Will Enes Kanter’s 3-Point Shooting Be a Weapon for OKC?

The past year has been a strange one for Enes Kanter. He’s gone from relative anonymity as a member of the Utah Jazz to being widely criticized for signing what many have labeled one of the worst free agent deals of the summer. 

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Some of the criticism is warranted as there’s little doubt that Kanter’s defense has been mostly poor during his four-year NBA career. However, at least part of the reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder was willing to commit $70 million to Kanter is that, at just 23 years old, there’s certainly room for growth defensively.

Moreover, there’s no denying that Kanter is a skilled offensive player, giving the Thunder the scoring threat at center that the franchise has never had.

In 26 games with OKC, Kanter got most of his points around the basket. In the month of March alone (14 games), 141 of his total 182 shot attempts came at the rim. He converted these shots at an impressive rate, completing 61.7 percent. His overall field-goal rate during this time was 56 percent, showing excellent range from 10-18 feet away.

(Courtesy of NBA.com)

But what you didn’t see from Kanter in March was a single 3-point shot, despite having launched 41 attempts through 49 games with Utah. When he eventually dared to step behind the line during the month of April, he converted 3-of-4 attempts and finished the season shooting a very impressive 35.6 percent (16-of-45 overall).

You can chalk up Kanter’s hesitation to launch long-range shots for many reasons. After three-and-a-half years in Utah, there’s bound to be a transition period; mindlessly chucking up bombs from 23 feet won’t ingratiate you to your new teammates.

It’s also worth nothing that in his first three years in the NBA, Kanter shot a total of just three 3-pointers. Despite his mid-range proficiency, Kanter had never been encouraged to shoot from the perimeter until last season, as he explained to the Desert News’ Jody Genessy:

"“Coach Q came to visit me and we went to a gym. He said, ‘You know you’re going to shoot some threes this year, right?’ ” Kanter said, smiling. “I was just like shocked that the first time he met me he gave me that confidence. It means a lot to me.”"

‘Coach Q’ is Quin Snyder, the Jazz head coach who took the reins in Utah just last season. Snyder explained the rationale here:

"“I believe he has 3-point range, so if he’s taking long twos, just from a percentage basis, it’s not good for him, it’s not good for us,” Snyder said. “We want to attack the rim and get good stuff there. The long twos for a guy that can shoot threes, it’s just got to be a habit of his to space behind the line.”"

Kanter, starting at the power forward position in Utah, was supposed to “occasionally stretch the floor” in Snyder’s system. Here we get some more insight as to why Kanter didn’t shoot from the perimeter. With Serge Ibaka launching a career-high 205 3-point attempts (and at 37.6 percent), the Thunder already had one stretch big in the lineup, keeping Kanter in the low-post. Once Ibaka was lost to season-ending knee injury (and once Steven Adams returned to the lineup after breaking his hand), former OKC coach Scott Brooks featured lineups with both Adams (at center) and Kanter (at power forward).

You can see how easy it is to get Kanter open when you run this “Bruise Brothers” set. With Kevin Durant done for the year (notice a trend here?) and Russell Westbrook almost exclusively bringing the ball down, Kanter immediately drifts to his most familiar spot along the perimeter, the left corner (where he shot 40 percent, as per the shot chart above).

Adams (or in some cases, Nick Collison) set a high screen and allowed Westbrook to attack the paint, collapsing the defense. Watch it all unfold here:

In this example, Tyson Chandler follows his natural instinct to guard the paint but that leaves Kanter open for just a split second and Westbrook does an excellent job of finding him along the perimeter. If Chandler had stuck more closely to Kanter, then Westbrook had the option of hitting the rolling Adams with a pass for an easy shot at the rim.

A variation of this play was used on all four of Kanter’s 3-point attempts in OKC; in Utah, Derrick Favors was used as the screen-and-roll man. It’s simple and effective, especially judging from Kanter’s high percentage from long range.

The question remains, then, how to handle Ibaka’s return to the lineup. While it’s possible that Adams might get the starting nod over Kanter, that doesn’t seem likely given the latter’s new salary. There’s also the hope that Ibaka can mask some of Kanter’s defensive issues and that can’t happen with him on the bench.

But perhaps the biggest factor will be how new head coach Billy Donovan decides to use Kanter in whatever offensive scheme he reveals this upcoming season. After nearly two decades at the University of Florida, Donovan has coached a number of players who play the center position in the NBA – Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem and David Lee among them – and none of those have ever been reliable long-range shooters throughout their careers.

The one exception is San Antonio Spurs veteran Matt Bonner, who put up 418 3-point attempts during his four-year tenure at Florida (at a 39.5 percent rate). If nothing else, it shows that Donovan is flexible enough to maximize a player’s strengths, even if it represented an atypical skill set at the time.

That kind of flexibility will be tested this season in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have, arguably, the deepest roster in their short history as a franchise and Donovan will have to quickly determine how to squeeze every last drop of talent out of this talent-laden group. Ultimately, the failure to do so is what cost Brooks his job after last season.

And while there’s no telling if Kanter’s perimeter shooting will be utilized more frequently, it’s a good “problem” to have. As the center position continues to evolve, having multiple front court players that can stretch the floor or score inside as needed – as Kanter can – should be another dynamic to consider in OKC’s long-denied quest for a NBA championship.

Next: Billy Donovan Will Be Challenged to Manage Kevin Durant's Minutes