Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
This is hilarious. Now there's an article outlining the reasons Enes should start. Not because he's a better player than Adams or would make their starters better. Basically because his net damage would be less with the starters than it is with the subs. OKC has a $16M albatross on their hands. Where is that commitment to defense? I thought Enes was going to come back quicker and better on defense this season? He was hampered by Corbin and Snyder not using him right. Things were all rosy when he was traded to OKC, where he could be that generational talent.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25377065/why-enes-kanter-needs-to-start-for-the-oklahoma-city-thunder
"...However, Kanter entered the season with questions about his ability to contribute meaningfully to a perceived championship contender. His production has always been superb, but his defense, through eye test or data, is a disaster.
Kanter's production is incredible. He's averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per 36 minutes on 57 percent shooting. That's good. You can talk about stat-padding or whatever, but Kanter is a gifted scorer, great on putbacks and makes the Thunder offense an absolute monster. With Kanter on the court, the Thunder score 109 points per 100 possessions, the third-best mark for any OKC player outside of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Their defense, however, gives up 105.3 points per 100 possessions, 10.2 points worse than when he sits. That's an issue. However, most Thunder fans would probably expect me to say that Kanter shouldn't play at all, that on a team with the kind of scoring power the Thunder have, his offensive firepower is redundant and unnecessary. After all, I torched the decision to match a max offer for him this summer. But not so fast. I have a different idea.
Start him.
The long and short of it is this: The Thunder bench lineups are better trying to win defensive matchups, but are limited because of Kanter's presence, and while the starters for OKC don't, in any way, need Kanter. Their offense is so dominant for long stretches that his defensive liabilities are irrelevant, because they simply crush everyone offensively.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25377065/why-enes-kanter-needs-to-start-for-the-oklahoma-city-thunder
"...However, Kanter entered the season with questions about his ability to contribute meaningfully to a perceived championship contender. His production has always been superb, but his defense, through eye test or data, is a disaster.
Kanter's production is incredible. He's averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per 36 minutes on 57 percent shooting. That's good. You can talk about stat-padding or whatever, but Kanter is a gifted scorer, great on putbacks and makes the Thunder offense an absolute monster. With Kanter on the court, the Thunder score 109 points per 100 possessions, the third-best mark for any OKC player outside of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Their defense, however, gives up 105.3 points per 100 possessions, 10.2 points worse than when he sits. That's an issue. However, most Thunder fans would probably expect me to say that Kanter shouldn't play at all, that on a team with the kind of scoring power the Thunder have, his offensive firepower is redundant and unnecessary. After all, I torched the decision to match a max offer for him this summer. But not so fast. I have a different idea.
Start him.
The long and short of it is this: The Thunder bench lineups are better trying to win defensive matchups, but are limited because of Kanter's presence, and while the starters for OKC don't, in any way, need Kanter. Their offense is so dominant for long stretches that his defensive liabilities are irrelevant, because they simply crush everyone offensively.
