3 takeaways after OKC Thunder grind out win over Los Angeles Lakers

Give Noel court time

While Steven Adams is having an All-Star caliber year, the Big Kiwi is a traditional big man who struggles against athletic big men and smaller guards. Nerlens Noel possesses elite athleticism and has become one of the league’s leaders in defensive metrics.

Noel is posting five points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks this season while playing a measly 13.8 minutes per game. While he lacks an offensive post game, Noel possesses a nice push shot just outside the restricted area and has shown an improving mid-range stroke.

As it stands, Adams is 34th in the league in minutes played with 33.8 which is standard for a starting center. However, most teams do not have a quality backup center like Noel coming off its bench. The Thunder need to model Adams minutes much like Denver does with Nikola Jokic who averages 31.1 minutes per game.

Donovan needs to give Noel 15-18 minutes per game to not only maximize his talent but also to save mileage on Adams’ legs.

Abdel “the Termi-Nader”

One of the pleasant surprises of the past week has been the play of Egyptian forward Abdel Nader. After being acquired from Boston this offseason, Nader was viewed as a 14th or 15th man but has forced his way into the rotation thanks to his ability to perform a number of roles.

He kept up his form yesterday against the Lakers, scoring 10 points on 4-6 shooting, 2-3 from three and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action.

With the game still in the balance, Donovan elected to play TFerg over Nader for defensive purposes but Nader has proven to be a steady defender while possessing the ability to knock down shots.

Fans will be keeping a close eye on the rotations moving forward as both Nader and Noel have shown they deserve more court time. Donovan just needs to trust them.