Stable core gives Donovan hope
LAS VEGAS — In the sweltering days that led up to the biggest free-agent decision of the Thunder’s summer, Billy Donovan broke only a literal sweat.
Donovan’s a workout loyalist, and even as the coach traversed the country to plan with Thunder brass, he’d find time for a run. But as the calendar crept toward Paul George’s decision day, Donovan kept his figurative cool.
“I was never thinking ‘Oh my god, oh my god, what’s going to happen?’” Donovan said this week from a front-row seat at the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. “It wasn’t like that.”
George announced late on June 30, just prior to the opening of the free-agency period, that he would return to the Thunder, committing to a four-year contract he’s since signed.
It was a decision worth celebrating, but it wasn’t a surprise. Not to Donovan, who in the months since a season-ending playoff loss to the Jazz had been in regular contact with George — meeting in person, watching film, talking on the phone and texting — and never got a sense that his heart was anywhere but Oklahoma City.
“From the time the season ended, every conversation I had with Paul, everything with him was forward-thinking…,” Donovan said. “He was talking to me about things later in the summer, later in training camp. It was all very open, optimistic and forward-thinking. It was never any, like, ‘I’m not sure. I may want to go through looking at some other teams.’ There was none of that at all.”
So maybe George’s decision wasn’t shocking. But it’s stabilizing.
Donovan is entering his fourth season with the Thunder. With Russell Westbrook and George joining him, it’ll be the first time he’s returned his top two scorers from the year before.
He coached Oklahoma City to the Western Conference Finals in 2015-16, and the team lost three of its top five scorers — most notably Kevin Durant — via free agency or trade.
Westbrook won the MVP the following season and led the Thunder in scoring, but second-leading scorer Victor Oladipo was dealt to Indiana in the trade that brought George to OKC.
In 2016-17, 53 percent of the Thunder’s game minutes were played by players on the 2015-16 roster, according to BasketballReference.com. Last season, 52 percent of its minutes came from players on the 2016-17 roster.
There will be turnover this offseason, too, perhaps more than just the departure of Carmelo Anthony, expected via trade or buyout this summer.
But nine Thunder players logged at least 1,000 minutes last season, and though OKC isn’t finished building a roster, it’s possible that Anthony is the only one who won’t return for 2018-19.
“Your roster’s gonna change. It’s kind of part of it in the NBA,” Donovan said. “There was a lot of turnover going into my second year and a lot of turnover going into my third year, maybe more so than most NBA teams would experience. I think any time you can come back with a core group, you want to be able to do that.”
Donovan’s hope is that added stability gives him a stronger foundation for year four.
Last season, he admits,
was a challenge — not only because there were so many new faces, but because he was trying to formulate an offense that maximized Westbrook, George and Anthony, three players who on previous teams had played primarily with the ball in their hands.
Over the course of the season, Donovan said, he wanted to get away from a “your turn, my turn” approach where three stars had opportunities to shine, but sometimes at the expense of team offense.
“I just don’t know if you can be good like that,” Donovan said. “They were open-minded about playing how we needed to play, but just calling it like it is, it was a huge adjustment for them.”
Westbrook missed the start of training camp, and once he was back in the mix, “all three of them never wanted to step on each other’s toes,” Donovan said, part of the reason why the Thunder offense looked so ragged to start the season.
Anthony’s eventual departure means highlighting two stars instead of three, and that could allow Westbrook and George more freedom to make plays. But as spectacular as that duo can be playing off one another, Donovan wants an offense that maximizes all its parts, not just its All-Stars.
On that front, too, a year of fellowship could facilitate flow.
Westbrook and George have a year together, giving George a chance to acclimate to Westbrook’s speed, Donovan said. But Donovan hopes it helps that a core of players from starter Steven Adams to reserve Raymond Felton has spent a season of games and practices together.
“I think playing together there’s a little bit more of a familiarity,” Donovan said. “We’ll see what the team looks like going into training camp, but I think a year with those guys being together will hopefully help us going into this year.”