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Oklahoma City Thunder: Billy Donovan appreciates Carmelo Anthony’s open-mindedness

By Kenneth Teape

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Billy Donovan and players from Oklahoma City Thunder gather before the start of the game against the Chicago Bulls on November 15, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Billy Donovan and players from Oklahoma City Thunder gather before the start of the game against the Chicago Bulls on November 15, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan appreciates how open-minded Carmelo Anthony has been with his changing role in the offense.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a rocky performance at times this season. They are integrating a lot of new faces into the rotation, something that is challenging for even the greatest coaches in the NBA.

With an alpha male already in place in Russell Westbrook, head coach Billy Donovan knew where the ball had to go last season. Westbrook was the go-to player in virtually every situation. All of the offensive responsibility rested on his shoulders.

That is a lot for any player to handle. Westbrook was blowing away the rest of the league in usage rate, which caused Thunder general manager Sam Presti get to work in the offseason. And get to work he did.

Presti added two superstar-level players via trade in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. To replace some of the depth that was lost, he signed Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton in free agency. The Thunder had gotten some help offensively for Westbrook and improved the roster altogether.

However, things have not been smooth yet this season, specifically on offense. Westbrook was the alpha male last season. So were George and Anthony with the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. All three were going to have to make adjustments this season.

Those adjustments have yet to come full circle. There was a lot of hesitancy on offense as no one wanted to step on the others’ feet. It is something we have seen previously when Big Threes were assembled. The Miami Heat needed some time to adjust, as did the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

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Building chemistry isn’t an easy thing to do. It is difficult to get people to buy in. A lot of that responsibility falls upon the players. However, sometimes the head coach has to step in and that is what Donovan has done.

Eventually, one player had to step up as the leader. Westbrook has taken up that mantle, which was to be expected. Donovan has now taken that a step further, asking a multiple-time All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist to change his playing style.

Anthony excels in isolation situations. It is something that everyone in the NBA knows. That playing style, however, is something that has played a part in the Thunder struggling so much offensively. As a result, Donovan has asked Anthony to adjust his role and playing style.

It is something that many established players would scoff at. Anthony essentially did that during Media Day prior to training camp, laughing at a reporter that asked if he would be coming off the bench or in the starting lineup.

Donovan isn’t taking that drastic of a move, as Anthony will remain in the starting lineup. But he does appreciate that Anthony is willing to make this change for the betterment of the team.

"“One hundred percent,” Donovan said when asked if that was the ideal kind of offensive game for Anthony. “I give him a lot of credit because this is different for him, and he’s really been open-minded about trying to do whatever he can do to help the team. And as a coach, you really appreciate someone that’s been in the game such a long time and established himself as a 10-time All-Star, 14 years in the league, one of the all-time greats, that he’s willing to look at ways that he can do things a little bit differently to help our team.”"

The Thunder are currently riding a five-game winning streak after defeating the Houston Rockets on Christmas. The Thunder have had some hard fought victories during that stretch, including a pesky Atlanta Hawks team that Anthony played a big role in knocking off.

Asking a player to change what he has been doing for years isn’t easy. Anthony is set in his ways by now. However, winning does cure issues.

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If the Thunder continue winning basketball games, you are unlikely to hear much of anything from Anthony. At this stage in his career, he just wants to win. Recently, the Thunder have been doing that, as their record is now 19-15 and they reside in the fifth spot in the Western Conference.

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