The elephant in the room
the elephant .... Nov 19, 2017
I think with Russ, he may be declining athletically due to his knees.
His shot and layups all seem short.
He is not getting the assistance from his legs, like he used to.
Dec 13,2018
Let’s address the elephant in the room ….. Russ has struggled mightily.
He has been defensively poor in pnr coverage and screening, electing to stay in no mans land which is putting the backside rotations into chaos.
He is trailing his player and forcing a lazy switch without picking up the switched Big.
If Russ’s player is pushed back to him ,he waits for him, giving the big an open lane to the rim.
He was the cause of many defensive breakdowns and pts in the paint because he wouldn’t pick up a player .
While I can understand, that health may be a factor for Russ, this problem is only going to get worse as teams will actively target Russ and put him in pnr situations, just like the Pels did.
OKC cannot keep covering for him.
Offensively, Russ is not attacking the rm , making ft’s and he is turning the ball over and his shot is off.
It’s been at least 10 games since Russ’s return and imo, it is more than a lack of fitness or confidence.
Russ is starting the games looking tired and flat .
It would be diff if he started of energetic, at least on the defensive side but he hasn’t.
He seems to be saving himself for the 4th Q.
For nationally televised games , Russ goes all out but he was very quiet and I wouldn’t say it was him being controlled because he was clearly frustrated.
He has been frustrated for a while.
Imo, I think his legs might be done.
He is lacking explosiveness and lift.
If this is the case, then OKC will have to look at monitoring Russ’s mins, which games he should play and if necessary, look at giving him rest to see if his knees improve.
Playoffs is a long way off and in the meantime ,OKCneed to look at a management plan for Russ.
Jan 3, 2019
Okc is ranked 20th in off rtg even tho they lead in stls,deflections and off rebs.
It’s also painfully obvious that opposing teams r dropping off Russ and encouraging him to shoot.
Without his speed and athleticism, Russ’s offensive impact and okc’s offense is severely limited .
Jan 8,2019
Context …. This season, Russ is 7th in usg% among starters and 245/301 for efg%.
His efg% and ts% has dropped.
efg%/ts%
2015/16 48.9% / 55.4%
2016/17 47.6% / 55.4%
2017/18 47.7% / 52.4 %
2018/19 44.6% / 47.5%
Last 4 games 41% / 46.1%
OKC’s problem is that they need Russ to be almost MVP-like to contend but he can’t.
He is not a shooter and his game relies on his athleticism.
Russ is declining and he has been since his MVPyear..
Schroder is definitely a problem but
is OKC’s biggest problem.
