OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder arguably go deeper into their bench than any team in the NBA.
The reigning champions delve into their depth out of strategy – not out of need.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after Game 1 of their second-round playoff series that his goal was to get all 11 of his rotation players minutes during the first half of the series opener. The Lakers plan to dive deeper into their bench in Game 2 on Thursday night, not to the extent that the Thunder do, but a little bit farther down the line than normal after losing reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt to a finger dislocation during the second quarter of Game 1.
“We’ll play at least nine a nine-man (rotation),” Lakers coach JJ Redick said shortly before Game 2.
When asked if he had a plan for who would play in the gap created by Vanderbilt’s absence, Redick said he did. But when asked if he would divulge further, Redick quipped back.
“You’ll find out in an hour and a half,” Redick said with a laugh.
Redick called the Thunder’s optionality, having the luxury of deploying players who had seen less playing time lately, such as Jared McCain and Aaron Wiggins, an “advantage” in the series.
During Game 1, McCain – a former Corona Centennial High standout – scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting in 15 minutes after playing just 22 minutes total during the Thunder’s first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns. Wiggins earned five minutes off the bench in Game 1, spelling the Thunder’s backcourt firepower.
“The amount of energy our guys have to expend (compared to the Thunder),” Redick said, pointing out the way the Thunder can rest its starters more if they want to. “What did (Isaiah) Hartenstein play the other night? Played 23 minutes or 24 minutes? He’s their starting center. … That’s one of their strengths as a team, is their depth.”
Daigneault didn’t go so far as to call his team’s depth an advantage, nor did he say that how the Lakers attack the game is a significant factor with how he uses his bench. But he acknowledged that the Thunder’s bench usage is part of their philosophical approach.
“I would say that the decision to play a lot of guys and the way that we do that is independent of the opponent,” Daigneault said. “We’re not looking at it based on the Lakers. We want to be a team that can put a lot of different people on the court, maintain optionality through the course of the series or the game.”
Beyond the Lakers’ evolving second-round rotations, Redick stressed that his team would need to move into its offense quicker during Game 2 and in the remainder of the series. They scored just 90 points in their Game 1 loss, their fewest since April 7 (87 points), the last time the Lakers played the Thunder in the regular season.
“I think we had 27 possessions, (assistant coach Scott Brooks) counted, where we crossed half-court with like 17 or 18 on the shot clock,” Redick said. “(We were) just walking the ball up. We need to get into our stuff quicker and run our stuff with more pace when we are in the half-court. And then we’ve got to do a better job of screening.”
On the injury front, Vanderbilt was officially scratched before the game with his pinky finger dislocation after being listed as doubtful. Redick said Wednesday that the 27-year-old forward was wearing a splint.
Veteran swingman Luke Kennard, on the other hand, was upgraded from questionable to available for Game 2 after being listed on the injury report with neck soreness. Redick said Kennard had been dealing with neck soreness over the last few weeks, but he said he felt “better” on Thursday.