Thunderous Intentions
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Scratching The Surface: The Thunder’s Gameplan

By Joshua Lea

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On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Washington Wizards in almost record setting fashion. The Thunder shot lights out from 3-point range, going 15-of-23 for 65.2 percent. Russell Westbrook grabbed his 20th career triple-double, while the rest of the team gelled behind balanced scoring and ball movement. This likely means the Thunder are starting to scratch the surface of just how great this team could be. 

Eight games into the 2015-16 regular season the Thunder find themselves at a respectable 5-3. So far, this team has battled through a revamped San Antonio Spurs team, a double-overtime win versus a young Orlando Magic team, questions concerning lineups, and some ups and downs on the offensive and defensive end. It’s clear the Thunder are a very explosive team offensively. However, a hidden key for this team is the points in the paint category. Each win for the Thunder (aside from Washington) the total for the points in the paint has been above 50. Each loss has been below 50. Toronto & Chicago the Thunder averaged 37 points in the paint for those games. While vs Phoenix the Thunder post 64 points in the paint, getting Enes Kanter involved in the offense and moving the ball which is key for this team going forward.

Coach Billy Donovan likes to move the ball, he needs players that can spread the floor to create open looks utilizing the pick-and-roll or the pick-and-pop.

In all five of the Thunder’s victories, they executed and “played the right way.” However, in the losses their we’re breakdowns in the fourth quarters both offensively and defensively. The Toronto game we saw the Thunder go scoreless in the last five minutes of the game. In Chicago, we saw players get lost on defensive pick-and-rolls and mismatches happened all night long. The Thunder played a ton of isolation 1 on 1 basketball and  we even saw Derrick Rose come back from the grave. But, more importantly in the victories this team they move the ball. The Thunder are averaging 23 assist per game. This has to continue, and it starts with Russell Westbrook who is averaging 10 assist per game. Russell Westbrook has the ball in his hands more than any other player on the floor for the Thunder. So, its on him to space the floor and allow guys to get the shots they need by moving the basketball.

Here’s the deal, if you look at the +/- per 100 possessions with Russell Westbrook on the floor, the team is +27 points when Westbrook is on the floor versus off. That doesn’t help the bench players who have had trouble maintaining leads and keeping the defensively intensity up. But, in order for the bench to improve they have to fight through difficult game situations, especially when teams make big runs. It’s part of the reason why we are seeing Kyle Singler get some many minutes early in the season. Which is causing some confusion among Thunder fans.

Why hasn’t Anthony Morrow been getting playing time? If you have a twitter feed and you watch Thunder basketball, you’ll noticed that Thunder fans love A-Mo. You’ll also notice the #FreeMorrow movement that is sweeping timelines across twitter.

So, Whats the deal? Why isn’t A-Mo being loaded into the lineup (See what i did there)? After the Phoenix game, Coach D address his lineup choices with the media.

I believe that Anthony Morrow is way better suited to handle offensive responsibilities than Kyle Singler. I also agree that getting everyone familiar with each other on the floor is important. But, there is no reason Morrow shouldn’t get more time on the floor. Some might argue he could even start over Roberson, giving a defensive presence to the second unit. However, you would have to switch Westbrook to defend some of the leagues elite scorers. Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks will visit on November 20th, who’s going to guard Melo? There are some hidden questions and motives surrounding the Thunder in this young season. The one thing to watch out for is, do the lineups change or is this what we can expect all season long. Honestly, I hope not.

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