To say that Kevin Durant is having problems in these Western Conference Semi-Finals would be an understatement. The NBA’s 2010 – 2011 scoring leader has been anything but effective, and sometimes nearly invisible.
In 78 games with his Oklahoma City Thunder this season Durant’s numbers were impressive. 27.7 points per game, 6.8 boards, and a block to top it off. Durant extended this success in the Thunder’s impressive win over The Denver Nuggets in 5 games averaging 32.4 ppg, 5.6 rebounds and just 1.4 turnovers (Durant averaged 2.8 TO’s per game during the season).
Through six games in the Semi-Finals Durant is struggling. The statistics tell the tale: In 41.8 minutes per game Durant is averaging 24.3 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists. So, in comparison to the regular season Durant is scoring less, assisting less, playing more minutes, and rebounding the ball more. Conclusion – he’s not touching the rock often enough, and when he does, he’s in a bad position to score or create opportunities.
I would posit, however, that we need to stop placing the blame on Kevin Durant and turn our attention to 2 things: the Grizzlies defense, and OKC coach Scott Brooks’ adjustments, or lack thereof.
Usually when we see a scoring aficionado in the NBA having a rough game, we’re seeing them miss a lot of shots and make bad decisions trying to force the ball into the hole. While I would agree that Durant is doing both of those things, the problem runs much deeper.
If you’ve watched this series one thing is clear that rarely gets mentioned: Kevin Durant is never open. The Grizzlies are doing an amazing job not just bottling up Kevin Durant, but simple denying him the ball. It often baffles me that Durant is getting most of the criticism for the points on the court where he touches the ball (often beyond the 3-point arc). Surely some of the blame can go to Durant for not making more happen without the ball. But the Grizzlies have clearly done their homework.
Kevin Durant is being denied the ball, and Scott Brooks (in tandem with Westbrook averaging nearly 2 assists less in the playoffs than the reg. season) has not been able to adjust the offense to get the NBA’s leading scorer the opportunities he needs. Each of the five players out on the court are responsible for the fluidity and effectiveness of the offense.
Unfortunately, Durant sometimes forgets that fact as well. He knows the offensive responsibility he has on this team and when the Grizzlies continue to hamper him, Kevin has often tried to force shots and push isolation plays beginning beyond the 3-point arc, hence the 11 points on 3-14 shooting including nine 3-point attempts in Game 6.
The NBA is a coach’s league, and Scott Brooks needs to shoulder the responsibility for cracking this Grizzlies defense and help get Durant back on track. So in Game 7, Brooks must get Durant moving without the ball, and he must to find ways the offense can systematically feed Durant the ball to one. Get him open two-point looks in half-court sets, and two. Get him to the free throw line (a big part of the reason he led the NBA in scoring. In the Semi-Finals Durant has rarely driven the ball inside, therefore he isn’t getting to the line.
Will the necessary adjustments be made in Game 7 to get Durant going? Only time will tell, but considering this problem has existed throughout the series, and no adjustments have been made thus far, it seems likely the Thunder will have to find another way to win this game. James Harden anyone?
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