An in-depth look at what Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott add to the OKC Thunder.
In case you haven’t heard the news or didn’t watch the game on Friday night, Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson are now part of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On surface, we know what both guys bring to the table. McDermott is a knockdown shooter who can also create his own shot when necessary. He was nicknamed “Sneaky Hops” by Bulls announcer Stacey King because he has…sneaky hops. He’s not great defensively, which we should all blame on his father since he is a coaches son. Teach the young man defense, coach dad.
Gibson is a bruising defender with a serviceable offensive game in the paint and just outside of the paint. He’s also well-liked by all of his former Bulls teammates, which must mean something because those guys didn’t seem to get along too well.
But what else do they provide?
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It was only one game, but Thunder fans got a brief glimpse of the new duo against the Lakers. Keep in mind that McDermott and Gibson had not practiced with the team since they were acquired Thursday afternoon. They arrived in Oklahoma City late Thursday night, met with the team and coaching staff on Friday, went over some terminology, but didn’t participate in practice.
What we saw Friday is a far cry from what we will see two weeks from now when they’ve had more time to integrate themselves into the way the Thunder operate. By then, they’ll learn that all they have to do is set picks and stand around, waiting for Russell Westbrook to pass them the ball.
Doug McDermott
His favorite athlete in college was Nick Collison. This is extremely important information because it shows that McDermott has a sense of humor and may not know the actual definition of “athlete.” This fact doesn’t matter when he steps on the court, except I like to imagine any conversation between the two starting with, “hey, remember, you’re my favorite athlete” or “hey, remember, I’m your favorite athlete.”
On the court, McDermott is a smart offensive player. He can come off the screen and immediately shoot.
This is huge, because it’s something that constantly frustrated me about Anthony Morrow. Morrow was always a great three point shooter, at least prior to this season, but his inability to get open off the screen has led to playing for seven teams in nine seasons. OKC can run McDermott off those screens and he can either take his shot, or set up his teammate.
On top of his ability to come off the screen and shoot or pass, he has shown the ability to post up and hit tough shots.
His offensive instincts are good. He moves well without the ball and has a variety of ways to score. We saw him score a couple of different ways against the Lakers. He showed nice touch on a floater and hit a couple of midrange jumpers off the handoff.
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And did I mention “sneaky hops”?
There’s a lot to like about what McDermott brings to the table on the offensive end. Keep in mind that he’s never played with a point guard like Westbrook. In Chicago, he played with Derrick Rose and the fifteen different point guards they’ve used this year. Rose is not much of a distributor,
Rajon Rondo distributes only when it benefits him, and they still had ball dominant guards like Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler on the team. Westbrook is ball dominant as they come – have you seen his usage rate this year? – but he’s also a fantastic facilitator who makes the guys around him better.
Taj Gibson
Gibson is known for his defense. He’s an outstanding pick and roll defender, who doesn’t give up on the play, and is willing to challenge at the rim. Watch him fight through this hugging battle to still complete the block against Miami.
He can also stick with guards up top.
Finally, here he is meeting the best player in the league at the rim and living to tell about it.
With Gibson on the floor, the Thunder have the ability to switch far more often than they did with Domantas Sabonis.
Offensively, like McDermott, he has great instincts. He’s a big man who will run the floor, which is always necessary when playing with Westbrook, can hit on the pick and pop, and post up.
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We saw him take this shot three times against the Lakers (going 1/3), and fans should get used to it.
Here is something else fans saw on Friday that they should get used to. Taj not only runs the floor well, but he can get up.
Finally, here is Taj abusing some poor and helpless defender who shouldn’t have even tried to mess with him in the post.
One aspect of his game that doesn’t show up on the boxscore or on most highlight videos is his ability to set screen. He wipes guys out. Devin Booker has no chance to get back into this play after running into Gibson.
With Steven Adams setting a screen for half the game and Gibson setting a screen for the other half, opponents are going to have a long night defensively. Hard screens are like body shots in boxing. The first one isn’t going to knock you out, but take enough of them, and by the end of the fight you just have nothing else. The screens by Adams and Gibson, along with their work in the paint and on the glass, will take a toll on opponents over the course of four quarters.
More importantly than all that, did you see the handshakes he was giving out? He made a point to seek out Sabonis on the sub just to give him a low five and a butt pat. This man is a great teammate.
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It’s unknown whether or not Gibson will make his way into the starting lineup by the end of the season. My guess is that the starters remain intact just for the sake of chemistry and consistency. Plus, having Gibson alongside Enes Kanter seems like a smarter play than Sabonis and Kanter.
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Remember, it’s not always about who starts, it’s about who plays more and who finishes. And Donovan has shown that he will finish with the guys who give the team the best chance to win on that night.
Thursday’s trade not only improved the Oklahoma City Thunder as a basketball team, it gave them more flexibility. We’re going to see Billy Donovan experiment a lot in the next month and half as he tries to figure out what works for the playoffs.
It’s going to be very frustrating. I mean, really fricking frustrating, at times. But Donovan and the players are all smart enough to figure it out. Oklahoma City can now throw multiple looks at teams and potentially force them to adjust, something that wasn’t possible three days ago.
And did you hear how many times McDermott and Gibson said, “unselfish” in the post-game interview? They already know how to get on Westbrook’s good side.