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OKC Thunder: 5 Keys To Stepping Up As Title Contenders

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) between plays against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) between plays against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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OKC Thunder
Oct 13, 2015; Tulsa, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) looks to pass the ball to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cameron Payne (22) during action against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Reorganize The Three-Point Attack

As a whole, the Oklahoma City Thunder are not a “bad” three-point shooting team. They’ve converted 35.2 percent of their 23 three-point attempts per game, a percentage that ranks 13th overall in the league.

But ever since the All-Star Break, which came hand-in-hand with expanded roles for Randy Foye and Dion Waiters, the Thunder’s three-point percentage has plummeted to a dismal 31 percent. That’s the third worst three-point percentage in the league in that span, and with the perimeter shots not falling, the driving lanes for Westbrook and Durant have been sealed up.

When those driving lanes seal up, Westbrook and Durant sometimes force the issue, which contributes to their large number of turnovers and iso-heavy offense. But with Cameron Payne (37.8 percent) and Anthony Morrow (39.6 percent) currently riding the bench, Donovan has robbed the Thunder of two of the team’s three most efficient shooters from beyond the arc.

Kyle Singler’s emergence as the two-way player the Thunder were expecting when they first traded for him has been a helpful boost, but he’s only shooting 32.9 percent from distance on the season and 33.3 percent since the All-Star Break.

Ignore Payne and Morrow’s anemic three-point percentages since the All-Star Break, since going 0-for-4 and 1-for-6 would hardly qualify as a decent sample size. Even if Morrow is a woeful defender, is Waiters such a defensive stalwart that Donovan can’t lend any of his minutes to Morrow, who would actually spread the floor for the Thunder’s dynamic offense?

Without superior long range threats on the wings, Westbrook has continued to jack from downtown, shooting 29.5 percent on an irresponsible 4.9 attempts per game. Is there any shred of doubt about the correlation between his three-point shooting and OKC’s success when he averages 3.3 three-point attempts per game in wins and an outrageous 5.9 per game in losses this season?

Between Westbrook cutting down on his three-point addiction, reinserting Payne and Morrow into the rotation and easing away from such a heavy dependence on Foye and Waiters, OKC’s long range attack could really use a complete makeover.

Next: No. 2

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