Justin Cooper

November 16, 2018

Another day, another columnist heaping criticism on Thunder coach, Billy Donovan.  As a fan, I can understand the knee jerk reaction to the shock of an 0-4 start after such a deservedly hyped offseason, but delve into the actual issues at the core of OKC’s slow start and Donovan’s name shouldn’t enter the conversation. Those four games showcased perhaps the most abysmal stretch of shooting I’ve witnessed from any iteration of past Thunder teams.  The team ran offensive sets that successfully freed up their wings for wide open shots that were inexplicably missed…and missed, and missed.  The ball was moving.  The offense was working.  The open shots were there but, through this stretch, the Thunder shot the ball at a league worst clip.  A number of players (including Paul George) were putting up career low numbers in multiple categories throughout the losing streak to start the season.  But we, the fans, knew.  We knew the shots would start to fall, the statistical anomaly that was the Thunder’s first four games of the 2018-2019 season would normalize, and the Thunder would get back to the familiar business of winning games, and we, the fans, were right.  So, why this piece comes out now with the Thunder humming, winning 9 of their last 10 games (half of which without the services of their MVP), is perplexing.  The author of this particular piece expressed frustration with Donovan’s ‘sporadic’ substitutions and lineup choices as a possible reason to abbreviate his tenure with the Thunder organization, as if OKC’s front office did not know who they were hiring when they offered him the job.  Donovan is one of the more cerebral coaches in the Association.  To expect that Donovan is not going to tinker with lineups more than some coaches would is to expect that Billy Donovan is not going to be Billy Donovan.  In a game increasingly driven by analytics Donovan is naturally suited to succeed, and all his tinkering may just result in the secret sauce the Thunder need to be a contender.   

This is not to say that Billy Donovan should be wholly absolved from criticism or that all criticisms of the coach have been undue.  While all indications are the Thunder are trending away from many of the bad habits that saw OKC ousted in the first round of the playoffs last season by a rookie led Jazz squad, the first four games of the 2018-2019 season should serve as a stark reminder to Billy Donovan that those same tendencies still exist with this Thunder team and good coaching is paramount to keeping them at bay.  As I see it, addressing these key issues will be crucial to Billy Donovan’s job security:   

One issue that must be consistently addressed for Donovan to remain defensible is his team’s offensive strategy, or often, lack thereof.  In too many games last season, the Thunder appeared lost on offense.  This was largely, in part, due to their floor general’s explosive ability to get to the rim and create opportunities for himself.  His teammates, on the other hand, were frequently guilty of turning into spectators resulting in a stagnant half court offense with no response when the shots stopped falling and the lane clogged up.  Lack of motion and ball movement resulted in an absence of rhythm and lengthy scoring draughts were frequently exacerbated by ill-advised, well covered, early Westbrook missed threes or possessions wasted on Melo jab stepping his way into a 22 foot missed jumper.  Melo is gone and, so far, the Thunder are arguably playing with better pace and rhythm than they were at any point last season.  It’s Donovan’s job to ensure the team builds on this trend and, when the game starts getting away from him, call a timeout, make adjustments, reign in his superstar point guard, maintain some semblance of a half court offense, and assert himself as the coach and play caller for this team.   

Another issue Donovan must address if he is going to retain his position at the helm is OKC’s tendency to sleep on lesser opponents. The 0-4 start to the season was hauntingly reminiscent of last year’s consistent failure to show up versus sub-five-hundred competition.  During the month of December last season, the Thunder were hitting on all cylinders, making short work of any and all foes they faced until Roberson’s injury versus the Wizards sidelined him for the remainder of the season.  It is to be completely expected that losing a stalwart ballhawk like Roberson would disrupt the flow of a team that sustained itself on lengthy, pesky defense often turned into explosive offensive production and that a declining Melo would become a nearly unplayable liability on the defensive end.  What is not to be expected, however, is that a Thunder team still retaining the services of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Stephen Adams, an ever-developing Jerami Grant, and (to a lesser degree) Carmelo Anthony would struggle and fail to close out games against the likes of the lowly Suns, Lakers (twice), Knicks, etc.  Thus far in the 2018-2019 campaign, it appears that the Thunder have righted the ship and realized there are no ‘gimme games’ and that phoning one in is simply not an option in this loaded Western Conference.  If OKC falls back into old habits and begins dropping games they should win, Donovan should be held to task.  Let’s not forget, only 3 games separated the three seed from the nine in last year’s loaded playoff race.  Seeding matters, and a 7 or 8 spot (or God forbid, missing the playoffs altogether) is simply not an option for the coach of one of the most expensive teams in NBA history.

Donavan is an above average coach and understands what is necessary to win in today’s NBA.  The Thunder are riding a hot streak and, with the exception of a handful of isolated incidences this season, appear to have made great strides toward correcting the issues that plagued last year’s Thunder team and ultimately led to a disappointing first round departure from the playoffs.  With a well-crafted roster loaded with bouncy, young talent, grizzled, road tested vets, and more depth than he has ever had the luxury of tinkering with, this is Donovan’s year to show Thunder fans what he can do.  If this roster is watching the playoffs from the comfort of their respective homes next May, Thunder fans’ grievances will be justified and the Donovan issue should be addressed, but for now, they should cut Billy some slack.