At this stage of the season, every NBA team is trying to lock into playing its best possible brand of basketball. For each group, the definition is different – each team’s identity is simply different.
For the Thunder there are plenty of dynamics that go into living up to their best. Of course Russell Westbrook’s scoring, playmaking and rebounding factors into it, but splitting the hairs of how, when, where and why Westbrook shoots, passes or attacks is less important than the holistic view of how the Thunder is playing. There are so many other factors – team defense, rebounding, physicality, transition play and fouling for example – that it’s impossible to pick apart just one dynamic.
“As I look at our team, I look at the big picture,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said. “Everything is about sustainability in my opinion because there are so many possessions in an NBA game. Can you sustain a high level of play?"
All of the pieces are connected. Getting defensive stops requires a great communication, positioning and rebounding. Those box outs and the hustle for loose balls can springboard transition opportunities. The more space on the floor, the more open shots the Thunder will get. Once in the halfcourt, the Thunder has to play with physicality and tempo, and then with precision.
“We have to take care of the basketball,” Donovan explained. “We as a team need to handle our turnovers and keep them down so we can generate more shots at the basket.”
“Are we generating good shots through our ball movement, through our screening and through our execution?” he added.
The term “execution” is vague, but one area it comes into play is how and where the Thunder’s bigs get the ball. It’s not so simple as having Enes Kanter or Steven Adams body up their defender and get position on the block. In fact, one of the best ways the Thunder has gotten the ‘Stache Bros some separation has been some screening action in the lane. Typically, Kanter or Adams start on the right block, and the Thunder sends a teammate to screen the opposing frontcourt player. That gives the Thunder’s bigs an extra foot or two of space to catch the ball cleanly in a spot close to the rim, greatly increasing the chance of scoring.
- “Screening becomes very important. You want to have a variety of different guys post feeding based on where help is coming from,” Donovan said. “We’re doing a better job screening and we’re doing a better job being a little bit more physical on offense.
Once in the post, Kanter is working on making good decisions, especially when teams rush a double team over to him in the middle of the lane, or play a soft trap. Earlier in the season, Kanter exploited dig downs by perimeter players by simply flashing the ball back out to Alex Abrines for open threes. Now, opponents are getting more creative with their traps to try to force Kanter into turnovers. Per game and per-36 minutes, Kanter is averaging the most assists of his career, and its due to a commitment to making good decisions.
- “Most of the time it’s Doug (McDermott) or Alex, they’re putting those guys in front of me. If I get a big or double teamed from their man, it’s an easy bucket,” Kanter said. “I’m kicking it out and they’re making shots. They’re making my job easy.”
Another player who has helped Kanter in the second unit has been Domas Sabonis, who has played off the bench in the Thunder’s last two victories. It’s obviously a very small sample size, but Sabonis’ plus-minus of plus-15.4 over the past two games is certainly a good sign.
- “It’s really nice to play with (Sabonis) because he’s so skilled for a big man. He’s a European, and of course European big men are pretty skilled,” Kanter smirked.
Finally, the player who has been most vital to the Thunder over this brief stretch has been Victor Oladipo. After returning from back spasms, Oladipo has been on fire on offense and locked in defensively. In his three games back, Oladipo has averaged 19.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just over 30 minutes per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the three-point line.
- “(Oladipo) has been really, really engaged the past couple of games,” Donovan said.