Thursday Bolts – 10.15.15
Paul Flannery of SB Nation: “Let me stipulate that I’ve been very wrong about Oklahoma City for
the last few years. I had them winning everything last season and while you can’t account for injuries, a few of their weaknesses were revealed. They haven’t adequately replaced Thabo Sefolosha’s 3-and-D game from the wing, and their development record has been spotty the past few seasons. I didn’t understand the moves (reaches, really) for Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter. The Billy Donovan hiring is a boom or bust decision that may work out well in the long-term, but it’s an odd time time to experiment with the most tenuous season in franchise history. Long story short, I have my doubts about this team. I get the sense that you are far more sold on OKC than I am.”
Anthony Slater on Dion Waiters: “The 23-year-old is entering a contract season just as the market is set to flood with money. The immediate thought is that Waiters will be after his this season – shots, points, minutes and eventually dollars. But the reverse may also be true. There’s a chance Waiters realizes the best way to improve his reputation around the league is to prove he can fit into a winning environment, to improve his efficiency, to accept the fact he’ll likely never be a star but can still play a significant role.”
On Billy Donovan’s defensive plan.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation: “Waiters can’t shoot and Walker can’t shoot and that matters. Walker is a below-average starting NBA point guard, and he might be a below-average NBA player period. Waiters is a laughably below-average starting NBA two-guard, and he is almost assuredly a below-average NBA player. He might be one of the worst NBA players on a guaranteed contract.”
Kevin Durant is already getting tired of being asked how he feels.
Dan Devine of BDL: “At the risk of being numbingly obvious, it mostly comes down to the Thunder getting their three best players on the floor together as often as possible. Lineups featuring Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka blew opponents away by 11.4 points per 100 possessions in just over 600 minutes last year; by 7.4 points-per-100 in 1,200 minutes two years ago; by 11.4 points-per-100 in nearly 2,200 minutes three years ago; and by 7.3 points-per-100 in nearly 1,700 minutes four years ago, all elite marks. Get them to springtime safely and the only thing glaring will be the lights ABC uses during Finals broadcasts.”
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider: “As you can see, 3-point rates are surprisingly sticky whether it’s October or January. Given the historical trends of 3-point rates in preseason and regular season, we’d expect the average team to shoot 26.1 3-point attempts per game in the upcoming regular season. In fact, at this rate, we’ll witness the biggest growth in annual 3-point volume since the league moved the line back in 1994-95. The typical season sees about four percent growth in 3-pointers from the season prior. This season, we’re looking at quadruple that with a 16 percent increase.”
