San Antonio Spurs: 5 Keys To Beating The Thunder
3. Limiting Kanter Attacks With Bench Depth
In all likelihood, Russell Westbrook will still put up big numbers no matter who the Spurs put on him. He’s an elite player who elevates his game every time the playoffs roll around, so that’s to be expected. But if San Antonio can limit OKC’s newfound bench production — Enes Kanter in particular — they’ll have a major advantage when the Thunder starters need a breather.
In their first round playoff series, Kanter was a beast in limited action, putting up 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds on 70.7 percent shooting in only 20.4 minutes per game. He was a force on the offensive glass, was extremely efficient around the basket and if he finds similar success against San Antonio, he could tip the scales in OKC’s favor.
The thunder are the clearly better team. Getting the bench "on track" is an interesting concept but is it a thing vs David Lee, Tex?
— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) April 24, 2016
Keeping Kanter off the boards will be priority No. 1 for the Spurs bench unit, which may come down to Boris Diaw‘s girth, Boban Marjanovic‘s sheer height and Pop staggering his lineups. Luckily, even after surrendering 13.8 offensive boards per game to Memphis’ C-squad in the first round, San Antonio was the fourth best team at keeping opponents off the glass in the regular season, limiting them to 9.1 offensive boards per game.
As for Waiters, he came to life in the Thunder’s first round series, averaging 11.0 points per game on shockingly efficient .463/.400/1.000 shooting splits. Playing a shorthanded Dallas team is not the same as facing the league’s most stifling defense, but in a series where stars might cancel each other out, preventing potential X-factors like Waiters should be a priority.
Oklahoma City’s strength is in its star power, while San Antonio’s lies in their cohesion, ball movement and superior depth. Limiting OKC’s “Kanter attack,” preventing Dion Waiters from having another big series and capitalizing on Roberson’s lack of offense/Anthony Morrow‘s lack of defense is how San Antonio should exploit a flawed opponent that will be riding its stars as far as they can carry them.
Next: No. 2