Billy Donovan: 5 Things to Improve the Thunder

Apr 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard

(23) dribbles the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard

(23) defends in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Play the Best Players

Kendrick Perkins started 225 games over the five seasons he was in Oklahoma City. While Perkins has some value to an NBA team, all of that value can be accomplished in far fewer minutes than the approximate 24 Perkins was playing. The same could be said about the 17.5 minutes per game that Derek Fisher played in his stint with Oklahoma City during the regular season, including an astonishing 20 minutes per game in the playoff games where Derek Fisher was at least 37 years old!

The problems continued this season with one Dion Waiters.

Waiters and I have long had our differences – he continues to chuck up inefficient shots at an alarming rate and I hate said shots – but it’s too early to give up on a 23-year old former lottery pick. However, Waiters received 30 minutes per game this season despite not having a proven skill that helps the Thunder. Even considering the latter half of his time with the Thunder, he averaged 14 points on a miserable 39.6 field goal percentage.

Waiters didn’t deserve the 30 minutes he played, and there was a clear replacement that provided elite production on one of the floor. Whether this was the former coach or pressure from the front office to play recently acquired players, Donovan needs to find a way to put the best players on the floor.

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