OKC Thunder buyout series part 2 – Wilson Chandler is the perfect wing

Strength

Jack of all trades, master of none

Chandler is a do it all forward capable of contributing across multiple statistical categories. He is an excellent on-ball defender, quick enough to handle two’s and three’s on the perimeter while possessing enough size to body-up modern day power forwards. Chandler accepts the toughest defensive assignments every single night and does an exceptional job staying in front of many of the NBA’s elite offensive players.

Offensively, the veteran is a solid spot-up shooter and is capable of creating off the dribble if the offense stagnates. In the video below, Chandler plays strong defense on Kyrie Irving, forcing the miss before landing a 3-point bomb with less than 40 seconds to go in crunch time.

Chandler is also a steady rebounding wing who competes hard on the glass. OKC is one of the leagues elite rebounding teams and adding another rebounding wing solidifies one of their greatest strengths.

Chandler’s ability to fill a number of roles is perfect for the Thunder who leans heavily on two-way play.

Weakness

Streaky shooting

If there is one gripe with Chandler it’s his streaky shooting. While he is a reliable offensive weapon inside the arc shooting a career 496 percent from two, the veteran is prone to hot and cold stretches from beyond the arc. A career 34.3 percent shooting from range, Chandler is having a solid season shooting 39 percent on 3.3 attempts.

The 31-year-old will be primarily used a slasher or spot-up 3-point marksman similar to the way he was used with the 76ers. If he is able to continue his steady shooting from three into the playoffs, he will be a viable weapon for Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

However, his streaky shooting has stopped him from moving from a good to great two-way wing thus his consistency is the only real weakness to his game.