Tuesday Bolts – 12.15.15

Anthony Slater on Kyle Singler: “But for the Thunder, Singler’s slump is of interest long-term. He’s

locked into a deal through the 2019 season, with a team option in 2020. Singler is on the books longer than anyone else on the roster. Whether it’s as a future rotation piece or an eventual trade chip, the Thunder needs him to figure things out. This isn’t a young player without an NBA track record. This is a guy who played at a steady level for nearly three years. Then he hit his age 27 season, the start of a supposed athletic prime, and has seen his performance deteriorate.”

Liam Boylan-Pett of SB Nation: “The Thunder can’t afford to lose him for another long stretch. When he’s on the court, the Thunder’s offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) is 112.4. Their defensive rating (points given up per 100 possessions) is 98.8. Those numbers change dramatically when Durant is on the bench — the offensive rating dips to 101.9 the defensive rating rises to 101.5. The Thunder’s net rating (offensive rating minus defensive rating) drops from 13.8 to 0.4 when Durant is on the bench. (Losing Westbrook might be more troublesome for the Thunder. When he’s on the bench, the Thunder’s net rating drops from 13.5 to -7.6.)”

Reggie Jackson finally responds to Russell Westbrook saying, “Who?”: “He probably just wishes it would have ended better … people forget that there were three really great years, three and a half, really great years where the guys battled. It just wasn’t in our fortune for us to be there forever. I had to take my opportunity to try and lead a team. And I’m enjoying every moment of it.”

Hey, don’t forget that Kevin Durant has been good this year.

Zach Lowe of ESPN.com on the Mavs: “The Mavs know they have to restock. So far, they have rebuffed any informal interest in Justin Anderson, sources say, and they need to hoard their future first-round picks. They probably will. Cuban told me in August he (correctly) thinks rookie contracts, set in stone at specific dollar amounts, will look “like gold” as the cap skyrockets. Still, the downside is severe. The Dirk era will end at some point, and the Mavs haven’t prepared for it as thoroughly as one would like. But this season is another reminder that as long as Dirk and Carlisle are here, we should never underestimate Dallas. They just win.”

A character from Fargo analyzes Russell Westbrook.

Stein has OKC fourth: “The longest active win streak in the NBA suddenly belongs to OKC, with four of its five wins in a row coming since we most recently got together here. Better yet for Billy Donovan’s Thunder: They’ve allowed just 94.3 PPG on 42 percent shooting in the past 10 games, compared to 105.2 PPG on 44.1 percent shooting in the first 14 games.”

NBA.com has the same: “Though the Thunder haven’t had a consistent third scorer behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (Serge Ibaka followed 23 points against Atlanta with 15 total in a home-and-home with Utah), they’ve scored 111 points per 100 possessions on their five-game winning streak. A third guy hasn’t been all that necessary with how efficient Durant has been. He’s on Stephen Curry’s tail for the league lead in true shooting percentage.”