Today’s In the News takes a look at the one player on the OKC Thunder bench who could make a difference in the Playoffs.
Billy Donovan’s move to rest Carmelo Anthony Saturday night was an illuminating move. For one, it shows the team doesn’t necessarily think Carmelo’s presence is required to beat a Playoff team on the road. More important was the emphasis that Patrick Patterson might be the best option at power forward for this team.
Starting Patrick Patterson must be considered
Saturday night’s outcome might not have been what we wanted, but I’d argue it was still a solid performance. The OKC Thunder defended hard during their third game four nights (which were all on the road). Corey Brewer’s first game in an OKC jersey added a new dimension to the rotation. Yet Patrick Patterson’s inclusion in the starting lineup was the big takeaway.
Oklahoma City’s starting lineup has enough offensive firepower with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Andre Roberson’s absence makes defense that much more important for this team, and when Melo can be replaced with a better defender/spot-up shooter, it only makes sense that Billy Donovan makes a permanent decision.
Maybe Melo refuses to come off the bench? That shouldn’t stop Billy D from playing Patterson with the starters more, especially in crunch-time.
"Now the Thunder has to plug defensive holes. Despite the disappointment of Saturday night, maybe more Patrick Patterson with the starters will help."
The Crossover even agrees
Would Sports Illustrated’s basketball vertical really allow a bench player to take over their Twitter account for a night? So maybe I’m being slightly sarcastic. Patterson has never been a consistent starter, but he’s heralded as one of the better glue guys in the League. And that’s why it makes sense to replace Carmelo with 2PAT.
Andre Roberson’s +/- numbers show how important a player who does the little things (i.e. make the extra pass, call out defensive assignments) is to such a talented group. OKC needs that production replaced and Patterson is the only player on the roster who can do that.
What’s up everyone! This is a Patrick Patterson @pdpatt and I will be taking over during #TheOscars2018.
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) March 5, 2018
FiveThirtyEight article confirms what we’ve all seen
Enough Patrick Patterson praise – let’s tear into NBA refs for a bit. This article from over the weekend took the player’s complaints and dove into which teams are getting shafted by the refs the most. To nobody’s surprise the OKC Thunder made the top five for the month of February.
My wonderful co-expert Tamberlyn Richardson then dove into the data that specifically pertained to Oklahoma City. What she found is a problem that has seriously effected the current Playoff seeding.
"This situation isn’t getting better overnight, but the hope was these initial meetings would help bridge the gap until things can be dealt with more formally."
Next: Thunder need to re-consider Carmelo Anthony's role
That’s it for today’s issue of Thunder in the News! We’ll be back tomorrow to get you prepared for Tuesday’s showdown against the Rockets. Make sure you’re checking Thunderous Intentions until then to catch up on all of our great content.