Lauvergne’s toughness fits with Thunder
The Thunder received Joffrey Lauvergne in a trade with Denver, and the big man proved his ruggedness and potential to produce in the frontcourt.
Joffrey Lauvergne was playing a road game in Miami last season when he shared a moment with Floyd Mayweather.
Two nights before, an errant elbow against Washington left the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Frenchman with a sinus wall fracture and a swollen purple bag under his right eye.
Mayweather, the undefeated welterweight boxing champion, was sitting courtside in South Beach. He had to say something the second time he locked eyes with Lauvergne.
“He said, ‘I fight like you … but sometimes you lose,’ ” Lauvergne said, pointing to the scar under his right eye. In a move that would make Russell Westbrook proud, Lauvergne didn’t miss a game.
When the Thunder made the trade to acquire Lauvergne from Denver in August, it picked up a player that’ll fit into the Thunder’s rugged frontcourt, but possesses potential to expand its offense.
Lauvergne (pronounced LA-vern-yea) was the last of the Thunder’s six offseason pickups, and maybe the most surprising. Victor Oladipo was the centerpiece of the Serge Ibaka trade, which included a potential Ibaka replacement (Ersan Ilyasova) and a lottery pick (Domantas Sabonis). Alex Abrines filled a shooting need. Ronnie Price filled the veteran third-guard role.
So when the Thunder traded two 2017 second-round picks for Lauvergne on Aug. 30, the question was “why,” especially with Lauvergne going from one crowded frontcourt in Denver to another in Oklahoma City with Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Nick Collison and Co.
For where he was drafted (55th overall in the second round in 2013), Lauvergne has provided value as a rotation player. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game last season, his second in the league.
While Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Lauvergne is still learning pickand-roll and defensive coverages, he lauded the 24-year-old’s potential.
“He’s very, very physical. He’s got a good skill set. I think he’ll continually be able to improve and expand his range,” Donovan said. “He’s tough. I think he’s got a good feel, he’ll be able to play in the pocket, he’ll be able to move the ball for us.”
Last season, Lauvergne earned the starting nod at center for Denver, but just three games in, his strong start was derailed, ironically against the Thunder.
Lauvergne had 11 points in 19 minutes before feeling a strain in his back. He shook off the pain in preseason, but Oklahoma City was where it became too severe.
“I remember this game because I was like “(expletive) I feel good today,’ then I couldn’t move,” Lauvergne said. “I tried to get back, but it was like … I’d never had this pain in my back before. It was like somebody shooting you in the back.”
The inflamed lower back forced Lauvergne to miss 13 games. He started just 12 more games the rest of the season, but Denver coach Mike Malone thought Lauvergne worked too hard to be completely out of the rotation.
“The guy is really, really committed to improving as a player,” Malone told The Denver Post in February. “So when there’s an opportunity for him to play, and a matchup for him to play against, we’re going to try to get him out there and let him do his thing.”
What Lauvergne’s “thing” is hasn’t been determined. Last season, he played center for the first time in his career. More than 54 percent off his shot attempts (207-of-380) came from within five feet of the basket, but Lauvergne also made 59.1 percent (26of-44) in the 15- to-19-foot range. He’s a career 82.5 percent free-throw shooter.
“He’s got a good touch, man,” Steven Adams said. “He’s good. A little stretch guy, him.”
During post-practice media availability on Monday, Lauvergne and Ilyasova took turns shooting corner 3s and Lauvergne held his own, displaying a stroke that belied his 24.5 3-point percentage from a year ago. Lauvergne said that while there isn’t a part of his game that’s stronger than another, he wants to have different options, to “do a little bit of everything.”
For Lauvergne, one night it could be catch-and-shoot from the corner; the next it could be catching an elbow, followed by some solidarity from a prize fighter.
The important part for him is doing the hard work along the way.
“One small detail is not going to make a big difference,” he said. “But if every month you add one more detail, at the end of the season it’s going to be big.
“In this league we all arrive to a certain level. You cannot improve by like 20 percent in one thing, but you can improve everything a bit and that will make a big improvement in the end.”