OKC Thunder take down Cleveland to claim fourth seed – 3 takeaways
Depth is as important as talent:
Take one scan around the league and its clear depth is more important in this era of the NBA than it’s ever been. Teams like the Rockets, Spurs, Jazz and Pelicans early issues serves to prove this point.
Given Westbrook has missed 40 percent of the first 20 games (8 games) speaks to the Thunder depth. In spite of the search to find the right starting wing to fit with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Jerami Grant and Steven Adams the fact there are options again showcases how different the 2018-19 squad is.
In a debate with the BBoyz, we tossed around who that person should be assuming everyone was healthy. There is a solid argument to utilize each of the options whether it’s Alex Abrines to spread the court, Hamidou Diallo to offer athleticism and help him gain experience, Terrance Ferguson for his defense or Deonte Burton with his old school game.
*orders custom Deonte Burton jersey pic.twitter.com/WaQOQ3a4aQ
— Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) November 29, 2018
Burton sure feels like a bonus who’ll find his way into a full time contract either this season or next. Notably, in 16 minutes Burton scored eight points on 50 percent shooting both from the field (3-6) and perimeter (1-2) added two rebounds and was a team high plus +22. Shout out to the Twitter Thunder fan who asked me “what game?” when I earmarked Burton’s game being one I liked. In fairness, no one had seen much of him at that point and because TI watches film of all the players I had an advantage. Now that they’ve witnessed more of the youngster I’m sure his fan base is growing.
The other humorous part of this equation is by the time the Thunder finally figure out who should be starting it will probably coincide with the moment Andre Roberson is ready to return.
Still, it’s not a terrible problem to have, especially since the Thunder are winning. Sure, we’d love to see more shooting particularly from the perimeter. That said, the fact these young guys are getting the opportunity to play, grow and get experience in critical situations will pay major dividends later this season.