Early season report card: Billy Donovan is on thin ice
Review of 2018-19 to date:
Looking at his entire body of work, Donovan hasn’t proven to get consistently good performances from his team. Consistency is one of the themes for the franchise over the years, as it lives and dies by the double-edged sword.
After their 118-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now 8-5. Which #ThunderUp players have done the most (or least) with their minutes during the 2018-19 season? pic.twitter.com/gruHimATf0
— NBA Math (@NBA_Math) November 13, 2018
Again, a lot of the team’s misfortune might have happened regardless of who was holding the clipboard. Roster turnover and injuries had a lot to do with the team’s recent failures. The key here is what he’s able to do with the player’s he’s been given. But even if Sam Presti cut Donovan some slack in the past, it’s time to reconsider how much value he brings to the table.
The season began with a close loss to the Warriors in a game in which poor free throw shooting arguably cost the Thunder a win. Game two is when Donovan began to show signs of weakness, as the Clippers outscored the Thunder 37-15 in the fourth quarter to escape with the win. OKC went on to lose a winnable game against the Kings and was clearly out-coached by Brad Stevens in the final minutes of the loss to the Celtics.
To Donovan’s credit, the team managed to turn things around and win seven consecutive games, including three out of the last four without Westbrook. Those games are a good example of what the team is capable of when things are going well. But as Thunder fans know well, all good things come to an end. And in OKC, they tend to come to an abrupt halt.