Enes Kanter Or Steven Adams: Who Starts?

BySipho Mangoye|

These two big men are now teammates, but the question now is who makes it to the starting line-up when both are healthy? Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

For years now the Oklahoma City Thunder have searched high and low for a big man who could provide them with some low-post scoring. Their search led them to the Brooklyn Nets‘ doorstep in hopes that they would part ways with Brook Lopez.

Ultimately, the never came to fruition so Thunder general manager Sam Presti opted to look elsewhere and found luck in Utah, as the Jazz agreed to part ways with Enes Kanter as part of the three-team deal that also brought Steve Novak as well as D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler from Detroit.

Finally, coach Scott Brooks had a big man who he could throw the ball in the low post and tell him to go to work with the confidence that he will give him something – whether it be a trip to the free-throw line or two points the traditional way.

Although there’s surely no way he was expecting the former No. 3 overall draft pick to get acclimated and start producing at a high level so quickly into his time with the OKC. In his first two games with his new teammates, Kanter has already notched a couple of double-doubles after providing 10 points and 13 rebounds during his debut in Charlotte against the Hornets.

He then followed that up by posting 20 points and 12 boards in his home debut against the Denver Nuggets (and he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter of the latter).That gives him an average of 15 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder thus far.

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While that has certainly been great news for Brooks and the team in general, there’s one player who might not be as thrilled to see Kanter hit the road sprinting and that’s Steven Adams.

The New Zealand-born big man, who is currently recovering from a fractured hand, had been the starting center prior to the injury and he had been doing well.

Through 50 games, Adams averaged 7.4 points on 54 percent shooting, in addition to hauling in seven boards, swatting away 1.2 blocks and altering a heck of a lot more, thanks to his 7-foot frame and athleticism – all this in just 24 minutes of action.

Adams is tough, fearless and his ability to impact the game in such a short span of time has been a bonus for the Thunder this season. In fact, his rebounding is a huge reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder are the best rebounding team in the Association, with 47.2 rebounds per game. However he isn’t exactly blessed on the offensive end.

So considering how well Kanter has played recently, perhaps it’s time for Scott Brooks to consider making the Turk the starter on a permanent basis.

The problem with that, though, is that it doesn’t exactly help the Thunder second unit, which has struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking at times this season, thus the mediocre ranking (15th in the NBA with 33.6 points per game) despite boasting Dion Waiters, Anthony Morrow and Reggie Jackson at one point.

Furthermore, Kanter’s performances have come at a time when there is plenty of touches and gametime to go around since Kevin Durant and Adams are both currently out. Once they return – especially Durant – expect his numbers, namely his points, to drop sharply.

So with that in mind, it is probably best – for both Enes Kanter and the team – he becomes a bench player. That way he can have more opportunities to showcase his skills in hopes for that big day for when he becomes a free agent this summer. Plus, it’ll help make the second unit a force to be reckoned with. Talk about a win-win.

Either way, Brooks has a decision to make when Adams is back to full health. This team is now starting to find it’s groove after a tough start to the season and it would be hugely disappointing for things to go pear shaped simply because the players don’t know or understand their roles.

In the meantime, though, the 22-year-old is just enjoying himself and his new running mates. Looking at the way they have run the pick-and-rolls so far, he and Russell Westbrook have seemingly clicked right from the get-go.

“It’s so much fun,” he said. “Not just me, we all have fun. “People out there just making shots and getting stuff and pumping everybody up. Everybody is on the bench cheering for each other and it’s just a really good feeling.”

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