Thunderous Intentions
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Five takeaways from the Thunder’s dominant win against the Warriors

By Tony Heim

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - NOVEMBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder reacts as his team takes a commanding lead against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on November 22, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - NOVEMBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder reacts as his team takes a commanding lead against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on November 22, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – NOVEMBER 22: Patrick Patterson #54 of the OKC Thunder forces Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors to pass the ball during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on November 22, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – NOVEMBER 22: Patrick Patterson #54 of the OKC Thunder forces Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors to pass the ball during the second half of a NBA game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on November 22, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

The Thunder’s bench is one of the most unique in the league

While Oklahoma City took a step forward last night, they still have question marks with their bench. That’s because three of their five major non-starters are essentially the same player with only minor differences.

On any given night Jerami Grant, Patrick Patterson or Josh Huestis can lead the bench in minutes. If Billy wants more defense Grant gets the call. If added floor spacing is necessary Patterson is the next man up. And if it’s a little in between Huestis will see the most time. Last night was Josh Huestis’ opportunity.

The 25-year old played 18 minutes on Thanksgiving Eve, his third most of the season. While Huestis didn’t have a great shooting performance, his impact on the defensive end was immense. The third-year player has been groomed by the Thunder to guard perimeter players unlike Patterson and Grant – his switchability kept a versatile Warriors team from finding mismatches in the second-unit. Friday against the Pistons will likely be a different story though.

Five different players have led Oklahoma City’s bench in minutes the last five games. Sometimes Raymond Felton’s veteran consistency is mandatory. Other nights Alex Abrines’ shot-making is the most important asset for Billy Donovan to use. The Thunder are never going to have a set rotation, especially if Donovan continues to stretch out his starters over the full 48 minutes like he did last night.

That’s why those questions surrounding the bench actually favor OKC in the long-run. Teams can’t gameplan against an unknown second-unit. They can’t be sure that the Thunder’s most talented  bench player, Jerami Grant, is going to see 15 minutes of action. Because they have four players (yes I include Steven Adams) that can single-handedly effect games, even Donovan isn’t sure what he’s going to use any given night.

Assuming the players are comfortable being unclear with their role from night-to-night, this bodes well for the Thunder. It was clear the Warriors weren’t prepared for a Huestis-Adams frontcourt. They didn’t know how to guard a Westbrook-Roberson-Huestis-Grant-Patterson lineup.

That versatility from game-to-game is exactly what will make the Thunder dangerous moving forward.

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