Oklahoma City Thunder: Is Enes Kanter Worth The Reported Price?

The Oklahoma City Thunder‘s priority heading into free agency was to re-sign Kyle Singler and Enes Kanter.

Singler is off the board after reportedly agreeing to a five-year deal worth $25 million. Now the Thunder, with a lot of money in hand, are pursuing the 23-year-old Kanter. The latest figure the Thunder reportedly offered Kanter is $15.5 million a year.

Kanter is a restricted free agent and as Goodwill reports, they will match any offer sheet Kanter receives. The New York Knicks reportedly had interest in Kanter, but they agreed to a four-year deal worth $54 million with Robin Lopez over the weekend.

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The Kings were another potential landing spot, but they agreed to a deal with Kosta Koufos. The other team is the Portland Trail Blazers, who after losing LaMarcus Aldridge, are thin upfront and have cap room. I could see a scenario where they offer Kanter a max to see if the Thunder match it or not.

However, the Thunder, as they have been all along, are the favorites to land Kanter. The Blazers may force the Thunder to pay Kanter a little more than they want to, but regardless, Kanter is going to get paid. 

The question is: Is he worth it?

Fifteen years ago, if someone looked at Kanter’s stint with the Thunder last season, they would have said absolutely. After landing in Oklahoma City in a three-team trade, Kanter averaged 18.7 points and 11 rebounds (five offensive) per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field. Kanter was a force on the offensive end and nothing indicates he couldn’t put up similar numbers for a team next year. (If re-signed to the Thunder, I imagine those numbers go down because of a healthy Kevin Durant. There won’t be as many touches to go around.)

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The Thunder were really good on offense with Kanter on the floor. They scored 112.8 points per 100 possessions, per Basketball-Reference. Finding 6-foot-11 23-year-olds contributing 19-11 on a nightly basis, who can clean the glass, score on post-ups and knock down a 15-footer, is not easy to do. He is a rarity and that talent is almost always going to be worth a max deal or close to in today’s NBA, especially with the rising cap, but I am tentative when it comes to Kanter.

Kanter might be the worst starting defensive center in the entire NBA. It may sound harsh, but I don’t think it is a stretch. The numbers back it up.

When Kanter was on the floor last season, the Thunder allowed 111.7 points per 100 possessions. That number would have been the second worst in the entire NBA for the season. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves were worse. When Kanter was on the bench, the Thunder allowed 103.9 points per 100 possessions — a number that would have been fourth best in the league.

Twenty-six games may be a small sample size, but the Thunder being an elite defensive team with Kanter on the bench and a league worse defense when he is on court is telling. Kanter’s former team, the Utah Jazz, almost simultaneously became the best defense in the league once they traded Kanter. The Jazz were nine points better per 100 possessions last season when Kanter was not on the floor.

I am noticing a trend.

When you watch Kanter, it is no secret why he is bad on defense. He has slow feet, allowing ballhandlers to easily get around him and most often, he is simply out of position, which highlights his poor foot speed.

Him taking that initial quick step up to the screen allows James Harden to blow by him, knowing Kanter is not fast enough to recover. Kanter’s stance could be part of the problem here. He is flat-footed and hunched over making it harder to react. Being only 23 years old this is something that could improve.

However, at the moment, nothing Kanter suggests he will turn into a viable defender. Even paired with an elite defender and rim protector like Serge Ibaka the Thunder struggled defensively. According to NBAwowy.com, the Thunder gave up 1.115 points per possession with both on the floor compared to 1.117 with Ibaka on the bench and Kanter in. That number went down to 1.032 points per possession when Ibaka was on the floor last year and Kanter wasn’t. Even one of the best defenders in the league can’t erase the disaster that is Kanter.

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Also, I must note how much Russell Westbrook led to the Thunder being poor defensively in the last 26 games of the season. His hyperactive reckless gambles on defense led to breakdowns that left Kanter on an island to defend the paint — something he is not good at. Westbrook must be a smarter defender next season if playing Kanter at center is going to work. Having a healthy team should do that, as Westbrook won’t feel like he has to do everything.

I am not sure how they will do it, but Thunder must devise a way next year to keep opposing players out of the paint when Kanter is the last line of defense because people will have no problem attacking him.

Kanter is one of the worst rim protectors in the league. Of players who played more than 30 minutes per game and were challenged at the rim more than six times per game, opponents shot 56.4 percent on Kanter — the highest percentage of anyone meeting that criteria, during the 26 games with the Thunder, according to NBA.com. In comparison, Ibaka was challeneged 9.3 times per game at the rim and opponents shot 40.8 percent (That’s utterly ridiculous, by the way).

I think CBSSports.com’s Matt Moore described Kanter best.

I tend to agree with this in that Kanter’s numbers look great, but there isn’t much evidence to support their impact.

That said,we have to remember Kanter is 23 and has the potential to a be a 20-10 guy. That means something. It has to. However, is that what the Thunder need? They are a top flight offense with or without Kanter. The combo of Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka is as good as it gets in the NBA. His putrid defense makes it hard to make sense of him getting upwards of $15 million a year.

It appears Kanter will be a member of the Thunder next year, but I am not sure with their current roster he is worth it. I think Steven Adams starting next to Ibaka is more ideal with the offensive firepower of Durant and Westbrook.

But players do change and improve while 23-year-olds are rarely 20-10 guys. Time will tell, but I am skeptical.

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