OKC Thunder Continue Playing Center by Committee
Entering the 2021-22 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't have a dominant center on the roster. Additionally, the bigs they did have one the team lacked size.
In fact, the only 7-footer on the roster was Aleksej Pokusevski, who plays more of a wing than a big.
As such, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault would have to get creative with his rotations.
To this point in the season, he's gone with a center by committee approach. Both veteran Derrick Favors and rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have split starts thus far. Robinson-Earl has notched ten starts while Favors has started in eight games in total. They even both shared the floor in the starting lineup against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night as OKC went big in the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Favors has produced 6.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest. Although traditional center, he's been great in the mid-range.
On the flip side, Robinson-Earl is more of a stretch big, averaging 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game as he's converted on 36.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
While those two have shared starting duties, Mike Muscala has also filled out the center rotation, doing an excellent job. A sniper from beyond the arc, he's been a huge lift off the bench for the Thunder. Muscala has averaged 9.0 points in just 14.7 minutes per game while shooting 44.0% from deep.
As the Thunder continue to exceed expectations, it's been impressive to see how much production Daigneault has been able to get out of these three centers independently.
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