Breaking Down the Enes Kanter Signing
By David Ramil
Mar 22, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) congratulates Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) after a play against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The Minutes Conundrum
Any potential trades would likely be for future draft picks and not any additional players. Given that, the Thunder front court with Kanter also includes four other players – barring injury – that can provide quality minutes from time-to-time. This group includes Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, Nick Collison and a new-and-improved Mitch McGary.
Who starts, who sits and who plays from this group?
Kanter’s defensive issues come into play here. Ibaka would start, along with Durant and Westbrook. But who starts at shooting guard could impact who starts at center. Guard Andre Roberson seems the likely choice but here’s a player as one-dimensional as Kanter, only in reverse; all defense and little offense. With him in the lineup, the scoring load would be picked up by the other four starters and Kanter would be the obvious choice here. With both Roberson and Ibaka as excellent defenders, Kanter’s liabilities wouldn’t be as damaging.
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But what if new coach Billy Donovan installs Dion Waiters or Anthony Morrow as the starter? Both guards are earnest, if largely ineffective, defenders. And while Ibaka would certainly do most of the dirty work, it wouldn’t hurt to have a player like Adams that could help protect the rim in the starting lineup. The reserve unit would consist of a lineup with Augustin or Cameron Payne, Roberson and Kyle Singler along with McGary and Kanter. There’s a good mix of offense here but, aside from Roberson, not much in the way of preventing a team from scoring. Collison could get more minutes over McGary but the second-year man out of Michigan showed flashes during Summer League and appears ready to be a factor; will Donovan stunt his growth in favor of an aging veteran like Collison?
Similarly, can the Thunder risk stunting Adams’ growth by keeping him on the bench? He deservedly became the starter last season (over Kendrick Perkins) and has shown steady growth in his two years in the NBA.
Donovan clearly has his work cut out for him. But the plus side – and one that OKC fans should definitely keep in mind – is that having to figure out how to use so many talented players only bodes well for the organization.
The trick will be getting the players to buy in.
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