2019-20 OKC Thunder Regular Season Thread

[1bigfan13]

the first team i really loved, the early to mid-90's sonics, played full court press defense! talk about gimmicky. the bulls of course were known for the triangle, a gimmicky offense. don nelson, coaching legend throughout the 80's / 90's and early 00's was the gimmick king. SSOL? gimmick. you had the loyola-esque nuggets teams with 120 pace. twin towers teams. the league was full of gimmicks and gadget teams before; less so now. teams learning that three point shots are worth more than two point shots... is that really a gimmick?

But that's actually what I enjoyed about he game back then. The variances of styles of play that you'd see from night to night. These days it seems like the bulk of the league have the same style of play.....heavy PnR with tons of 3PT bombs.

I'm that dude that still embraces and appreciates the mid-range game.

[spearsy23]

Chriss on waiver wire. I'd consider taking if they get a chance. Not sure if they can. Several guys that could be released without regret but haven't checked the money details & rules.

Please no

[jambalaya]

Thunder PFs of the future right now are Bazley and Hervey... maybe a little Nader and Muscalla....vs. Chriss, Kenrich Williams, Gary Clark... I'd be looking at reinforcements. These and others.

Chriss is not somebody I liked at all or expected better things from before this year but he showed improvement at GSW. Still below average but the Thunder's current PFs are currently much worse. Just 22.5 years old. A possibility. But unlikely.

[Old Man Game]

Did ya'all see this? It's a good piece.

Read on Twitter

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[QPR]

Did ya'all see this? It's a good piece.

Read on Twitter

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It's good but it fails to mention SGA is actually a net negative in WRVFDGTRVR when sharing the court with two lefties between minutes 35-43 of games decided by 21 points or less.

[jambalaya]

3 of 4 most used Gallinari lineups are negative. Two badly. His 3 best bigger minute lineups all have Schroder, His best pairs are with bench players.

8 of 10 of Bazley's most used pairs are non-positive (exceptions are Adams and Diallo).

8 of 10 of SGA's most used pairs are pretty meh (slightly positive to slightly negative). The exceptions are great with Schroder and good with Adams.

T-Ferg starts but his only positive pair with a starter is with Adams and then 3 bench players.

If they actually want to try to contend, they probably should change the starting lineup. Only one of the 5 most used lineups is positive and not the starters. The two best bigger minute lineups both have the 3 main guards.The four best all have Schroder / SGA.

Trade Gallinari, might not miss that much. Trade Schroder, new story.

[Dn4sty]

Read on Twitter

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[slick_watts]

the split can't be real. the thunder starters are -4.7pp100, which is the third worst lineup in the nba with over 200 minutes played. only the knicks and cavs starters are worse. they are allowing 119.4pp100, which is the worst defense of any lineup in the nba with over 100 minutes played.

take out ferguson and put schroder in, and suddenly the thunder have the best lineup in the nba, a 35pp100 swing, most of that swing on defense.

it is a bizarre split, and i think begs the question: how much are the starters underperforming and how much is the schroder starters overperforming. thunder should start schroder for ferguson for awhile to see what happens.

[Old Man Game]

Start Diallo for a bit maybe? I think the team is reticent to start the small ball 3 PG lineup because of the potential for wear and tear.

[ThunderBolt]

Could changing the lineup make Dennis value go up even more? Seems unlikely. Sam really needs to strike while the iron is hot.

[Dadouv47]

Could changing the lineup make Dennis value go up even more? Seems unlikely. Sam really needs to strike while the iron is hot.

I'm not even sure Schroeder is a positive asset..maybe slightly positive but who could use him? (meaning a team that is willing to give up some asset to get him).

[Galloisdaman]

the split can't be real. the thunder starters are -4.7pp100, which is the third worst lineup in the nba with over 200 minutes played. only the knicks and cavs starters are worse. they are allowing 119.4pp100, which is the worst defense of any lineup in the nba with over 100 minutes played.

take out ferguson and put schroder in, and suddenly the thunder have the best lineup in the nba, a 35pp100 swing, most of that swing on defense.

it is a bizarre split, and i think begs the question: how much are the starters underperforming and how much is the schroder starters overperforming. thunder should start schroder for ferguson for awhile to see what happens.

I take stats like that with a grain of salt. Often misleading based on various factors. Its like Mark Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

[jambalaya]

250 minute test of three PG lineup is a pretty good test but 500 or more would be better. 250 minutes at plus 25 - 30 is easier and more reliable to interpret as very likely truly "good" by statistics than a plus 3-5. Statistics aren't always reliable but the issue is a lot with person interpreting or throwing hands in air.

[jambalaya]

Encouraging for Patton.

Big game video highlights:

Read on Twitter

Don't want to over-react but... capabilities on display.

[Pillendreher]

the split can't be real. the thunder starters are -4.7pp100, which is the third worst lineup in the nba with over 200 minutes played. only the knicks and cavs starters are worse. they are allowing 119.4pp100, which is the worst defense of any lineup in the nba with over 100 minutes played.

take out ferguson and put schroder in, and suddenly the thunder have the best lineup in the nba, a 35pp100 swing, most of that swing on defense.

it is a bizarre split, and i think begs the question: how much are the starters underperforming and how much is the schroder starters overperforming. thunder should start schroder for ferguson for awhile to see what happens.

To be fair bizarre stuff like this isn't new. Remember last season when the starting lineup was playing defense at an historic level and then proceeded to turn into a complete pumpkin on that end for the rest of the season? Didn't make sense either.

[AirP.]

Encouraging for Patton.

Big game video highlights:

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Don't want to over-react but... capabilities on display.

He was the #16 pick in the 2017 draft for a reason but has broken his feet multiple times since then. Either he's lost his explosion with his jumping from the broken feet or he's playing more cautious(not jumping like he once did, could be a mental thing currently). He was a great upside signing but if something happens like he can't stay healthy, he's just a minimum contract guy for 2 more years.

Problem with Patton, he's still a project, the injuries have stolen development time from him but he's still only 22.

[Dadouv47]

Some updates about Adams injury?

[ThunderBolt]

Some updates about Adams injury?

Read on Twitter

[spearsy23]

Steven Adams with a leg injury in January? *shocked pikachu face *


you know how I know this year is more fun? I don't feel compelled to come on here and complain after losses. We're in a good spot relative to perception, we have a future, loses aren't stressful.

[ThunderBolt]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28482160/ten-nba-things-like-including-luka-doncic-dwight-powell-dance

Spoiler:

The notorious S.G.A. is already one of the league's shiftiest ball handlers -- a long-limbed, change-of-pace phantom who seems to move at two or three different speeds at once. Guarding him is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands.

He also is a premier bank shot artist, smooching from unconventional angles:

That is a little close to the baseline for most players to go glass. Gilgeous-Alexander has the touch to pull it off. That one hits pretty low on the backboard, but Gilgeous-Alexander will kiss the ball off the tippy-top if need be.

The straight-on banker is underused -- a tricky work of depth perception that can increase your margin for error on harried floaters. Gilgeous-Alexander has it in his bag:

Only 10 players have attempted more glassers than Gilgeous-Alexander, per Second Spectrum. (Russell Westbrook has tried by far the most -- almost double the No. 2 guy.) Coming off a ridiculous 20-20-10 game, Gilgeous-Alexander has a fringe All-Star case: 20 points, six rebounds and three assists per game, decent shooting, solid defense.

It is a hard case to parse. Each member of Oklahoma City's three-headed point guard monster has sacrificed something. Gilgeous-Alexander has stepped back into a secondary ballhandling role behind Chris Paul (probably a better All-Star candidate) and Dennis Schroder (in the running for Sixth Man of the Year). Gilgeous-Alexander has logged only 40 minutes as solo floor general -- without either Schroder or Paul.

I recently debated with a few non-Thunder executives whether Gilgeous-Alexander would grow into an All-NBA player. That they framed the question in those terms -- and not around whether Gilgeous-Alexander will make All-Star teams -- is indicative of how good he has been.