Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 Encouraging Signs So Far

4. Bench Kanter-Attack

Kanter isn’t useless, however. In only 20.5 minutes per game, the backup big man is averaging 10.8 points and 11.0 rebounds a night. Even in limited minutes as a reserve, Kanter remains a nightly double-double threat who has helped the Thunder put up 109.0 points per 100 possessions thus far — trailing only the Golden State Warriors’ monstrous mark of 115.2.

Still, his poor defense makes him a bit of a controversial piece of the roster, despite the clearly impressive numbers on the stat sheet.

"Enes Kanter in a nutshell: -15 points and 16 rebounds in just 24 minutes."

Kanter’s numbers easily dwarf what Adams is putting up right now (5.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG), which has allowed OKC to get the best of both worlds: Adams anchors the starting unit defensively while still converting 60 percent of his limited shot attempts, while Kanter comes in with less defensive responsibility and all the freedom in the world to put up shots and pull down boards.

Kanter is shooting 52.6 percent from the floor on 9.5 attempts per game, making him an underrated candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Donovan will have to continue playing around with how long he can afford to leave such a defensive sieve on the court, but for the time being, the Thunder have been able to balance each center’s strengths and flaws for the betterment of the team.

Next: No. 3