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There has been quite a bit of talk about positionless basketball in Mark Daigneault’s press conferences leading into the season. He said that to continue playing with three-guard lineups, the team would also need to have three-wing lineups to balance the minutes.
That’s something Daigneault thinks the roster is capable of doing.
“The thing that’s a little underrated about that with this team is I think the versatility of some of the wing players is what allows you to do that,” he said.
“If you stack one lineup with three guards, then whatever you’re rotating in front of that or behind it is not going to be as guard-heavy.”
With athletic players who have long wingspans like Hamidou Diallo and Darius Bazley, forwards who can fill different roles like Darius Miller and Kenrich Williams, bigs with range in Mike Muscala and Al Horford, and the mystery of the soon-to-be-19-year-old named Aleksej Pokusevski, Oklahoma City could theoretically put up an array of different-looking lineups.
This will be key to some guys getting quality minutes. Diallo, for instance, has spoken about his willingness to play a versatile role. A 6-foot-5 guard with a 6-foot-11 wingspan who isn’t a lead playmaker, he’s a player who would have to expand his game.
“Positionless basketball is the way that the league is going. Everybody being able to contribute on offense and defense,” he said.
“Being able to guard multiple positions, and on the offensive side, being able to play multiple positions, being able to have your center start the offense, being able to have your wing start the offense, that’s pretty much what the league is going to.”
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It’s a young team, but it’s not too early to start instilling these traits into its players. It’s actually a good time, given that the front office doesn’t mind losing games this season.
Daigneault can be patient will players and get creative with his lineups this year. He should see how they mix the lineup up in almost a 2K style of team management mode:
- Starters: Hill, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Bazley, Horford
- Length: SGA, Diallo, Bazley, Pokusevski, Horford
- Shooting: Hill, SGA, Miller, Pokusevski, Horford (Muscala as a secondary center option, but Horford’s defense would be needed in this group)
- Defense: SGA, Diallo, Dort, Bazley, Horford
- Playmakers: Hill, Maledon, SGA, Bazley, Pokusevski
- The future: Maledon, SGA, Dort, Bazley, Pokusevski
Mix it up. Worst case is it doesn’t work and the team loses a lot of games. Best case is the players develop, Bazley becomes a better playmaker and Pokusevski can start learning to play any position on the court.
That final one won’t happen immediately, particularly with Daigneault is taking it slow with the Serbian and letting him learn the wing position before moving him to center. That’s smart, particularly as the rookie gets accustomed to the culture in this country, and that “playmaker” lineup would probably feature Horford in Pokusevski’s spot. There’s a chance Pokusevski doesn’t even see center this season.
But I’m curious how the team mixes-and-matches this year. The Thunder may end up with 20 wins, but they can absolutely be a fun team worth watching, too.
This is the first of a three-article series heading into the Thunder’s 2020-21 season.
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