Versatility, Interchangeable Parts Should Help Thunder
Oct 26 2009 11:58AM
When it comes to finding the right combination or the best lineup for game situations, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks can mix and match accordingly.
There isn’t just one correct way to go about it.
He can go big, small or both. He can go with speedsters, a couple of ballhandlers with size or line the perimeter with shooters.
Up and down the roster, the Thunder has many interchangeable parts, which will give it a certain versatility as the 2009-10 regular season opens on Wednesday at home against the Sacramento Kings.
“We’re very unorthodox in a lot of positions and you have to use that to your advantage to cause matchup problems,” Brooks said, “and we have some spots that we like to change things up.”
The Thunder has three players in Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, all of who happen the be the team’s top three returning scorers, who can play multiple positions. The same goes for Shaun Livingston, a natural playmaker, second-year player Kyle Weaver, rookies James Harden and Serge Ibaka and veterans such as Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha.
Durant and Green might be the team’s most interchangeable players.
Durant’s 6-9 frame, length and athleticism allows him to play shooting guard, small forward power forward and, Brooks said in some instances, even center. He’s already a matchup nightmare for teams along the perimeter, where he often draws attention from an opponent who may be equal in size but not athleticism. The fact that Durant also possesses post up moves only gives Brooks more places to put him on the floor.
Green, on the other hand, has continued to diversify his skill set each summer.
After his rookie year, the 6-9 Green made a commitment to becoming a better three-point shooter and ball handler. The results last season: he made more three-pointers (96) than he attempted as a rookie (76). The Thunder’s starting power forward worked on his midrange jump shot and post game this past summer, and prides himself on being able to play both down low, where he often matches up against the league’s top big men, or the perimeter.
“When you have a group that poses a problem to another team then, yeah, they’ll have to adjust to us because Kevin Durant is someone who will pose a problem, especially if he goes to the 2 because he’ll be a lot taller and longer than most of the 2s he’d play against. Jeff Green is going to be stronger if he goes out to the 3 than a lot of the 3s he’d play against,” Thunder center Etan Thomas said. “It’s going to cause problems for teams. But it’s kind of early, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Across the league, teams are becoming more versatile, as the league continues to boast a dearth of hybrid players and unique skill sets.
The Dallas Mavericks, for instance, added more versatility with the acquisition of Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden. The Mavs can now go with a lineup of nearly three seven-footers in Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier and Gooden.
Portland has versatility and flexibility at the small forward position, where Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster reside.
And with the pickup of center Shaquille O’Neal, the Cleveland Cavaliers can go with a monster frontline of O’Neal, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskus.
As a head coach, one of the most difficult tasks is finding the right lineups and combinations on the floor, and it will only help Brooks as the Thunder continues to become more familiar with each other on the floor.
“I think the continuity, having your core group together for a long period of time, will help,” Brooks said. “I think the top teams in the league have been together for a long period of time. I think it’s important that we build a chemistry together and our guys have it.”
The Thunder experimented with a myriad of combinations and lineups during the preseason, the perfect time for the coaching staff to see with what works best.
Livingston was put in positions where he could make plays at point guard, shooting guard or small forward. Sometimes, he found himself with the ball on the block and defended against a smaller player, which played to his advantage. To start the second quarter against Sacramento last Thursday, the Thunder went with three players who could handle the ball in Kevin Ollie, Livingston and Harden. Later in the quarter, Ibaka joined the lineup, which gave the Thunder four players who could get up the floor in transition. There were also times this preseason when Sefolosha and Harden, two shooting guards, shared the floor together.
Thomas said that they key to making such a versatile roster work is having everyone find and settle into their own role.
“And roles are defined by the output,” he said.
So as the season is set to begin, Brooks has a handful of ways he can assemble five players on the floor.
“I think in the league there’s trends of playing smaller,” Brooks said. “Cleveland’s trend is they’re big – Zydrunas, Verajao, Shaq. So it’s what you do with your players. That’s a trend that you have. You can’t make our guys play bigger than they are. We have an athletic team that we have to use our abilities to the betterment of the team.
“Kevin’s a versatile guy who can score in many spots. You can’t pigeonhole him and say, ‘you’re only going to be on this side of the floor, you’re only going to shoot in this area.’ I think the advantage that we do have is Jeff Green can put it on the floor and can shoot threes; Kevin can do certain things; Russell is a guy who can attack and is also doing a great job of distributing the ball, also.”
Contact Chris Silva
There isn’t just one correct way to go about it.
He can go big, small or both. He can go with speedsters, a couple of ballhandlers with size or line the perimeter with shooters.
Up and down the roster, the Thunder has many interchangeable parts, which will give it a certain versatility as the 2009-10 regular season opens on Wednesday at home against the Sacramento Kings.
“We’re very unorthodox in a lot of positions and you have to use that to your advantage to cause matchup problems,” Brooks said, “and we have some spots that we like to change things up.”
The Thunder has three players in Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, all of who happen the be the team’s top three returning scorers, who can play multiple positions. The same goes for Shaun Livingston, a natural playmaker, second-year player Kyle Weaver, rookies James Harden and Serge Ibaka and veterans such as Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha.
Durant and Green might be the team’s most interchangeable players.
Durant’s 6-9 frame, length and athleticism allows him to play shooting guard, small forward power forward and, Brooks said in some instances, even center. He’s already a matchup nightmare for teams along the perimeter, where he often draws attention from an opponent who may be equal in size but not athleticism. The fact that Durant also possesses post up moves only gives Brooks more places to put him on the floor.
Green, on the other hand, has continued to diversify his skill set each summer.
After his rookie year, the 6-9 Green made a commitment to becoming a better three-point shooter and ball handler. The results last season: he made more three-pointers (96) than he attempted as a rookie (76). The Thunder’s starting power forward worked on his midrange jump shot and post game this past summer, and prides himself on being able to play both down low, where he often matches up against the league’s top big men, or the perimeter.
“When you have a group that poses a problem to another team then, yeah, they’ll have to adjust to us because Kevin Durant is someone who will pose a problem, especially if he goes to the 2 because he’ll be a lot taller and longer than most of the 2s he’d play against. Jeff Green is going to be stronger if he goes out to the 3 than a lot of the 3s he’d play against,” Thunder center Etan Thomas said. “It’s going to cause problems for teams. But it’s kind of early, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Across the league, teams are becoming more versatile, as the league continues to boast a dearth of hybrid players and unique skill sets.
The Dallas Mavericks, for instance, added more versatility with the acquisition of Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden. The Mavs can now go with a lineup of nearly three seven-footers in Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier and Gooden.
Portland has versatility and flexibility at the small forward position, where Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster reside.
And with the pickup of center Shaquille O’Neal, the Cleveland Cavaliers can go with a monster frontline of O’Neal, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskus.
As a head coach, one of the most difficult tasks is finding the right lineups and combinations on the floor, and it will only help Brooks as the Thunder continues to become more familiar with each other on the floor.
“I think the continuity, having your core group together for a long period of time, will help,” Brooks said. “I think the top teams in the league have been together for a long period of time. I think it’s important that we build a chemistry together and our guys have it.”
The Thunder experimented with a myriad of combinations and lineups during the preseason, the perfect time for the coaching staff to see with what works best.
Livingston was put in positions where he could make plays at point guard, shooting guard or small forward. Sometimes, he found himself with the ball on the block and defended against a smaller player, which played to his advantage. To start the second quarter against Sacramento last Thursday, the Thunder went with three players who could handle the ball in Kevin Ollie, Livingston and Harden. Later in the quarter, Ibaka joined the lineup, which gave the Thunder four players who could get up the floor in transition. There were also times this preseason when Sefolosha and Harden, two shooting guards, shared the floor together.
Thomas said that they key to making such a versatile roster work is having everyone find and settle into their own role.
“And roles are defined by the output,” he said.
So as the season is set to begin, Brooks has a handful of ways he can assemble five players on the floor.
“I think in the league there’s trends of playing smaller,” Brooks said. “Cleveland’s trend is they’re big – Zydrunas, Verajao, Shaq. So it’s what you do with your players. That’s a trend that you have. You can’t make our guys play bigger than they are. We have an athletic team that we have to use our abilities to the betterment of the team.
“Kevin’s a versatile guy who can score in many spots. You can’t pigeonhole him and say, ‘you’re only going to be on this side of the floor, you’re only going to shoot in this area.’ I think the advantage that we do have is Jeff Green can put it on the floor and can shoot threes; Kevin can do certain things; Russell is a guy who can attack and is also doing a great job of distributing the ball, also.”
Contact Chris Silva
