Corey Brewer had a good outing against the Phoenix Suns. He could be the replacement for Andre Roberson that the OKC Thunder have been desperately trying to find.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns in convincing fashion on Thursday night, 115-87. The OKC Thunder have been looking for a replacement at the shooting guard position and newly acquired Corey Brewer stepped up to fill that role.
Brewer ended up with 17 points in his third game (and first start) with the team. This came off a 10-point performance off the bench in OKC’s last game. The Thunder have not had that much of an offensive output at the starting shooting guard position since Terrance Ferguson dropped 24 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 3.
Russell Westbrook talked about Corey Brewer’s night after the game.
“It’s good to have a guy moving and cutting and it fits right in because Dre was good at that,” he said.
Russell Westbrook says Corey Brewer fits in well with his cutting ability, something Andre Roberson is good at: pic.twitter.com/YtjoExMVsg
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) March 9, 2018
Corey Brewer talked after the game about he how is able to move without the ball.
“I played with James Harden and him and Russell are so similar and so dynamic,” Brewer said. “Even [Chris] Paul. Guys are just looking at them so I’m able to find my spots and get easy layups.”
Here’s Corey Brewer talking about tonight’s game, but in the background, Russell Westbrook is looking for his money from someone: pic.twitter.com/BT4cZomuMb
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 9, 2018
Brewer fits the system, as he played for Billy Donovan at Florida while he was in college and won a national championship with him in 2006-07. On that Florida team he averaged 13.2 points per game, which was good for second on the team.
During his tenure at Florida, he averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He made NCAA All-Tournament in his final two years at Florida.
He has a championship ring as he was on the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks championship roster.
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Andre Roberson is a defensive ace ,but Brewer doesn’t fit that mold. He is essentially a system player. With Brewer’s understanding of the system that Billy Donovan is running, he will be able to flourish on the court for this Thunder team.
The combination of Brewer and Paul George on the wings on defense will also pay dividends for OKC because of their length. Both are at 6’9″ and that length will help on that side of the ball.
Donovan’s style on offense is spacing, passing and putting pressure on the defense to make difficult decisions. One way to do that is moving around to force the defense to think on the run. Spacing and passing coincide with putting pressure on the defense.
Do I slide over and help my defender with a driver who has room to drive? If I’m a center, do I stay in the paint to stop a cutter and risk my man getting a jump shot or floater?
The addition of Brewer has done one thing and that has gotten the Thunder defense moving again.
Before the Thunder were relying on one-on-one ball, which is not Donovan’s philosophy. Now with a player that is familiar with the system, hopefully the Thunder can space the floor, move the ball and force the defense to make tough decisions like the system entails.
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With the addition of Brewer, the Thunder have a player that has revitalized their offense by being a player that is familiar with the system. They have also found a player that can fill the void at shooting guard, which was so desperately needed with the loss of Andre Roberson.