OKC Thunder lose preseason opener, yet gain 5 valuable roster insights
Casey’s interesting choices:
The Pistons sure have altered their mind set on offense. Last season Detroit ranked 27th in 3-point attempts with 16 per game. The 37 attempted treys are a far cry from last season. Even Andre Drummond apparently was given the green light. Odd choice considering the big man’s free throw woes. Nor did Detroit reap the benefit of this strategy connecting on just nine of those 37 attempts (24.3%). By night’s end both squads scored nine 3-pointers, but the Thunder made only 20 attempts. Detroit were also abysmal from the line shooting 50 percent.
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Another strange decision by new Pistons bench boss Dwane Casey was playing Drummond so many minutes (34). The Pistons’ center delivered with a game high 31 points and 16 rebounds. Still, because OKC only played Grant in the fourth it felt unnecessary to play Dre that much.
Donovan’s starting wing remains a mystery:
It appears Patterson will likely land the starting four position, but who’ll replace Roberson until he returns from injury is still very much up in the air. Of the wing men vying for the role Abrines (16), Luwawu-Cabarrot (22), Ferguson (34) and Diallo (24) all got some run.
Each of the wings offered positive moments intermixed with individual issues whether it was inefficient shooting or problems defensively. Still, the rookie and Ferguson were part of the reserve unit who finished the game with the strong stretch. Expect Donovan to utilize the entire preseason and camp period to figure out his best options.
The other key lesson is Schroder’s quick assimilation and success on the hardwood has to bode well for his integration at clutch time when Westbrook returns. In fact, should Russ return in time to start this season Donovan may want to consider pairing him with Schroder as the starting backcourt and moving George to the small forward.
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The next game for the OKC Thunder is Friday, October 5 when they’ll face inter division rival Timberwolves in Minnesota. Game time is 7:00 p.m Central Time (8:00 p.m. ET).