Week in Review: Let’s talk about defense again

After allowing 122 points to the New York Knicks (albeit in overtime), the Thunder turned around and let the Minnesota Timberwolves carve the Thunder’s defense to the tune of 123 points. While the defense was better against the Rockets, and almost good against the Wizards, it’s hard to ignore the ongoing trend of poor defensive effort.

Last week I asked “what” was to blame for the bad defense. This week I ask, “who” is to blame.

When it comes to bad defense, Enes Kanter gets the brunt of criticism for his awful defense. And yes, if you watch Enes Kanter play defense, you’ll see a guy who’s obviously trying, but just can’t seem to find himself in the right positions and can’t seem to defend shots at the rim without fouling. But is it all his fault?

To answer this question, I looked at the Thunder’s performance when Kanter is on the court versus when he is on the bench. The clearest indicator of Kanter’s poor defense is that the team gives up 1.095 points per possession when he is on the court–the worst mark among the Thunder bigs. Compare that to defensive stalwarts like Steven Adams (0.993) and Serge Ibaka (1.034), and it’s evident that Kanter does not make a positive difference on defense. Moreover, when Kanter takes a seat on the bench, the Thunder’s defensive rating improves (opponent PPP drops to 1.031).

Kanter’s biggest issue is that he is absolutely no help on dribble penetration. As I said, Kanter has a penchant for fouling rather than defending on shots at the rim, but he’s also no threat to block, which has led to opponents shooting 60% on shots within 3 feet (compared to the 56% when he is on the bench). Pairing Kanter with Ibaka doesn’t even help, and shockingly, it’s much worse. In 384 minutes, the Kanter-Ibaka pairing gives up 1.118 opponent points per possession, which is a very high, very bad number.

All these numbers confirm that Kanter is a defensive liability, even despite more effort this season on the defensive end.

But I firmly believe that defense is a team issue, and a single poor defender can’t be blamed for systemic defensive woes like giving up 123 points to the Timberwolves. Plus, Kanter is such an offensive threat, that it would be a waste to leave him permanently affixed to the pine.

Here’s where the onus is on the coaching staff. I’ve said this before, but there are only a few players in the league that are a net positive in any situation (guys like Kevin Durant). Everyone else has to be used situationally to some degree. Kanter is no different. In the same vein, who you pair with Kanter makes a big difference as well (or almost anyone for that matter)–as evidenced by the poor defensive numbers when Kanter and Ibaka share the court. It’s an issue that Billy Donovan seems to recognize, as he’s been tinkering with Kanter-Adams pairings, which have had a ton of success in limited minutes (opponent PPP of 1.022 in 44 minutes).

So, for those who have pitchforks in hand concerning Kanter’s defense, your concerns are not unmerited.  That being said, Kanter isn’t unplayable, and with a little coaching and the right lineups, Kanter could deserve the honors that Russell Westbrook has already bestowed upon him: an unquestioned candidate for sixth man of the year.

THE GAMES

• Win at the New York Knicks on January 26, 128-122 (OT)
• Win at the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 27, 126-123
• Win vs. the Houston Rockets on January 29, 116-108
• Win vs. the Washington Wizards on February 1, 114-98

THE BEST PLAYER

Kevin Durant. After a mini-slump of shorts, Durant returned to form last week. Over the last four games, Durant averaged a double-double–33 points and 11 rebounds, and added 4 assists. He also posted ho-hum shooting splits of 51/41/91 (sarcasm alert; not ho hum!).

Honorable mention: Russell Westbrook. Four double-doubles and two straight triple-doubles is pretty solid work. Not to mention, Westbrook shot the ball well (52% form the field and 36% from three) and piled up assists (12.5 per game). Westbrook’s otherwise unblemished record is diminished by a higher-than-you-want average of 5.5 turnovers per game; Dion Waiters. In four games as a starter (replacing the injured Andre Roberson), Waiters was actually kind of good. 13.5 points per game on 48/53/100 shooting splits (60% TS%), with few bonehead plays (just 1 turnover per game).

THE WORST PLAYER

Enes Kanter. Let’s be frank, the Thunder went 4-0, and while the defense was on the wrong side of atrocious against the Knicks and Timberwolves, the team overall played well and no single player looked “worst player” worthy. But someone has to be named, and Kanter gets the dubious honor. In fairness, Kanter played like Kanter, posting solid offensive numbers (15 points and 8 rebounds per game), but he was a part of some of the worst defensive lineups which contributed to him having the worst (along with Anthony Morrow) net rating on the team (-1.7). In fact, only Kanter and Morrow had a negative net rating over the last four games.

THE BEST PERFORMANCE

Kevin Durant against the New York Knicks. In a game where the Thunder were simply trying to outscore the Knicks, Durant did a lot of scoring, racking up 44 points. Durant also got to the free-throw line in bulk, attempting 18 free throws (his highest total this season). I know Durant often focuses on making “smart” basketball players and getting teammates involved, but it sure is fun to watch Durant really assert himself and try to light up the scoreboard.

THE WORST PERFORMANCE

Serge Ibaka against the Houston Rockets. Due to foul trouble, Ibaka played just 27 minutes against the Rockets. In those 27 minutes, Ibaka did little, scoring just 2 points on 1-7 shooting, and grabbing just 2 rebounds. When he wasn’t fouling shooters, he did manage to block 2 shots, so, there’s that.

THE BEST PLAY

Russell Westbrook chases down James Harden. After turning the ball over, Westbrook runs down Harden and leaps about 37 feet into the air to block Harden’s layup on the break. The most impressive is the (fortunate) impeccable timing. If Westbrook arrives just a fraction of a second later, that ball hits the backboard and it’s a goal tend not a block.

THE WORST PLAY

Dion Waiters leaves Kevin Durant out to dry. On a 2 on 3 break (the Thunder being the 2), Waiters still tries to lob an alley oop to Durant. It’s one of those plays that as you watch it unfold on your TV, you just know Waiters is going to screw it up.

WEEK IN PREVIEW

• Vs. the Orlando Magic on February 3, 2016 at 7:00 pm (FSOK)
  Prediction: The last time the Thunder played the Magic, it was a two-overtime thriller.  This one goes down to the wire again, but the Thunder win in regulation.
• At the Golden State Warriors on February 6, 2016 at 8:00 pm (ESPN)
  Prediction: In the biggest game of the year to date, Oklahoma City gets to measure itself against the league’s best team. But the Thunder fall short and lose by 11 in Oakland.
• At the Phoenix Suns on February 8, 2016 at 8:00 pm (FSOK)
  Prediction: The Thunder suffer little hangover from the loss to the Warriors and cruise to victory in Phoenix.