without a defensive stop; it’s hard to start a fast break when a team is constantly taking the ball out of bounds.
“We want to utilize our speed and quickness on the wings and utilize our speed going to the basket,” Brooks said. “As a point guard or a big guy we call it ‘rim running.’ You run to the rim. So that is the general first part of our offense, trying to get a good shot – a layup, an open jump shot, a post-up, or an attack to the basket for a free-throw opportunity.”
So the Thunder Offense wants to get out in transition. Oklahoma City doesn’t want to be the Phoenix Suns of old, but it would like to run when the opportunity presents itself. Of course, that can’t happen all the time.
The Thunder Offense includes motion, but not every second of the shot clock. And with the continued development of Westbrook at point guard, it’s something that will continue to evolve.
“It’s a spacing, attack for others (offense),” Brooks said. “It’s taking advantage of mismatches. It’s setting good screens. Every team tries to do the same things but the better teams that execute it are the teams that can score in the half court.”
VETERAN HELP
The Thunder acquired two more veterans this offseason in guard Kevin Ollie and center Etan Thomas, both of who have been in the league for at least five seasons and have been to the postseason.
Ollie has played in 41 career playoffs games, including a trip to the NBA Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the Thunder and has studied under head coaches Maurice Cheeks, now a Thunder assistant, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown and Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, to name a few.
Thomas, meanwhile, reached the playoffs in three straight seasons with the Washington Wizards, totaling 15 games in which he averaged 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
While both bring leadership and professionalism to the locker room, the fact that each play different positions could be beneficial to a Thunder roster that has young players in both the backcourt and frontcourt.
3 QUESTIONS
Here’s three quick questions that come to mind as the regular season is set to begin:
The Thunder committed 16.2 turnovers per game last season. Throughout training camp, it’s put an emphasis in cutting back on those mistakes. One sign that the Thunder is taking a step in that direction: point guard Russell Westbrook had 54 assists to 18 turnovers in seven preseason games. Because Westbrook has the ball in his hands quite a bit, that’s a promising start.
The Thunder was one of the league’s best rebounding teams last season, as it ranked sixth. The addition of Etan Thomas and Serge Ibaka should help. Westbrook was already one of the better rebounding guards in the league. More rebounds mean more opportunities for the Thunder to get out in transition.
Of course, this will play out over time. There’s always a learning curve for rookies, especially on the defensive end, where Harden, a shooting guard, will have to defend some of the top perimeter scorers in the league on a nightly basis. Brooks has said he wants Harden to be a playmaker and defensive presence, and to not pass up shots.
Contact Chris Silva
