After a January in which multiple different players were sidelined with a variety of injuries, the Thunder started the month of February with a fully healthy roster (minus, of course, Andre Roberson). Which should be a good thing.
In theory.
The reality is a little bit more complicated because a fully healthy roster means a logjam for minutes.
Lu Dort made the most of his time playing in place of Terrance Ferguson. He played so well that he’s stayed in the starting lineup despite Ferguson returning to practice on Feb. 3 after missing eight straight games.
Ferguson has since been relegated to the bench. He played 14 minutes in Friday’s 108-101 win over the Pistons.
But those minutes have to come from someone else.
As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Hamidou Diallo, Mike Muscala, and Deonte Burton have not played in either game since Ferguson came back. Billy Donovan told Lee that 11 or 12 guys are just too many to rotate.
“In those situations,” Donovan said of the team’s January injuries, “we had a lot of different guys step up during those moments in time to really help us get through the month and have a pretty successful month. Now, as your team gets, you know, healthier, you’ve got to, you can’t play 11 or 12 people, just too many guys, but you also have to keep everybody engaged.”
It will be interesting to see how the rotation will play out as the second half of the season goes on.
Dort is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only spend 45 total days with the Thunder.
To help extend Dort’s stay in the NBA, Lee pointed out that Dort, while starting in games, is not practicing with the team.
Lu Dort is on a two-way contract, so he has a 45-day limit with the Thunder. He has not been practicing with the Thunder, Billy Donovan said. Film has been the key to keeping him up to date while he’s been starting.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) February 8, 2020
Diallo has been dealing with injury issues of his own this season, having missed 17 games earlier in the year with a hyperextended right elbow.