Billy Donovan Must Manage Kevin Durant’s Minutes

May 1, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder new head coach

speaks to the media at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

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One of the biggest reasons Durant has played so many minutes is that the Thunder haven’t ever been a very deep team. When you combine that with former coach Scott Brooks’ isolation-heavy offense, Durant, along with Russell Westbrook, were asked to do a lot. 

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Donovan is a better offensive mind than Brooks and will implement a pick-and-roll offense with a lot of ball movement that won’t put so much pressure on Durant and Westbrook to create shot opportunities. As a result, the team won’t struggle so much without either of them off the court.

In the past, Brooks was reluctant to stagger his lineup with Durant and Westbrook. If Donovan shows he’s willing to do that, he will have a top-five player on the floor for almost the entire game.

The biggest argument against staggering Durant and Westbrook is they won’t play nearly as many minutes together, and they are devastating while on the court together. But with its revamped roster, OKC won’t need them both on the floor as much to win games.

Next: Depth Could Be the Answer