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Taj Gibson Season Review – The Glue Guy

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Mar 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Taj Gibson (22) helps up guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Taj Gibson (22) helps up guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Thunder defeat the Mavericks 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Taj Gibson
Apr 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Taj Gibson (22) battles for a loose ball against Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley (3) and forward TJ Warren (12) in the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. As a result the Suns defeated the Thunder 120-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Statistics:

In the case of the two Bulls who landed in OKC at the trade deadline the statistics don’t necessarily provide a full picture.  With any team it takes time to develop chemistry on and off the court.

In Gibson’s case Billy Donovan initially chose to bring him off the bench. The reason behind this decision was unclear with several possible answers. Perhaps this was so rookie Domantas Sabonis wouldn’t suffer confidence issues. Maybe, Donovan wanted Gibson to get more time in practice with the team prior to inserting him in the starting rotation.  There is the possibility Donovan thought Gibson would offset Kanter’s defensive deficiencies by keeping him in the reserve unit. Likewise, maybe Billy D thought having two bigs whose skill set was similar (ie: both Gibson and Adams strong suit is in the paint) would hurt the spacing on the court.

Related: Your guide to the OKC Thunder’s secret weapon

Regardless of the initial reasoning after OKC suffered 4 consecutive losses in early March, Donovan moved Gibson moved to the starting rotation for the final 16 games he played in (he sat out 2). Immediately this move paid dividends with the OKC Thunder winning 11 of those contests or 68.7 percent.

In analyzing his stat totals although his numbers take a slight dip over his Bulls production it’s important to note he averaged 6 minutes less playing time per game. A quick pick at Basketball Reference offers a full picture (but, again the 6 minute differential should be considered)

That said this small block of games did showcase some obvious takeaways.

Consistency: Gibson is Mr. reliable, despite playing fewer minutes Taj posts extremely similar numbers across his stat sheet.

Assists: With the OKC Thunder needing to increase ball movement and assists should Gibson stay in OKC this area needs to improve. Again, his short run here may speak to the drop off. Taj has the ability to move the ball and could help Westbrook in this area. Partnered with one of the best passing bigs in Noah while in Chicago has taught him valuable transferable lessons. Helping Sabonis, Steven Adams,  and an already solid ball distributor in Enes Kanter should offer growth opportunities next season.

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