Oklahoma City Thunder 1. Roster / depth chartHead Coach: Mike Brown
PG: Derrick Rose, Eric Maynor, Dennis Schroeder
SG: Iman Shumpert, Ben Gordon, Marco Belinelli, Ben McLemore
SF: [Iman Shumpert], Chase Budinger, Landry Fields
PF: Taj Gibson, Udonis Haslem, Patrick Patterson
C: Dwight Howard, Ian Mahinmi
As a general rule, I don’t expect rookies to make major contributions to the success of an erstwhile playoff team, although any strides McLemore or Schroeder might make towards meaningful minutes during the course of the season would certainly be welcome. The smooth and athletic McLemore, in particular, could potentially grow into a terrific complement to Rose as a shooting/slashing wing.
I also do not expect big things from either Fields or Patterson this season, although I will try to work them in whenever possible to decrease the minutes load on the rotation players.
This leaves a core ten-man rotation of:
PG: Rose/Maynor
Obviously, the success of the team hinges greatly on Rose’s return to the ranks of the NBA’s elite PGs. I won’t waste time or effort arguing he will (just as critics shouldn’t bother saying he won’t), as the proof remains to be seen this coming season.
I view Maynor as a capable and versatile understudy, as he demonstrated last season by playing SG for an undermanned Blazer team after a mid-season trade from OKC.
SG: Shumpert/Gordon/Belinelli
SF: Shumpert/Budinger
I’m combining comments on the wings here, as Shumpert is going to see time at both slots. His defense makes for a terrific backcourt combination with Rose, and Shump demonstrated in the playoffs last season that he’s capable of guarding bigger SFs. We’ll wield his versatility to the greatest effect against opposing wings.
When more offensive firepower is required, Ben Gordon steps in at SG. His ability to attack the hoop and score, combined with the threat of his outside shooting (career 40% from 3-point land), provide a key dynamic to the offense when a different look is needed.
Remaining rotation minutes at SG/SF will be covered by Belinelli, another shooting guard with range (career 38+% from deep) who can run an offense in a pinch (making him a nice complement to Maynor, I think), and Budinger, whose BBIQ and efficiency despite low usage make him a great glue guy on both sides of the ball.
Landry Fields will see emergency/spot/garbage minutes, unless he does manage to successfully reconstruct his jumper and return to the form he displayed during his rookie season.
PF: Gibson/Haslem
Rather than pursue frontcourt scorers to pair with Howard, I instead wanted to double down on defense and physical play: Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls have famously relied on Gibson over Boozer to close out games, and Haslem has made a ten-year career out of chippy, hard-nosed play around the boards. Critics will likely raise concerns about a lack of spacing, which I am forced to concede in Gibson’s case; however, Haslem has exhibited a decent mid-range jumper, shooting at around 40% or better on attempts 16 feet and beyond for several seasons running. It’s also possible that Haslem may start over Gibson on some nights to help set the tone.
I’m not banking on major contributions from Patrick Patterson, but he may see 10-15 minutes a night, depending on the situation (such as the tail end of back-to-backs, or third games in four nights). I don’t expect him to join the playoff rotation, unless he takes a major leap forward this season.
C: Howard/Mahinmi
Just as with Derrick Rose, the team’s success will be predicated in large part upon Dwight Howard’s ability to physically overmatch his opposing number at C. He’s one of the most productive big men in the NBA in the pick-and-roll, and he’s a perennial candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Ian Mahinmi is an up-and-coming big man who can be relied upon for 15 minutes a night when his number is called.
2. Statistics"To me, all the intangible, subjective things you can't measure . . . are more important than the things you can." Brad Stevens,
Sports Illustrated, August 26, 2013
3. Pictures4. Statement regarding drafting philosophy (building for the future, contending now, etc.)I took over drafting duties midway through the ninth round (Jordan Hill was technically my first selection at 9.21). Coupled with picks acquired through trade, my later round selections targeted defenders, glue guys or low-usage role players with NBA experience as complementary pieces next to Rose and Howard (Budinger, Haslem, Mahinmi, Belinelli, Maynor, Fields), or players I thought had considerable upside/value as potential trade chips (McLemore, Schroeder).
5. Toughest decisionI knew when I inherited the team that I'd probably have to trade Jeff Green to strengthen the roster as a whole. [I did not expect finding a replacement SF would be so difficult.] Parting with Rubio was not part of the initial plan, but I felt that Rose offered more on both sides of the ball.
6. Best move (trade, pick, etc.) / worst moveSure, the Rose acquisition was important, as it gave me a second franchise-level talent in the starting lineup. But just as important, in my estimation, was trading Mario Chalmers and Kyle Korver, two players I’d inherited, for Taj Gibson and the 10.1 (which I used to select Marco Belinelli). At that point in this exercise, my starting PF was either Jordan Hill or Patrick Patterson; Taj gave me a legit starter whose defensive acumen makes, I believe, for a better complement to Howard.
However, I was disappointed I couldn’t land a third star to go with Rose and Howard, despite much effort. Lots of trade offers for Shump, Buds, and Taj, but nothing that would have constituted an overall upgrade to my starting unit. Still, I do think about how much this roster could have improved with one more trade.
7. Your outlook for this coming seasonWe’ve hitched our wagons to two individual superstars coming off of disappointing seasons largely lost to injury, and surrounded them with tough defenders and capable shooters. Our team commitment to defense will hopefully grind other teams down in the half-court game; we’ll block shots, generate steals, and control the boards, leading to fast-break opportunities and easy points in the transition game.
I don’t expect us to steamroll through the rest of the league, but I do expect a top-four playoff seed in the Western Conference—and with a little luck a Conference Finals berth. After that, who knows?