In a recent column, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com opined that the Thunder would be better off as a team if Enes Kanter was utilized as a starter, rather than coming off the bench as he has been. Moore acknowledged that Steven Adams has earned the right to start, but the defensive shortcomings of Kanter would be better masked playing alongside the team’s starters. The CBS scribe also opined that playing Kanter alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant early in games could overwhelm opponents on the offensive end, while still allowing coach Billy Donovan to use Adams, who is an excellent defender, during crunch time.
Now it’s time for the question/topic of the day: Who should the Thunder start at center?
Do you agree with Moore’s assertion that beginning the game with Kanter on the court would improve the Thunder, provided Adams was utilized in the proper spots? Or do you think the team is fine as is, and Adams should remain the one who is jumping for the opening tip? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Kanter. Adams’ d would complement the offensive talents that the thunder already have off the bench such as Dion Waiters. Ibaka is good enough to hold down the fort with the starters and Adams could play in crunch time.
I do think that the Ibaka-Kanter big man duo should work, at least in theory. Defense-offense. I’d actually have Ibaka guard centers in most cases here.
Serge Ibaka should start at the 5, where he should have started the last couple of years. Adams should come off the bench at the 5, moving Ibaka back to the 4 at times or giving him a rest.
They should discover time travel and stop themselves from signing Enes Kanter to that deal, as well as giving away Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones in favor of keeping Kyle Singler. Obviously, that cant happen, so they need to better use what they have. Their defense is terrible. Durant should play the 4 more often. At the least, if they are going to use bad defensive lineups, I don’t see why Anthony Morrow isnt playing.
Westbrook, Morrow, Roberson, Durant, Ibaka as the starting lineup.
Adams, Waiters, Augustin, McGary off the bench. Kanter plays in certain matchups or to give those guys a bit of a break. He and Collison probably could alternate in that role. Singler could also see minutes at the 3/4 to give them some more shooting off the bench….
Ultimately, they’re going to have to stop turning the ball over.
If the Thunder ever master time travel, they’ll go all the way back to 2012 and keep James Harden.
I’d prefer Ibaka both then and now. That deal would have been fine had Scott Brooks not been a bad coach, and if the Thunder could have stayed healthy during the playoffs. The only thing I would say is that I would have to assume OKC obviously didn’t anticipate the cap soaring like it will, which would have probably made them more willing to pay luxury tax to keep everyone.
On a side note, I don’t know if you do anything so drastic if you master time travel. Would change a lot more history than going back a few months and not making 3 moves like those described
Reggie Jackson also got more of an opportunity after they moved Harden. I’m a fan of both Adams and McGary, and Lamb was misused, and is missed by them right now
I think you’re on to something here. But it would seem a shame to waste Kanter’s scoring and rebounding talents, which are significant. Maybe the best idea would be to trade Kanter. Obviously, they wouldn’t get full on-court value in return because of his contract, unless they traded for someone who’s similarly overpaid. But if they could find a player who’s a better complement to what they do, it might be worth considering.
They could use a 3 and D wing player. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t 0lay Kanter at all, but I just don’t feel like he should be a regular in the rotation. As you mentioned, he is still useful offensively in certain areas, and he does rebound the ball. He could be useful in spurts or when they need to change things up. Obviously, I wouldn’t pay nearly what he is getting for that, so if you can trade him for a wing, you do it. Otherwise, I guess you have a $70 million part time player. Personally, I think you need to be versatile, so it doesn’t hurt the thunder to have him. It just hurts them to have him playing a lot
I live in Oklahoma so take that into consideration.
Ibaka is not the ‘incredible’ stopper he is labeled sometimes. He is great shot blocker and off ball defender however he struggles with on the ball defense and having a guy beside him like Adams makes up for his short comings. Kanter-Ibaka line up inside would be begging for teams to take advantage of who ever Serge is guarding because they know the backside help would not be there consistently in Kanter. We also have a habit of letting guys in the lane off the drive from the outside, having Adams there as the last line of defense over Kanter makes the Thunder starting defense formidable in the NBA. The Thunder second unit (Augustine-Waiters-Singler) actually are a better collection of outside defenders (compared to their opposing second team counter parts) than the starting group (compared to the other teams starting group). There for dribble penetration is less of an issue to be concerned with.
Kanter off the bench also makes tremendously more sense for one reason. Shots. If Kanter was in the starting line up he would be forced to either take a complete backseat to Russ and Kevin or take shots from them. Neither is a good option. Having him run with the second team allows the offense to run through Waiters and himself more than it ever would in the starting line up. Allowing him to do what we know is possible, score at will inside. Inserted into the starting line up we might see his production on the offensive end fall off completely. Adams taking 3 to 5 shots a game makes sense, Kanter taking 3 to 5 shots a game is dumb.
Starting Adams makes the most sense on both ends of the floor in my Oklahoma City colored eyes.