OKC Thunder must shift Carmelo Anthony back to Small Forward

As we head toward the playoffs, the OKC Thunder need a change. A good start is shifting Carmelo Anthony back to Small Forward.

Since the All Star break, the OKC Thunder are 3-1. Around the league lies wide spread panic within the chasing pack of the Western Conference. Eight teams are vying for the final six spots in the Western Conference.

As it currently stands, Oklahoma City sit in 7th position with seeds three to 10 separated by just five games. The Denver Nuggets stand to be the biggest losers.

Denver have lost two straight and have 13 of their final 21 games on the road where they possess a 9-19 away record on the season. They are in far worse shape than OKC is at the minute so Thunder fans really need not worry.

However, to ease the consciousness of an uneasy Oklahoma City fanbase Billy Donovan needs to give up on playing Carmelo Anthony at the four full time.

Since Andre Roberson‘s injury, the Thunder have conceded 107.4 in its last 13 games (21st) and Donovan has failed royally to find a defensive presence to help offset Dre’s contributions.

Shifting Anthony to Small Forward is a good place to start.

Melo has been mediocre all season long, especially porous on the defensive end. He is a slow, non-athletic forward that lumbers to spots on the floor. Melo tends to guard fresh air, fails to attack the glass with regularity and helps half-heartedly from the weak side. Anthony is horrible on defense and is simply an aged NBA player nowadays. He needs help and Donovan needs to alter his rotations to hide Melo’s defensive (or lack thereof) abilities.

Start Patrick Patterson

Inserting Patrick Patterson into the starting unit is an intelligent move. I have heard and read Oklahoma City fans disdain for Pats performances this year. However, I challenge just how much these fans know about his game.

2-Pat is a tremendous system player, adept in pick and roll assignments and strong in one on one coverages. Most importantly, he displays terrific help defensive tendencies. With the Toronto Raptors, Patterson played with a defensive sieze in big man Jonas Valanciunas. Like Melo, Valanciunas was frequently found in defensive purgatory, guarding nothing but open space. Patterson covered for Valenciunas via his communication and ability to help. Anthony needs help and a tonne of it at that.

Before you shake your head, take a look at this play which saved the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in December.

On the final possession, the 76ers ran a screen play involving Joel Embiid and J.J Reddick. After recognising Dre was beaten on the pick, Patterson repositions himself to block Reddicks potential game winning three point attempt.

Patterson has played 30 minutes or more in one game this season. This came in the 125-105 win against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle in February. Anthony went down early with an ankle injury and wouldn’t return.

The result? 2-Pat finished with 4 points (1-6 from the field, 0-3 from three, 2-2 feet throws), 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a +12 rating.

Zaza’s Kodak moment

Remember this?

Pat attacked the glass and secured the offensive rebound for Paul George’s poster. To add more weight to Patterson’s toughness, he also took an inexplicable elbow from veteran David West early in the game.

These are the type of plays that go unnoticed. It took a serious injury to Roberson for Oklahoma City fans to truly appreciate what they have. Like Dre, Pat stands to cop unwarranted criticism because fans rely on box scores and are enamoured by huge numbers. If Pat starts alongside Steven Adams, that is a formidable front court who don’t demand the ball and scrap for every possession. Oklahoma City have three prima donnas on its roster. Having two blue collar players to complement them is smart.

Additionally, Pat is a 36.7 percent shooter from deep. OKC struggle to shoot the three and having Patterson spreads the floor even more for Russ to drive. I would rather have Pat taking five threes a game as oppose to Russell Westbrook jacking up the long ball.

Honorary Mention: Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant has been impressive for Oklahoma City this season. His statistics are in line with his career numbers but its the small things such as rolling to the hoop and knowing his spots is most encouraging. Grant is an athletic small forward playing more of a power forward role and he’s made every post a winner.

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My reservation with Grant is his size. At 6’9, 220 pounds, he is wiry in build and struggles to keep bigger guys off the glass. One on one, Grant struggles on the block and offers little resistance to the hoop. However, his athletic ability is off the charts.

Grants ability to jump and come across from eh weak side to block shots is one of his strengths. He is a terrific help defender and offers an secondary defense line. Opposing offences struggle to shoot over him making Grant a difficult task even if they beat the first line of defense.

However, Grant doesn’t shoot the three particularly well. He is shooting just 25.9 percent from deep and struggles from the midrange. On the flipside, he is shooting a solid 51.3 percent from the field and is a lock with a clear lane to the bucket.

Final Thoughts

The stretch run is purely on Donovan. He has shown flashes of being a good coach but what separates him from being a great coach is his unwillingness to really coach the players. A change has been needed for quite some time. Anthony has brushed off a move to the second unit so I concede that is unlikely to happen.

BUT….

If Oklahoma City are going to make some noise in the playoffs, he needs to change his line-up. A slight change will do a world of difference. Games are won by those who do the dirty work, the unsung heroes. Stars can only take you so far but its the role players who get you home.

Next: OKC mop up sloppy first half in Phoenix - Grades

This renders true in this situation but its also on Donovan to get it done.