Game Preview: How OKC Thunder can execute an effortless win over Cleveland

Knowing your role:

OKC Thunder has had an ever-evolving starting lineup this season, with multiple injuries, circumstances, and illness that have threatened the consistency and chemistry of the team. With the changing rotations, the players have to be prepared to assume the day-to-day roles they’re called to do.

With the exception of Dennis Schroder, Donovan has rotated through three shooters in the starting lineup that may not have been prepared for that role. Ferguson had obvious confidence issues at the beginning of the season with his start at shooting guard. More recently, Hamidou Diallo suffered in his start with Ferguson out, contributing only one point in his first start with the franchise (though he did end the night +7). Even more recently, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot put up three points in his first start with the team, ending the night -10 on the court.

The talent is there despite the concerning statistics, the problem is utilizing the talents under the right circumstances, and players being ready to assume higher pressured roles than they may be used to this season. Facing Cleveland will be a vital time for players to become comfortable with the evolving roles for the bench and starting lineup, with a low stakes game.

Bench contributions:

It has been a whiplash of a season with regards to bench players. We’ve seen high nights, with the bench contributing almost half of the overall points. Then, we’ve seen nights where the bench contributes 30 percent of the overall points. Specifically, Saturday night.

Focusing solely on the box score, three bench players made an impact on the score. Take away the consistent double-digit scoring of Dennis Schroder, and the bench put up a whopping 12 points on the night. Along with his 18 points, Schroder was the only bench player to positively impact the gameplay, +4.

It’s a situation that was bound to happen with Abrines not being up to par post-illness and Ferguson and Diallo injured. It was imminent that the bench would crack under the pressure.  Preparing to face Cleveland, this has to be addressed.

Whether the issue is rotations, preparation, or just an off-night shooting, this game with Cleveland needs to be a seemingly effortless win. That’s not going to happen with 11-of-27 shooting from the bench.

Especially, if Westbrook has another 7-of-35 night.

Defensive impact:

The Cleveland Cavaliers rank third in the league in offensive rebounds, 31.3 percent. They also rank just below OKC in overall rebound percentage with 51.2 percent compared to our 51.8 percent. Blocking out on the baseline, and corralling rebounds will be an area the Thunder need to focus on when preparing for tonight’s game.

Second chance points can be a game-changer, especially if OKC is not back up to standard on offense by tonight. When the offense isn’t rolling, cutting back on second-chance opportunities keeps the possibility of a Cleveland offensive run at bay. We’ve all seen how inconsistent OKC’s shooting can be, even when playing teams that don’t offer too much threat.

The Cavs also rank No. 10 in the league for turnover percentage at 14.9. Defensive pressure will be our saving grace in light of our recent offensive struggles.