Next man up: 5 OKC Thunder players that can benefit from Hamidou Diallo’s absence

Abdel Nader:

The most likely player to get the majority of Diallo’s minutes is Abdel Nader. Since Nader joined the Thunder his teammates and the coach have waxed poetic about his shooting prowess.

Last year prior to the season starting Paul George spoke about what an asset Nader was to the team pointing to his shooting ability. George felt Nader would help Russell Westbrook and himself because he would spread the floor giving the superstars more room to function.

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In the same preseason post practice video (posted above) Billy Donovan discussed the assets of Nader and specifically said:

“He’s a good offensive player. He can shoot, he can put the ball on the floor he’s a physical driver. He plays really hard and he’s a very aggressive player which I really like.” – Donovan on Nader fall 2018

Funny how a year can bring about so much change. George and Westbrook are gone, and so too is the original stance Donovan had on Nader. As per Brady Trantam’s tweet, the coach’s stance is distinctly different a little over one year later.

Perhaps a year ago Donovan was saying Nader was a very aggressive player with the knowledge he wouldn’t get much playing time and the coach wanted to instill the youngster with confidence. Regardless, Billy D is now saying Nader isn’t consistently aggressive and cites that and his decision making (read: basketball I.Q) as his issues.

Admittedly, I fall on the side of the fan base who aren’t supporting his extra playing time. It seems like Nader has remained on the team with the franchise benefiting from his economical contract while retaining a player who (at least in practice) has perimeter prowess.

Clearly, Nader hasn’t been able to sustain that ability or transfer it to game situations (until the Blazers game). To wit, in his limited appearances this season he is shooting far below the level the team would benefit by having him on the floor (27.8 percent from deep).

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Generated 11/26/2019.

Granted, it’s a small sample size yet he needs to be ready to seize the opportunities provided and unfortunately, prior to the Blazers game, Nader looked like a deer caught in headlights when he was afforded minutes.  His confidence appeared to be shot and the most concerning fact – his ‘specialty’ has regressed in each of his three pro seasons.

Since beginning this article the Portland game occurred with Nader exploding for a career-high 23 points. Given how few minutes the wing was getting that one outing affected his stats to the point it raised his per game total to 5.9 points per game and his 3-point efficiency to 36.4 percent based on Nader hitting three of his four attempts.

Looking back over his three seasons in the league the issue is Nader delivering these types of efforts on a consistent basis. In his first pro season with Boston, he scored in double digits three times in his 48 appearances with two occurring in consecutive games.

His first season in OKC he registered nine such efforts in his 61 appearances doing it in consecutive games once. This season he’s appeared in 10 games and the Blazers match was his first double-figure effort.

Arguably the greatest issue is he’s an albatross on defense and his playmaking is virtually nonexistent. The Blazers game serves as a harbinger for his potential. The question is how much patience is Donovan willing to exercise? Odds are he’ll be on a short leash with his destiny in his own hands. If he doesn’t overcome the demons of self confidence and consistency there are others lined up ready (and willing) to take advantage of the opportunity.

To that end —–