Over their past two games, it has been noticeable that Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan has given the backup shooting guard minutes to rookie Terrance Ferguson over Alex Abrines. Not only is he not playing at the same level as he was last season, but the veteran head coach also noticed that he still needs to work on the way he plays defense.
Donovan said recently that the 24-year-old Spanish international brings a lot of positive things to the team whenever he's on the court, especially with stretching the floor and handing out assists. However, he also added, via Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript, that Abrines needs to “grow and develop” defensively.
“Alex on the floor with his ability to stretch the floor, his skill level, his understanding of how to play, handling passing and all those things are strong positives,” Donovan said. “But I do think that Alex continuing to grow and develop defensively is important.”
Through 19 games, Abrines is only averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game. He has also looked lost in the team's system, with the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in their lineup. Last year, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard played well for the Thunder, knocking down open baskets from the perimeter, allowing his teammates to have more room to operate near the basket.
Donovan hopes his comments will serve as a wake-up call to Abrines to focus more on his defense, in order to receive the usual amount of playing time he was getting. It will only make him a better all-around player, as well as help the Thunder turn their fortunes around this season.
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