Abrines: Waiting on the wing
Abrines no stranger to waiting his turn
BOSTON — Maybe this would be harder on Alex Abrines if it was new.
Maybe if the Thunder guard had never before been cast in a supporting role, maybe if the native Spaniard never had to wait his turn and earn his time, this season would be a struggle.
But Abrines – who had the best game of his rookie season Wednesday, scoring 18 points in a win against the Pelicans in New Orleans – has bided his time before.
“This is the third time I’m in this situation,” Abrines said after Thursday’s practice at Northeastern University, ahead of Friday night’s game against the Boston Celtics.
His first year with Spanish club Unicaj, Abrines was an 18-year-old who averaged 4.8 points in 16.4 minutes. In 201213, when he first joined Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona, he played 10.9 minutes a night,
averaging 3.5 points on 3.2 shots.
“I just had to wait for my opportunity,” Abrines said, “and just be ready.”
The same rules apply in Oklahoma City, where the 23-year-old Abrines – 6-foot-6 and a slender 190 pounds – still is adjusting to the physical rigors and style of play in the NBA.
“He’s learning,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “When we played against Madrid and Barcelona (in the preseason), the game was so different over there than it is in the NBA, and I’m sure he’s finding it different and he’s having to learn as well.”
It hasn’t always been a smooth transition. Abrines is averaging 4.7 points in 12.8 minutes per game, shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range.
Still, Donovan said he’s remained confident that, given his high basketball IQ and feel for the game, Abrines “can come in and impact games.”
And teammates insist that Abrines’ shooting display in New Orleans, where he made 5 of 11 3-pointers, is typical of the way he operates in practice.
“H—- yeah,” guard Russell Westbrook said. “He can shoot the p—out the ball, man.”
But prior to Wednesday’s eruption against the Pelicans – his 18 points came in a season-high 30 minutes – Abrines had struggled to find the court, and to stay on it when he did.
In the five games leading up to the New Orleans win, Abrines had played an average of 10.2 minutes. In the five games before that, he hadn’t seen the floor at all.
But Abrines is wellversed in hard work. So he made up for a lack of playing time with extra practice time.
Over the past few months Abrines said he’s “worked a little bit harder than everybody.” He’s spent extra time after practice working on his jump shot or doing extra defensive drills with assistant coach Darko Rajakovic.
“He works out every day, works on his game, and that’s the best part about him,” Westbrook said. “And it’s his first year, man.
“He’s gonna learn the ups and downs. There’s gonna be ups and downs throughout the whole season.”
There will be more valleys. But Wednesday was a peek into Abrines’ promise.
Beyond the 3-point shooting, there was a hard drive and finish for a 3-point play, part of Abrines’ 12-point fourth quarter, and a play that teammate Enes Kanter said brought him to his feet flexing his biceps, his way of lauding Abrines for strong play.
The physical part still will take time, but Abrines’ shooting stroke – and his confidence – indicate there could be more nights in store like Wednesday.
“I’ve been working hard for, like, two months and I didn’t get a game like that,” Abrines said. “So I was expecting this day to arrive… . I hope that this is just the beginning.”