Given that the Thunder is 19-12 so far this season, the best mark in the NBA’s Northwest Division, and the level of excitement around the team and the performances of players like Russell Westbrook, it may be easy to forget that Head Coach Billy Donovan has two former lottery selections who are making progress towards returning to action.
Victor Oladipo has missed the past seven games plus the last three quarters of the Thunder’s game against the Boston Celtics in which he sprained his wrist in a scary fall. Recently he’s been able to dribble the basketball but he’s still experiencing pain when he shoots. Having to follow through with a wrist flick on a deep shot or a crisp pass or catching one of Westbrook’s rocket passes is uncomfortable at the moment, but he’s continuing to feel better each day. As a result, Oladipo has been able to participate in a limited fashion in practice. Today for example, the Thunder did shell defense drills for about 30 minutes to work on pick and roll coverages and overloads of how the floor is positioned, and Oladipo was able to participate in some of that.
“If we’re doing shell positioning and the ball is being passed around, he’s out there doing that,” Donovan said. “There are certain things where it’s very controlled that he can do that is safe and he’s fine doing.”
Thunder Talk: Coach Donovan
In addition to Oladipo is second year point guard Cameron Payne, who has been recovering from a broken bone in his foot that he sustained in the annual Blue and White Scrimmage to start the preseason. There’s no timetable for Payne’s return to action, but the crafty point guard has been working out on the floor and running, which is a positive sign.
- In the Thunder’s Christmas night victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Donovan’s club allowed the world to see the second unit’s newfound offensive identity: a solar system of shooting and cutting guards surrounding the star that is Enes Kanter on the low block. With his combination of physicality, quickness, touch and patience, Kanter operated as a distributor and scorer in the post, dominating his man one-on-one with equal precision as he picked apart double teams.
- “It’s making the offense a little bit more dynamic,” shooting guard Anthony Morrow said. “Now they have to double team Enes and teams are double teaming Steven sometimes. It’s making our offense that much better. We’re getting open shots along the perimeter.”
- “You have to read your defender,” Morrow continued. “You have to read where guys like to throw the ball, where guys feel comfortable on the floor catching the ball as well. It’s more of a chemistry thing.”
Thunder Talk: Anthony Morrow
- One of the players who has fit in nicely with Kanter’s post production has been reserve point guard Semaj Christon – the rookie who grinded out a season with the Oklahoma City Blue and another overseas in Italy to ensure his game was ready for the NBA level. He’s stepped into his role and performed admirably. In fact, Christon ranks fifth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.6-to-1.
- “He has a lot of poise,” Morrow said. “He doesn’t really get sped up. I personally tell him to stay aggressive, but stay under control. Young point guards, teams like to climb up under them and pressure them 94 feet. He’s done a great job with it. He hasn’t the ball over and he’s picking his spots of when to score and when to pass. He’s had a great level of maturity so far.”
- The Thunder’s upcoming road trip to Miami and Memphis begins a stretch of 14 of 18 games on the road for Donovan’s group. The Thunder won’t play consecutive home games again until February. Playing on the road is a part of every team’s NBA schedule, but this stretch will certainly be a challenge. In order to give itself a chance to win each night, the Thunder will have to pull together, remain connected as a group and rally behind one another. It will also be imperative that the players take care of their bodies, value their rest and maintain good eating habits.
- “It’s a little harder to eat healthier on the road than it is at home,” Morrow said. “That’s one of those things where you have to watch what you eat, what you’re ordering from room service, no desserts and stuff like that. Our trainers, nutritionists and our whole staff do a great job of gauging what we eat and staying in shape and staying on top of that stuff.
- Here’s Donovan’s take: “The organization does an incredible job in terms of the different meals on the planes for the guys, what is available for them in terms of massage therapy and things like that to take care of their bodies and giving them guidance on what to eat and not to eat. A lot of it falls onto the player too. We have a group of guys who are responsible and take it very seriously and understand moreso than anything else that in playing professional sports, you don’t have much if you don’t take care of your body. If your body goes, chances are it’s going to be hard to perform.”