With the season set to start soon TI previews Patrick Patterson with a view to expectations for the season.
Despite Carmelo Anthony’s addition as the starting power forward, Patrick Patterson should be primed for an excellent season. In this his first campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, we dive into his role and expectations.
In all of the chaos of the off season, the departure of Taj Gibson went under the radar. Gibson was acquired via a trade with the Bulls back in February and played the roll of a rim protector alongside the defensive-minded Steven Adams. Prior to the trade, defending in the post had been a weakness in the Thunder lineup since shipping Serge Ibaka to Orlando on draft day.
Gibson averaged 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his 25.5 minutes on the floor. Despite the defense and veteran leadership, Gibson was always deemed a short-term rental. This was cemented when Taj chose to join his former coach in Minnesota. The meant that Sam Presti was once again in search of a player of Gibson and Ibaka’s ilk.
Enter Free Agent Patrick Patterson:
Although Toronto wasn’t short-handed by any stretch, Patterson was still a part of a stellar defense that finished ranked eighth in the Association and produced the second best defense post All-Star break. Again, Dwane Casey had plenty of options in the front court, but Patterson was still a big contributor to the Raptors’ success. In fact, Casey often referred to Patterson as his sixth starter due to his contributions — particularly in clutch time.
It’s often said that some things don’t show up on the stat line. This is true of Patterson. While he averaged less than one block per game last season, his defensive prowess allowed him to alter shots. In fact, opposing players shot 6.9 percent worse than their shooting percentage when guarded by Patterson, which is first in the NBA among players who competed in at least 60 games. Let that sink in.
Patterson’s OKC Thunder role:
As long as Patterson stays healthy, his role with OKC will be much larger. Patterson is expected to match up against some of the best scoring forwards. Additionally, he should get ample scoring opportunities running with the second unit. Especially with the offense lost when Enes Kanter was shipped off to New York.
Granted, the Thunders’ roster has received a massive upgrade from last season, but the trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony won’t be on the floor for long periods of time. Westbrook and Adams have proven to be a dynamic duo when running the pick and roll together, but the same could easily be true of 2-Pat.
Patterson is seen as a role player, but as many other average players in the league have proven in the past, opportunity plays a large part in efficiency.
Donovan likely won’t be drawing up any plays for Patterson or running the offense through him. However, just by virtue of being on the court to fill the hole left by Gibson and Kanter should increase his productivity.
The addition of George and Anthony will generally lead to fewer shots for the Oklahoma City role players. But, with opponents focused on stopping the OK3, Patterson will be afforded multiple open looks. Moreover, he should be getting a good amount of rebounds and put backs.
The biggest skill Patterson brings to the offense is exactly what OKC will need — floor spacing. The defense will be unable to collapse when Westbrook drives to the hoop because Patterson is a proven shooter. Last season with the Raps, 79.9 percent of his shots were assisted on and 65.9 percent of his field goal attempts came from the perimeter.
The question mark going into the season for Patterson is health. Patterson’s nagging knee injury is something he’s been dealing with since December. After undergoing what was described as a “proactive” arthroscopic surgery, Patterson took some time off and is questionable to return for the season opener against the Knicks on Oct. 19.
Expectations:
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With the Raptors, Patrick Patterson shot 40.1 percent from the field. His 37.2 percent perimeter efficiency was above the league average. Patterson averaged four attempts from the behind the arc often in the corner.
Throughout his seven-year career, Patterson has average 7.9 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Patterson isn’t seen as the biggest addition to the Thunder roster this season. But he could be their greatest value added pickup. In an ideal world Patterson will provide consistent perimeter scoring and solid clutch time defense. Where he can add true value is versatility in his offense via the midrange and around the rim.
There is also discussion of placing Patterson at the five in small ball lineups. Coach Billy Donovan may end up in a similar situation as Casey. Specifically, Patterson’s high I.Q and solid clutch time defense make him essential at closing time. To that end, Patterson made himself essential to one of the best clutch defenses in the NBA.
The ongoing narrative is who plays the four and when. If Patterson lives up to his reputation it’s a happy dilemma for Coach Donovan.