Live Perspective at Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Charlotte Hornets

Last night I attended my first Oklahoma City Thunder game as they took on the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte. While I was disappointed that Kevin Durant wasn’t able to play due to a sore foot, I was excited to see the new additions from the trade deadline for the first time. Here are some live observations:

*Russell Westbrook is really good at basketball. Alright, so that’s an obvious statement, but it’s amazing to see how in control he is on the court. Westbrook has often been criticized for playing out of control, but there seems to be a sense of maturity to his game now. This was most noticeable on an assist to Kyle Singler. Singler had just missed a three and a floater on a previous possession. After an Andre Roberson rebound on one end, Westbrook led the break and could’ve gone one-on-two in the paint while Singler stood wide open in the corner. Instead, Westbrook dished it off and Singler drained the open look. I’m not sure the Westbrook of last year would’ve done that. The Westbrook of this year seems to have a lot more trust in his teammates and is making better decisions. He still plays erratic at times, but these instances are fewer and farther in between.

*Westbrook finished with six turnovers. I’d bet at least half of them came on passes intended for newcomer Enes Kanter. The star point guard and newly-acquired center weren’t quite on the same page, which is understandable given that they’ve had limited practice time and this was their first game together. Kanter seemed unsure of what Westbrook was going to do after he set a pick, which led to a lot of wild passes that went the other way. Once they develop some type of chemistry, those pick plays hopefully won’t look so sloppy.

*Kanter had a solid debut for OKC. He finished with 10 points and 13 boards. His mentor, Al Jefferson, was lighting him up in the first half but Kanter did a much better job on “Big Al” as the game went along, especially in the fourth quarter. I think playing against his best friend and mentor wasn’t an ideal situation for Kanter’s debut, but he played well. I expect him to get better as he gets himself acclimated with his new teammates. 

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*One knock I saw on Kanter prior to his debut was his lack of passing. Maybe it’s because he’s been playing on some pretty bad Utah Jazz teams, but his passing looked fine to me. He actually made a couple of nice passes to teammates to give them good looks. Some were converted, some weren’t, but overall he did a good job moving the ball.

*Of the four players OKC acquired on Thursday, D.J. Augustin might have been the most impressive. 12 points on 3/9 shooting and two assists might not seem like a lot, but it was his poise with the ball that really stood out. He always seemed to make the right play. Whether it was finding an open teammate or attacking the basket, I never felt like something bad was going to happen when he had the ball. Reggie Jackson is a great basketball player, but he became a liability on offense as the season went along. Whenever Jackson had the ball, I just waited for him to dribble the clock down to four seconds before launching a long two or three. More often than not that’s exactly what he did. With Augustin, the ball is moving. He only had two assists, but the ball never died when he had it.

*To add to that point, the Thunder’s ball movement looked good all game long. They only finished with 21 assists as a team, but that wasn’t for a lack of movement. Guys were missing open shots and when it comes down to it, Westbrook is still Westbrook. When he feels his team needs a basket, he’s going to put his head down and attack the rim.

*Dion Waiters had a disappointing game. I thought his defense was decent, but he’s got to make open threes. He had four attempts from beyond the arc – all of them wide-open looks – and none of them went in. When the ball moves that well and he has wide-open looks, Waiters has got to reward the team and himself by knocking down that shot. If he can hit the three ball with any consistency moving forward, OKC becomes that much more dangerous.

Feb 21, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Mitch McGary (33) gets a rebound during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

*Mitch McGary does a lot with a little. And by “a little” I’m talking about his minutes. I really hope that he doesn’t fall out of the rotation when Steven Adams returns because he’s giving OKC valuable minutes off the bench right now. Nine points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes doesn’t happen by luck.

*The Thunder finally has a bench they can count on. It’s no longer about needing one guy off the bench to step up and contribute or else the team isn’t going to win. The Hornets starters played really well, but OKC’s bench was the difference. When Durant and Adams return, the bench will be even stronger as Kanter will have favorable match-ups and Singler can be an extra shooter. One guy might not get 20 like in the past, but if everyone is getting between 5-10, that’s going to be good enough when your team has Durant and Westbrook.

*I don’t know how many cutaways there were of Durant, but he was the first guy up to meet his teammates after a timeout and the first guy to jump out of his chair after a big play.

*Overall, this was a really strong win for the Thunder. After a whirlwind Thursday that saw them ship out two key pieces and a shorthanded victory over a good Dallas Mavericks team, this game had the potential to be a letdown. Two new starters and a new back-up point guard going against a well-rested Hornets team in Charlotte could’ve ended badly. But thanks to Westbrook, the new players, and the bench it ended with another OKC victory.