OKC Thunder capture seventh heaven, 3 takeaways from oust of Houston

The thirsty vet:

I want to be open minded. I truly do, but witnessing what occurs when Raymond Felton hits the court is not what we expect from a veteran point guard. Sure, there are games (particularly last season) when he was seemingly the only reserve who could hit the net. But, this a new season with a new cast of characters.

Just prior to Westbrook’s injury it became evident how improved the second unit would be in 2018-19. Moreover, as Dennis Schroder began to build a rapport with Nerlens Noel the potential was clearer.

The primary cast of reserves (with a healthy Westbrook) will feature Schroder, Noel, 3-point specialist Alex Abrines, athletic, energetic rookie Hamidou Diallo and 3 and D forward Patrick Patterson.

So, here’s my beef. As a veteran point guard Felton should be looking to run a smooth offense, distribute the ball in the pick and roll to Noel or via lobs, toss out to the perimeter to either of Abrines or Patterson and utilize Diallo’s speed or cutting. At best, Felton should be the fourth option – at least that’s my opinion.

Instead, Felton thinking he’s on par with crafty veteran point guards like Kyle Lowry or Chris Paul elects to call his own number more often than not and quite frequently puts the reserve unit in such disarray his teammates just stand watching him and waiting for the inevitable.

Usually it’s a forced drive into three of four defenders:

Notice how virtually every Rockets player is centered on Felton– because guess what — they know it too!

Or, we get the pleasure of seeing Felton’s perimeter precision:

If Felton could hit the deep ball like a Lowry or Paul I’d have no issue with this strategy. Yet, through the five games Felton has appeared in he is averaging 2.4 attempts from behind the arc per game. Want to guess what his percentage is?

Zero! – yes you read that correctly, Felton shoots zero percent from deep on his 2.4 attempts per game (0 for 12).

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Albeit, when Westbrook returns it’s a moot point since Felton will only see the court in garbage time. But, over the course of the next 13 games there should be ample time for this reserve unit to grow into something special. For that to occur however, this unit will need to run sets and utilize the core members.

Time for the talk Billy!

I implore Billy Donovan to have a sit down with Raymond because he appears to be a likable fellow who understands the game. Why not get a couple of easy assists feeding Noel lobs? Why not penetrate the paint and surprise those four collapsing opponents and get the ball out to Abrines or Patterson?

On Thursday night Felton played for 2:35 of the first half and took three of the five OKC shot attempts. In the second half he played approximately five and half minutes. Of the six shot attempts made he took half of them.

Ultimately, Felton could be a vital part of this roster. But, the very best asset he could offer his squad is to help grow the offensive chemistry of the reserves. Therefore, when the big moments loom they’ll have experience doing something other than watching him call his own number.

Here’s hoping Felton and Donovan come to the same conclusion.  Up next the Thunder take on the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday (tonight) November 10. Stick with Thunderous Intentions as the team preps you for the game and delivers post game grades and analysis.