Tuesday Bolts – 12.16.14
Ian Levy for Vantage Sports: “Durant’s TO% is at a career-high 15.5 percent, according to Basketball-Reference. According to Vantage Stats, his 7.34 TO per 100 Touches is the fifth-highest mark in the league right now among players with at least 150 Touches. He trails only Festus Ezeli, Doug McDermott, Moe Harkless, and James Harden. The most important element of Durant’s turnovers is that more than 69 percent of them have been on passes. This is indicative of a player still somewhat out of sorts with his teammates, the speed of the game, and the fluidity of his team’s sets. For reference, in Vantage’s sample of 527 Touches for Durant last season, he averaged just 4.74 TO per 100 Touches, with 56 percent of those coming on passes. The good news is that Durant’s TO numbers this season are from only a five-game sample. It’s likely that last season’s numbers are more representative of Durant’s ball control and that eventually he’ll move in that direction. Nonetheless, while things are looking fine in the win column, Durant still has some catching up to do on the court.”
Anthony Slater on OKC’s center spot: “Facing a contract year and playing for his NBA future, Perkins came back to camp much lighter this preseason. He said he lost 22 pounds. And it seems to be paying off. After an offensive breakout in November, including an out-of-nowhere 17-point game, Perkins has been a menace on the glass this month. He has at least six rebounds in 10 straight games. And in December, Perkins is averaging a gaudy 14.2 rebounds per 36 minutes – a clip that would place him in the top-five in the NBA.”
Here’s a story about why KD has struggled. Wait, KD has struggled?
John Schuhmann of NBA.com has OKC 13th: “Just like that, the Thunder have a positive point differential and are within a half game of a playoff spot. They’re 7-1 since the return of Russell Westbrook (who has averaged 31.6 points per 36 minutes and has shown no regard for his recovering right hand), outscoring their opponents by a league-high 13.4 points per 100 possessions in that time.”
Stein has OKC 13th: “For those of you who needlessly fretted about OKC getting back into playoff position, check out the standings. After the Thunder rung up a 70-point first half in weekend wins over both Minnesota and Phoenix, KD, Russ & Co. are already even in the loss column with the reeling No. 8 Suns.”
Jon Hamm writing about the Wilson Chandler rumor for NewsOK.com: “When healthy, Chandler is a very good NBA player. But health has been an issue for him over the past few seasons. Since playing 72 games in the 2010-11 season, Chandler has missed significant chunks of each season since. A hip injury in 2012 knocked him out of the playoffs that season and required lengthy rehabilitation. He has played in every game for Denver this season, however. Chandler has been effective as both a starter and as a reserve throughout his career. He’s a career 13.7 points-per-game scorer, an effective rebounder, and solid 3-point shooter. He’s capable of defending players both big and small. That kind of versatility is craved by the Thunder. He could solidify the up-and-down production the Thunder receive from Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones.”
