From the day he was introduced as the Thunder’s new head coach, Billy Donovan had a stated goal of helping to put the team’s players in positions to succeed. With the talent on the roster, Donovan has plenty to work with as he helps guide the team to be efficient and effective.
The concepts that Donovan has introduced have helped the Thunder look like a high-powered force on offense, but some of the success has been made thanks to the one-on-one prowess of the team’s dynamic playmakers. In Kevin Durant’s case, sometimes the best offensive system the Thunder can implement is getting him the ball at his sweet spots.
One of those areas is at the “nail”, the center of the free throw line, where he can take advantage of his mid-range shooting skills, passing prowess and ball-handling skills in traffic. From the area in between the two elbows, Durant becomes like a quarterback sitting in the pocket, able to see all five defenders and all four teammates, determining the best option based on the coverage.
“If we can space the floor correctly, when he catches it, at least he can read where [the help] coming from and find who is open,” Donovan explained. “From that spot, it’s a hard spot on the floor to bring help.”
“He’s able to see the double teams and see where guys are at. It gives him a lot of space to operate,” Westbrook said. “When you give one of the best scorers in the game that much space, there’s not much a defense can do.”
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Westbrook Posting Up
The Thunder’s other perennial All-Star is Russell Westbrook, who has the ability to isolate in a one-on-one situation just like Durant. While he is comfortable on both sides of the floor, Westbrook can often be found just outside the left block, posting up his defender to either take a jump shot, attack the rim or make a pass to a teammate if the double team comes at him.
“Against most guards that he’s playing against, especially point guards, he’s going to be bigger and stronger than them,” said Donovan. “That’s going to be a part of things we do offensively.”
“I’m not going to overuse it, but I use it on any advantage I have size-wise and strength-wise as well,” Westbrook said. “[Donovan] is encouraging me to exploit mismatches and matchups.”
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Waiters a Facilitator
An emerging option for the Thunder so far this preseason has been Dion Waiters, whose playmaking abilities have been on display. Handling the ball out high and receiving screens from Thunder big men has allowed Waiters to get into the lane with straight line drives towards the rim. If a help defender crashes over early, Waiters has shown a penchant for dishing the ball to open teammates, particularly in the corners for three-pointers.
“He’s so good off the dribble and he’s a really good creator,” Donovan said. “The one thing that really gets lost with his game, is that he’s an outstanding passer, he has great vision and he can see the floor very well.”
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All three players will be featured prominently in the coming weeks, including in Tulsa on Tuesday night when the Thunder hosts the Dallas Mavericks for a preseason tilt at the BOK Center. There are a limited number of tickets available for that contest at BOKCenter.com