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

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the OKC Thunder looks on during the national anthem against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 30, 2019 (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the OKC Thunder looks on during the national anthem against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 30, 2019 (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Deonte Burton #30 of the Oklahoma City Thunder (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Deonte Burton:

.Frequent visitors to T.I. know I’ve been driving this bandwagon forever. And although Deonte Burton is still raw and will make mistakes unlike Nader he’s not a player who’ll suffer from bouts of insecurity. Albeit, he’s not known as a 3-point shooter but he’ll pull out the Swiss Army knife and do enough all over the court to make his increased playing time worthwhile.

If you caught the Warriors game notably after Burton appeared to get confused on the defensive end leading to a mistake (and score) Chris Paul pulled him over and the look on Burton’s face was priceless. He was so dialed in to every word CP3 was saying, he soaked it up like a sponge. The next play out he was pivotal to helping force a turnover based on his help defense.

Per Game Table
Season G MP FGA FG% 3PA 3P% 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% DRB TRB AST STL PTS
2018-19 32 7.5 2.6 .402 0.8 .296 1.7 .455 .451 0.3 0.4 .667 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.2 2.6
2019-20 8 7.5 2.9 .435 1.6 .385 1.3 .500 .543 0.0 0.0 1.3 1.4 0.1 0.1 3.1
Career 40 7.5 2.6 .410 1.0 .325 1.6 .462 .471 0.2 0.3 .667 0.9 1.0 0.3 0.2 2.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/26/2019.

Comparing Nader and Burton offers additional insights:

Per Game Table
Rk Player G MP FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2PA 2P% eFG% ORB DRB TRB PTS
1 Deonte Burton 8 7.5 2.9 .435 0.6 1.6 .385 1.3 .500 .543 0.1 1.3 1.4 3.1
2 Abdel Nader 9 12.6 3.7 .364 0.6 2.0 .278 1.7 .467 .439 0.3 1.4 1.8 4.0

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/26/2019.

Firstly, although Nader is cited as the 3-point specialist it is Burton who is shooting with higher efficiency. And while Burton still has work to do he typically won’t force shots (Warriors back to back triples are the exception rather than the rule). Most notably Deonte has averaged five fewer minutes than Nader but his numbers are similar and his shooting efficiency is markedly better.

And while his brief appearances with the varsity squad might offer some hesitation he has demonstrated consistency with the OKC Blue. He played in a single game this season but note his 2.2 steals and 1.0 block per game last year. With increased time on the varsity squad, there is a reason to believe Burton could transfer those skills to the Thunder.

Per Game Table
Season G MP FGA FG% 3PA 3P% 2P% FTA FT% DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS
2018-19 24 29.3 12.6 .452 4.2 .300 .527 4.7 .750 3.8 4.8 3.3 2.2 1.0 16.2
2019-20 1 29.0 15.0 .400 5.0 .400 .400 1.0 1.000 4.0 6.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 16.0
Career 25 29.3 12.7 .450 4.2 .305 .521 4.5 .752 3.8 4.8 3.2 2.1 0.9 16.2

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/26/2019.

As noted above Burton is still raw and will make mistakes. In the case of Burton versus Nader, the question is does Donovan want a player on the court who is inconsistent and suffers from confidence issues and whose mistakes will affect the bottom line? Or does he want a player who isn’t afraid to be a producer but equally comfortable fitting in however he can to improve the performance of the unit on the floor?

In this narrator’s humble opinion the choice is obvious. Then again, the keys to the bandwagon are still in my hand!

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