It was around this time last season when the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up the option for this season on head coach Billy Donovan’s contract. The decision was met with screams of dismay from a lot of fans given those fans wanted him to be fired.
Donovan had been coaching the team since the 2015-2016 season. Many thought he was the wrong choice because it was the last season that then Thunder star Kevin Durant was under contract. There were also concerns on how Donovan and star point guard Russell Westbrook would get along.
In his first season with the team, they won 55 games and made it to the western conference finals. They even had a 3-1 series lead on the Golden State Warriors, who that season went 73-9 which was a new NBA record. Everything seemed to be working for Donovan. It’s been a little downhill since then.
The Thunder went on to lose that series and Kevin Durant ended up leaving that off season to join the same team the Thunder lost to in the playoffs.
They lose Kevin Durant but they did acquire Victor Oladipo via trade and the team had a slight drop off in wins. They were nowhere near as good however. It was like a one man show with Russell Westbrook who became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple double for a season. Because of the high usage from Russ, many thought that Donovan had no control over him and Russ could do whatever he wanted. The teamed ended their season losing in the first round in 5 games. Russ averaged 30 shots a game and only shot 39% from the field. That’s when the murmurs of wanting him to be fired started.
The next season though, hope of being championship contenders appeared again. GM Sam Presti flipped Oladipo and rookie Domantas Sabonis for Allstar Paul George. He then flipped Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott for Allstar Carmelo Anthony. They now had a legit big 3 and everyone thought they’d compete with the Rockets and Warriors for a western conference championship.
That is far from what happened. The team showed flashes of how good they could be at times but could never put good stretches of basketball together for long stretches and they once again ended their season with a first round exit in the playoffs despite being 4th in the west. This made the murmurs of wanting Donovan fired turn in to screams. The feeling from many fans was that he didn’t know how to make all 3 of the stars fit together.
The Thunder organization still believed in Donovan though. Allowing him to come back and trading away Carmelo Anthony, who many around the league thought was the true problem due to his style of play, for then Hawks guard Dennis Schroeder.
The team didn’t quite have a big 3 but had a legit 2 and a guy who could come off the bench and be the teams 3rd option. There was still hope of contending.
However, once again, that is far from what happened. The team played slightly better basketball but couldn’t put it all together for long stretches. Just like the previous season. The Thunder once again ended their season with a first round exit despite being favored by most. The screams for Donovan to be fired turned into full blown shouting.
Shouts of just letting Russ do what he wants without any regard for the team. Shouts of Donovan not knowing how to coach NBA stars. Shots of of him underachieving with all of the talent he had. Just a lot of shouting. Fans were fed up and it might have been valid.
There were a lot of people who thought since the team lost in the first round again that the Thunder would let go of Donovan and bring in someone who could manage the stars better. The Thunder organization still believed in him though.
It wasn’t really known what to expect from the team after last season ended. Then all of a sudden they got hit. Paul George asked to be traded so he could join Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. After that trade, it was expected that they’d trade Russ and just rebuild and that’s what happened.
They didn’t end up empty handed after trading those two. They received Chris Paul from the Rockets for Russ, Danilo Galinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Clippers for PG and first round draft picks from both teams.
With Russ and PG gone, fans wanted Donovan to also be gone. The Thunder however had already picked up his option for the upcoming season and had no reason to let him go at that point. The thought then was to just let him coach this season and give him another contract when the season is up.
Donovan had other ideas.
The Thunder are currently 22-16 and 7th in the west. They are moving the ball better than ever, playing harder than ever, and never gives up in a game no matter the deficit. Donovan’s lineups and his in game and in season adjustments have been great. He even won the Western Conference Coach of the Month for December after the team went 11-4.
No one expected this. This team isn’t supposed to be this good. No one would have ever had them as the 7th in the west at any point of the season if you asked. He won’t win Coach of the Year but he should be in conversation. What he’s doing with the Thunder is some of the best coaching the NBA will see this year.
Simply put, Billy Donovan deserves another contract right now. The Thunder shouldn’t wait til the offseason because anything can happen and he could get a better offer from another team. There is no need to wait. There is enough evidence to show that he can really coach at a high level and should be the teams coach long term. They believed in him when the team was underachieving so they should continue to believe in him for the future.
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