Doug McDermott is the best fit for the Thunder starting lineup
By Tony Heim
The acquisition of Doug McDermott has provided much-needed spacing for the Oklahoma City offense. Now it’s time to move him to the starting unit.
Questions have swirled around the Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup ever since Alex Abrines replaced Victor Oladipo due to injury. The Thunder won their first three games with Abrines starting and playing well; the jovial banter became a legitimate discussion.
The pros and cons list for starting either player is vast. I’m not going to lay them out, however, because staff writer Sean Reece did a marvelous job with his post yesterday. Plus this article isn’t about the competition between Oladipo and Abrines. It’s about Doug McDermott being the hands-down best option for Billy D.
In four games McDermott has had an immediate impact on the Thunder offense. He’s only shooting 33% from three and 40% from the field but his mere presence opens up the floor much like Abrines does. But unlike the Spaniard Sniper (shoutout staff writer Darian Hutchins), McDermott has a few more skills that already translate to the NBA game.
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He’s got a mid-range post game that he pulls out against smaller guards.
He can take his man off the dribble and score.
He’s even a connoisseur at the pull-up mid-range jumper.
Abrines has similar skills, but as a rookie his game isn’t mature enough to employ them against established players. 167 of Abrines’ 233 shots (71.7%) have come from behind the line in his short career. Compare that to McDermott’s 465-1159 ratio (40.1%) and the difference in skillset becomes more apparent.
Last night, in only McDermott’s fourth game for the Thunder, the 25-year old played 37 minutes despite a poor shooting night. Abrines on the other hand played 10, recording a -9 +/- in that time. Portland picked on the rookie every time he touched the court; if Moe Harkless or CJ McCollum didn’t score it was probably because they got fouled.
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Abrines’ shooting translates to the starting lineup, but nothing else does at this point of his career. He’s a liability against some second-unit guards, let alone starters, and his size limits his ability to attack the rim. If the plan is to keep a shooter in the lineup it only makes sense to play the one with two more years of experience and a greater set of skills.
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But that’s not all.
Replacing Abrines/Oladipo with McDermott would push Andre Roberson back to his natural “shooting” guard position. It would allow the Thunder to utilize their greatest strength – their length – while giving Westbrook a legit perimeter scoring threat alongside him. McDermott might not be the world’s greatest defender, but he isn’t a complete liability like Abrines.
Abrines’ introduction to the starting lineup has done nothing but benefit the Thunder offense. In McDermott the Thunder have a similar weapon with better size, more NBA experience and the ability to create a shot on his own.
As of now Billy Donovan has made no mention of a permanent lineup change. But if he seriously is considering it, McDermott is the best option.