Thursday Bolts – 1.15.15
Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM: “If Harden had stayed in Oklahoma City, he probably wouldn’t even be an All-Star, much less a first-team All-NBA guy. His numbers wouldn’t compare to shooting guards like Klay Thompson and Monta Ellis who would have bigger roles on elite teams. Harden averaged 11.6 FGA’s in his final season with the Thunder in comparison to 18.5 this season. If he were getting more shots with the Thunder, it would have come at the expense of Westbrook and Durant. Long story short – he wasn’t getting more shots. If anything, Harden needed to play a smaller role. Kevin Durant would never have won the MVP if the Thunder’s 6th man was still dominating the ball in the fourth quarter. Without Harden, Durant was forced to expand his game and become more of a playmaker, instead of focusing purely on scoring and letting his guards distribute the ball. In Harden’s last season in Oklahoma City, Durant averaged 3.3 assists a game. He averaged 4.2 assists a game the next season and 5.1 the year after, when he won the MVP.”
Jenni Carlson on Perk: “But prime among the problems plaguing the Thunder is defense. Not staying in front of opponents. Not defending the rim. As a result, the Thunder isn’t getting out in transition, scoring easy baskets or taking advantage of its athletic prowess. And not getting those easy transition baskets is compounding this team’s offensive woes, putting even more pressure on its half-court sets, fueling even more frustration. Which brings us to Perk. The Thunder plays better defense when Perk is on the floor — that’s just not hyperbole; that’s factual — and not surprisingly, the Thunder also wins more games with him on the floor. This is going to blow the minds of some of the Perk detractors out there, but the numbers don’t lie.”
(It is true. The Thunder are better statistically on defense with Perk on the floor — 100.6 defensive rating on, 101.1 off. So basically the same.)
Brook Lopez is still available.
Darnell Mayberry on Dion Waiters: “Despite becoming the fourth player the Thunder has turned to in an attempt to provide the scoring and playmaking that Harden once brought off the bench, Waiters is in no way a Harden clone. Fortunately for Waiters, like Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Kevin Martin before him, the Thunder isn’t asking him to be. The reality is the Thunder is still in the process of determining what Waiters’ role will be. But his third game in a Thunder uniform, a meeting with old No. 13 on Thursday night in Houston, offers another peek into exactly what Waiters will bring.”
I just really enjoyed this one.
Andrew Sharp of Grantland on Reggie Jackson: “Imagine an associate lawyer who works for a partner who’s a few years older and has the exact same specialties, only the partner is paid more and gets more opportunities to shine. The associate has a role drafting briefs and doing research, but never leads the closing arguments. Doesn’t the associate dream of leaving? Now imagine the associate is stuck there for a certain amount of time, with no clear exit strategy. Isn’t it possible they would get insecure and start butting heads with coworkers? Overcompensating one day, checking out the next? That’s what’s happening with Reggie Jackson as he sits behind Russell Westbrook. Fans and media are turning on him, teammates are getting tired of him, and he’s overcompensating for his insecurities by pressing even more. This situation is bringing out the worst in everyone.”
