You can hide a lot of deficiencies when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are on the floor together. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been getting away with that for years.
When one of the two superstars is out, the margin for error drops significantly. Durant’s strained hamstring has him out of the lineup for a week or two and we’ve already seen a different direction from Billy Donovan in the one full game without him.
One of the mysteries this season has been Anthony Morrow‘s absence from the rotation. Donovan has essentially gone with Kyle Singler instead of Morrow. The thinking behind this is Singler being a more versatile defender and better in the small lineups. Donovan even admitted after the win over the Phoenix Suns that his decision to not play Morrow was because the Thunder simply didn’t need his offense.
Donovan wasn’t wrong then, but the Thunder need Morrow’s offense now with Durant out. Singler started the second half vs. the Washington Wizards with Durant injured but Morrow got the start last night vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. He made five of his eight shots and two of five three-pointers. The starters weren’t the best lineup and Philly led after one, but Morrow’s reemergence in an important rotation role is a trend that will prove positive.
While Morrow is one of the best shooters in the league, Singler is becoming a pretty poor one. Last year in OKC, he shot 33.3 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three in 26 games. This year, he’s been much worse at 19.2 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three. It might not even be worth playing a defender as talented as Kawhi Leonard if his shooting numbers were that bad.
The Thunder remain the second most efficient offense in the NBA despite giving Singler 13.5 minutes per game this season. The defense is trending toward the top 10 and more minutes for Morrow shouldn’t stop that. More importantly, with Morrow slotted with the starters for Durant, if the Thunder offense can remain elite, top five or even top two, what will that say about Morrow’s value?
A legitimate debate before the start of the season circled around if Morrow should start instead of Andre Roberson or simply get more playing time than Dion Waiters. Morrow’s shocking relegation to the end of the bench has us here now just making the case that he should see the floor.
With no other option now, the opportunity should convince Donovan of Morrow’s unique value to this team. Durant sidelined sounds scary these days in OKC, but this minor setback could prove beneficial for the team in the long run.