OKC Thunder sophomore special: Alex Abrines in his second year
Alex Abrines will be playing his second year as a pro with the OKC Thunder. In 2017-18, he will have to focus on his special ability to shoot the three in order to have a place in the rotation.
Alex Abrines shot the three well last year, given the attempts that he had. He made 1.4 threes a game on 3.6 attempts a game, converting at a 38.1 percent clip.
Abrines needs to shoot the ball more if he wants to truly be a player that will do damage for the Thunder. Here’s what to look for in Abrines’ second year.
Best game last year
Abrines’ best game last year was a 19-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 24. He shot 7-for-13 from the field (45 percent) and made five threes.
Abrines helped Russell Westbrook lock up his 28th triple double early in the third quarter with one of his five threes. Abrines will need to have more games like this next year as he has a year under his belt shooting the NBA three.
The team is better than last year after adding Paul George, Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton this offseason, so it should be easy to fit into a spot-up three-point shooting role.
How he fits into the scheme next year
As we know already, Abrines can shoot the three. If he does that well during training camp, practice and during the season in games when he gets the opportunity, then he should have a valuable role during the season.
New additions with experience like Felton and Patterson who can shoot the three for a second unit that was once criticized for lack of offense should be able to get Abrines some open shots.
Felton for his career is only a 32 percent shooter from three, but Patterson is a 37 percent shooter from deep. Those two percentages, added with Abrines’ 38 percent, will mean that there is more firepower coming off the bench.
Felton is a proven floor general and has 12 years of experience as a point guard in the NBA, so he will be able to command the second unir and get open shots for Abrines. If Abrines knocks down his open shots, then he will be able to see more minutes as a player for the Thunder.
How Abrines can improve next year
Abrines has to be able to knock down his open shots. They will be easier as he will have a point guard like Raymond Felton on the second team. With more offensive options for OKC this year, it will be easy for Abrines to go under the radar on the court and be more of a secret weapon for the team.
The more in-game repetitions he has, the better. Per 100 possessions last year, Abrines averaged 18.9 points. One of the best three-point specialists in the game, Kyle Korver, averaged 16.8 points per 100 possessions in 35 games for Atlanta last year and 21.7 points in 35 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers after he was traded.
Abrines had similar numbers to one of the best three-point shooters in the game last year, and his role wasn’t as big as Korver’s. Korver’s 21 games started at Atlanta last year was more than Abrines’ six all season with the Thunder.
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Conclusion
Abrines will have to shoot his way into relevancy in the rotation this year. The more effective he is at the three-point line, the more he will play.