Tuesday Bolts: 11.19.19

Recap of the Thunder’s loss to the Clippers last night from yours truly.

Chris Paul played a critical role for the Thunder, and Dwayne Wade has taken notice of Paul’s leadership:

Erik Horne (The Athletic) on the Thunder’s plan for load management, which extends beyond minutes played: ““I think the emphasis is on resting,” Thunder center Steven Adams said. “I think it’s more to do with the load stuff. I don’t know too much about it to be honest, but it’s probably along the lines of loads. Obviously, trying to get more rest, but maybe there’s something deeper to it, mate.” The depth for the Thunder is exploring ways to give players a rest without taking them out of games.”

The Lost Ogle’s Lucas describes the current Thunder season as a kind of purgatory.

Mike Korzemba has features some Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talk and highlights on his breakout players (SGA @ the 2:25 mark):

Royce Young with an update on the Thunder’s in ESPN’s power rankings, where the Thunder are slotted 17th: “He started slowly, but Chris Paul has quietly put together a couple of weeks of very good basketball. His game Friday against the 76ers was vintage Point God stuff, with him running the game down the stretch, mastering the midrange, finding open shooters for daggers and competing in mismatches on the defensive end. The Thunder are plus-3.3 points per 100 possessions with Paul on the floor and minus-5.3 with him off. Assists are at a career low, but that’s more an indication of Paul’s buy-in to give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander room to breathe than anything else.”

Patrick Patterson repeated his belief that last season’s Thunder failures were a collective effort to Joe Musssatto (The Oklahoman).

Connor Ayubi (The Franchise) on isolation as part of the Thunder’s identity: “I asked Coach Billy Donovan about his squad’s isolation heavy tendencies. He explained that he doesn’t view the trend as entirely negative, stating that “some of the things that we’re trying to do that are being labeled as isos – we want our guys to do.” He’s right. Not all isos are created equal. Luckily Donovan seems to be encouraging the right looks. He noted specifically that he lets his guards know: “when there’s a closeout situation, we want them attacking, we want them playing downhill trying to get to the basket.”  This is a sound strategy for some Thunder players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attacks the rim on most (76%) of his isos and converts a respectable 50% of the time. Unfortunately, others just aren’t equipped to succeed with that style of play anymore.”

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