2019-20 NBA season regular season has started, and 66% of the schedule has been completed. Thunder team has 34 wins and 22 losses, with a winning rate of 60.7%, ranking sixth and seventh in the Western Conference, entangled with Dallas Mavericks rankings, and closely followed Houston Rockets. This is of course a surprising season for Thunder fans who most likely thought the Thunder general manager repeatedly emphasized that the team is "not rebuilding" but just showing off their strength. Behind the Thunder's playing more like a team and having a better record than expected, the success of Paul, Alexander and Schroeder forming the "three-point guard lineup" is undoubtedly the biggest highlight.
Until yesterday's home game defeat, Alexander (56 games, averaged 19.3 points per game), Schroeder (55 games, averaged 19.1 points per game), and Paul (55 games, averaged 17.6 points per game) averaged 56 points per game. According to NBA.com statistics, in the 54 games they played together, the offensive efficiency value (offensive rating) of this group of "three-point guard lineups" when they played at the same time was as high as 127.9 points, ranking first in the league's "three-man combination"; the defensive efficiency value (defensive rating) is 98.3 points, subtracting the difference (net rating) ranked third in 29.6 points - further limited the "three-man combination" with more than 40 games (=80% play rate), and net rating of this group of three-point guard combinations once again became the first.
Head coach Donovan said in an interview a few days ago that he believed that putting these three point guards from different eras on the court at the same time will have a good effect, so he spent a lot of time communicating with the three players about their respective roles and positionings. It is great to see that the players are willing to work together to maximize their team combat power.
Senior veterans lead young players to grow, young players help senior veterans reduce the burden and cooperate to achieve beautiful results.
Paul, 34 years old, is already at the end of his career as a professional player, without having to control the game in full, allowing him to better adjust his physical fitness, maintain the best game situation in recent years, and play his dominant power to take over the game at important moments. This season, Paul missed one game because of Kobe's sudden death. In the last 5 minutes of the game and within 5 points in the two teams' score difference, Paul has a strong presence, playing like a top star, once again polishing his signature, and once again selected for the All-Star team.
Schroeder, 27 years old, is about to enter the peak of his career, and has become the scorer that the team relies most on when the battle situation is tense many times this season. He has always been very confident in himself, and the clear task allows him to perform more freely. In the second season of relegation from the start, Schroeder made the most stable performance in his career seven seasons, becoming a popular candidate for the Sixth Person of the Year award.
I think the key role in the three-point guard lineup is 22-year-old Alexander.
Alexander, 22 years old, starts all 56 games in 56 games, with the highest number of games and hours in the team. His skills are comprehensive, average, and have no obvious weaknesses. Although he is not a scoring explosive ace that can average 25 to 30 points, nor is he a big defensive lock, he can hold the ball, do not have the ball, and has the ability to shoot and cut and break through three-pointers above the league average. When paired with Paul or Schroeder, he has a certain level of guarding the No. 2 position and the third position when playing at the same time.
Contemporary league style Alexander has all the skills package requirements for players No. 1 to No. 3, from the backcourt to the wing, and make up for whatever is lacking. Alexander's adaptability allowed the other two members to be short in three-point guard lineup, which can play together for 373 minutes - the last 3 to 4 minutes of the first half and the second half of each game; Alexander's adaptability created the opportunity for two-way contract rookie Dort to show his strength; Alexander's adaptability allowed the coaching team to dispatch and more importantly the management team building planning, which gave more flexibility and imagination space.
Compared with the growth of data, the comprehensive style and accumulation of experience that Alexander showed in this season is the most happy thing for Thunder. After being abandoned by Kevin Durant and bid farewell to Westbrook , the Thunder were lucky enough to find the next young player who was enough to be the core of the team building.
Alexander is thin, stretching the ball player and extending his body to create a space for cutting layups. This is a personal offensive feature that you will see several times in every game. I think he is the next generation of "layout king" after the legendary star of the Supersonics/Thunder in history, after the legendary star of the Thunder Payton . Therefore, this time, we must also find this typical example that can represent his layup.
Alexander, who was selected into the All-Star Week rookie again this season, is the next challenge goal to be the All-Star Game. He will continue to work hard with his style. I believe that he will have the opportunity to continue the Thunder's player record in the All-Star Game for 11 consecutive seasons.
