Billy Donovan: 5 Things to Improve the Thunder
By Shawn Woods
Mar 20, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward
Kevin Durant(35) is seen on the floor prior to action against the Atlanta Hawks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Find a Balance for Minutes
Stephen Curry was the most valuable player in the league and played fewer than 33 minutes per game this season while playing the most games in his career (80). The Atlanta Hawks have made the conference finals while having no player log more than 33 minutes per game. The San Antonio Spurs have been making a practice of playing their players in fewer minutes than the rest of the league and were able to enjoy 77 games of an incredibly productive Tim Duncan because of it.
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Meanwhile in Oklahoma City, Durant played 38.5 minutes last season which led the league. It’s entirely possible that Oklahoma City needed every last minute of production from the MVP to reach the level that they did, but with several seasons of finishing incredibly high on the list of minutes played along with usage percentage, it is time for the bench to be more utilized.
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