OKC Thunder: Five Thunder Takeaways from the Christmas Day Dub

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Dec 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) drives to the basket in front of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jordan Hill (27) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Sam Presti needs to find a way to keep Enes Kanter

During the offseason, I was incredibly vocal about trading Kanter. It wasn’t that I thought he was a bad player, I just didn’t think the Thunder could afford to keep paying him. Well he’s proved me wrong.

The sign of a dedicated basketball player is when they come back every year with a new facet to their game. Well Kanter has done that and MORE this season. Obviously that starts on the defensive end.

Dec 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) hugs guard Russell Westbrook (0) after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Enes has become infamous for his below-below-below-average defense; that’s just not the case anymore. Kanter’s improved his Defensive Box Plus/Minus numbers from a -3.1 last season to a -1.2 this season per Basketball Reference. He’s blocking .5 shots more per game and his steals are slightly up as well, despite playing fewer minutes. He still isn’t great, but he’s getting close to becoming an average defender. That’s good enough considering his immense offensive talent.

Now you’re probably asking why this is a takeaway from tonight’s game specifically? Because as soon as Kanter came on the court the Thunder began chipping away at the early Minnesota lead.

OKC’s second-unit ran their offense through Kanter, and it worked to perfection. If Minnesota doubled down low, Kanter would find the open man (another facet of his game that he’s worked on). If they didn’t he’d score two points.

Enes’ final stat line tonight: 20 rebounds, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a +/- of +17. Remember, Kanter is only 24-years old so he’s only going to keep improving. He’s happy here in Oklahoma City as the leader of the bench; he’s also over-qualified for that role.

There just aren’t many bigs in the NBA who can do this:

https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/813198246046822400

It’s going to be tough to keep Kanter with the current salary cap situation. But if there’s a person who can figure that out, it’s Sam Presti. Enes is one of the best offensive weapons on the block in the NBA, yet his game is becoming so much more than that.

Hopefully we will get to see his progression as a basketball player in a Thunder uniform.

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