2 Thunder players who deserve more playing time, and who needs to play less

With his playoff debut on the horizon, Oklahoma City Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault is going to have a lot on his plate. The regular season gives a coach plenty of time to experiment. It gives teams the opportunity to juggle many different goals, whether that’s developing young talent or working out unfamiliar tactics.

The interminable 82 games means that the Thunder can afford to give Ousmane Dieng some time to cultivate a more aggressive style of play. They can forgive Vasilije Micic for his subpar three-point shooting, in hopes that more reps will find that number rising. They can let Isaiah Joe put the ball on the floor, broadening his skillset beyond just shooting.

The playoffs demand a tighter focus

That sort of thinking is fine for the regular season, but the do-or-die nature of the playoffs removes any of these extra objectives. All that teams need to focus on is winning the next game. Coaches will usually trim their ten-man rotation down to a punchier eight. Which brings me to Oklahoma City, a team that has an enviable amount of depth on the roster. 

As we approach the home stretch of the season, the Thunder have their last chance to tweak lineups. A last chance to find out who from their arsenal needs more time to shine and who needs to take a backseat.

Here are my thoughts on how the minutes allotment should shift as the Thunder prepares for the playoffs. I’ll start with the negative side.