OKC has several roster construction problems which aren’t the fault of Billy Donovan, but more the fault of Sam Presti. The one which glares the most is OKC doesn’t have a starting guard who can compete on the same level as say…Klay Thompson, JR Smith, or Danny Green–just to name the three counterparts in Golden State, Cleveland, and San Antonio.
This isn’t Billy Donovan’s fault, it’s what he inherited.
For some reason Sam Presti seems enamored with building a roster of ‘half players’ to surround Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In otherwords, players who can’t play both ends of the floor with equal shares of basketball integrity.
Presti drafted Andre Roberson to be the next Bruce Bowen, Shawn Marion, or Shane Battier, but you know what—those three could actually shoot a basketball to some degree. Sam Presti of Josh Huestis fame drafted a shooting guard who can’t shoot and who isn’t an elite lockdown defender as some claim. He’s an okay defender with the freakish wing span of a seven footer, but not an elite defender. If he were elite then why has every journeyman guard in the league had their best career nights the past two seasons against the Thunder? Half player.
So–then Sam Presti took a chance on Dion Waiters even though LeBron James didn’t want Dion Waiters on his team. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Dion basher, he seems like a decent kid and he’s trying to do his best playing alongside Durant and Westbrook, but Presti gave up a first round pick and a nice bench piece in Lance Thomas to take a chance on fixing Waiters as a player and solve the OKC shooting guard dilemma. Vastly inconsistent player.
As far as Anthony Morrow goes, he’s been an elite three point specialist in his career, but not good enough defensively to consider for the starting shooting guard role. Half player.
Randy Foye at age thirty-two does absolutely nothing for me. Randy Foye at age twenty-seven would have peaked my interest. Old player.
Here’s what vexes me though about what Presti has done, he traded DJ Augustin away as his backup point guard when he could have actually moved Cam Payne into the hybrid guard position alongside Durant and Westbrook ala Harden. Of course you could only pull this off if Westbrook would actually try to play some defense, but’s it’s an intriguing possibility.
Maybe that’s a possible tweak OKC should explore somewhat as the season moves along. It doesn’t mean you banish Roberson or Waiters, but rather find the right combination of roles on a team with too many ‘half players’ on the roster.
It’s worth a try. But it only works if Durant and Westbrook don’t loaf defensively.