Oklahoma City Thunder guard Randy Foye is getting a lot of playing time since being acquired. Has he earned it?
The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Randy Foye at this year’s trade deadline in hopes that he would be the 3-and-D wing that they were missing. Thus far, things haven’t exactly worked out for Foye or the Thunder. In eight games with OKC, Foye is averaging 3.8 points in 18 minutes and shooting 25% from three, which is actually down from the 29% (a career low) that he was shooting in Denver. His defense hasn’t been much better, posting a 115 defensive rating since being acquired. It should be noted that he has a 102 defensive rating on the year.
These numbers make Billy Donovan’s decision to consistently play him even more baffling. Foye has become the new Dion Waiters, where the production doesn’t justify his minutes, except that OKC still has the old Dion Waiters.
So maybe Foye has become the new Caron Butler, a veteran player with little left in the tank taking time away from a young player who could use the experience and seasoning. Butler, who played much better in orange and blue than Foye currently is, took time away from Jeremy Lamb. Foye is taking time from Cameron Payne.
Payne has struggled at various points during the season, especially after the All-Star break, but there’s a much higher upside with him on the floor. He’s a more well-rounded offensive player than Foye, and while he’s struggled defensively, the numbers (106 defensive rating) say that he’s not as bad as Foye has been and there’s no denying the effort he gives when he’s on the floor. As rookie on a team with high expectations, mistakes and struggles are bound to happen. Letting him work through those mistakes would be a lot better for him than benching him for a guy who is struggling just as bad.
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Foye isn’t asked to do much on the Thunder. With Kevin Durant playing point forward on the second-unit, Foye is essentially a floor spacer who will occasionally handle the ball. Essentially, all he needs to do is make open shots. Unfortunately, he’s just not doing that for the team. Payne, on the other hand, is a perfectly capable “catch-and-shoot” shooter who can create his own shot. Payne is shooting 34% on open threes, 44% on wide open threes, and 41% on catch-and-shoot threes.
There’s also Anthony Morrow toiling away on the bench. Morrow is one of the top sharpshooters in the league, but often times a lost puppy on defense. His defensive rating (105) say that he’s better than Foye and of the five man units that have played more than 20-minutes together this season, Morrow is in the top three units when it comes to net rating.
There’s no denying that Morrow and Payne aren’t good defensively. Despite posting higher ratings than Foye, 106 and 105 aren’t exactly “lockdown defender” ratings. Even if you argue that Foye is a better defender than Payne and Morrow, the gap is pretty narrow at this point. What they bring to the table offensively is a much wider gap. Morrow is a much more reliable shooter and Payne is a better shooter and has a better grasp of the offense.
Trading for Foye wasn’t a mistake. The Thunder dealt a guy who was out of the rotation and a guy who was never in it and got a guy who, at his best, could’ve been a useful wing player while also saving money and freeing up a roster spot. It was a low-risk move, but ultimately another swing and a miss by Sam Presti. It’s only turned into a mistake because Donovan continues to play him despite his clear lack of production.
All stats are from NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.