Drapkin: Are Presti And Donovan Done Signing Guards For Oklahoma City Thunder?

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Sam Presti and Billy Donovan have been making a decent amount of moves this offseason. But are they targeting the right areas?

Donovan is replacing defensive-specializing coach Scott Brooks for the head coach job in Oklahoma City, and now that the starting 2-guard slot alongside Russell Westbrook does not have to be filled by a stalwart on D, doors have opened up for any OKC guard to start next to Westbrook as a combo or shooting guard.

After signing undrafted free agent shooting guard Michael Qualls on Tuesday night, the Thunder now have six guards on the roster aside from Westbrook. Those are Qualls, D.J. Augustin, Dion Waiters, Cameron Payne, Andre Roberson, and Anthony Morrow. 

Roberson got the majority of the starts at the 2-slot last season, as his proficient defending won over coach Brooks. That signing made for some offensive problems when Westbrook and 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant were injured over the course of the year, as the lack of versatility for Roberson made it hard for the Thunder to add more prongs to their normally-stellar scoring ability. 

Dion Waiters got some starts later in the year after being shipped from Cleveland right before the trade deadline. His inconsistence made it hard for the Thunder to predict what kind of performances they would see from the score-first guard, and it ended up biting OKC a bit, being one of the possible factors along with injury to the Thunder's absence from the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

D.J. Augustin also came over at the deadline, as he joined the Thunder as part of the Reggie Jackson deal. Augustin has been a top-quality backup point guard for the bulk of his NBA career thus far. He will most likely stay in that role, but may have some competition from 2015 draftee Cameron Payne out of Murray State, whom OKC picked at the point with the 14th overall pick last Thursday in Brooklyn.

Payne is very unlikely to start in his first few seasons, especially with his natural position and skill set being that of a point man. On defense, and this goes for any of these guys, Westbrook could guard the opposing shooting guard due to his 6'4" size, leaving the backcourt player alongside Westbrook to guard the opposing floor general. OKC most likely drafted Payne as a backup route for if Westbrook goes down or leaves the team in 2017 free agency, but Cam was also the best available player and could potentially be utilized in a larger and more regulated role. 

Michael Qualls is just a solid role player pickup for OKC who could potentially turn into an underrated weapon as the Thunder develop and polish his bag of tricks.

The question is, with all this evident depth at the guard slots, why are Sam Presti and Billy Donovan so determined in signing more guards over other positions?

Well, actually, Donovan played three starting guards when coaching at the University of Florida, showing his care and attention to skill and scoring in the backcourt. With Kevin Durant at the 3 for OKC, there is no chance of three backcourt players ending up in the OKC starting lineup in the near future. So that leaves the second guard spot really up for anyone.

It really may be a matter of sorting out who is productive for the Thunder, but this depth is needed at second glance. Russell Westbrook and Dion Waiiters have had their fair share of career injuries, and solid backups are vital after Reggie Jackson was there in 2014 but won't be this upcoming season. Anthony Morrow is still the electric bench player he has always been, and Andre Roberson, well he could potentially start if defense still takes precedence in Oklahoma City. 

While Payne and Qualls develop (along with possibly Quinn Cook, a Summer League signee for the Thunder), there are two clear options for the other slot in the OKC backcourt.

It's Waiters or Roberson for OKC. 

But wait, weren't those guys already there for the Thunder? Yes, they were. However, Billy Donovan now has a full array of options laid out in front of him to make the best choice for the team. These young acquisitions have added needed depth and inexpensive potential to the team, but now there is less energy and wealth to spend filling up other positions.

Drafting Dakari Johnson was a good move to help back up the center position for Oklahoma City, as the Thunder certainly have Steven Adams, guaranteeing two centers on the roster for the start of the '15-'16 season. The Thunder have stated that re-signing Enes Kanter is their top offseason priority, and if they re-up with Kanter, they will be 100 percent set at the 5 slot in the middle. Kanter is a stellar developing young center who produced excellently in 2015 when he came to Loud City after the trade deadline, and can add defensive and offensive talent and multi-facetedness. 

That leaves the forward slots, which could be in serious need of third-string options. At the 3 are KD and Perry Jones III, Durant being a superstar and Jones a worthy backup. OKC is expected to re-sign trade deadline-acquired Kyle Singler this offseason to a three-year deal on top of Kanter, if Singler does not return to Presti's organization, the Thunder have nobody else to play the three. The next best option on the roster is practically NBA-incompetent Steve Novak, who pretty much just shoots threes in less than ten minutes of play per game.

So the new priority is small forward for Presti. These guard acquisitions are certainly justified once analyzed, and the center position is all set. 

Now with the 4 slot. Serge Ibaka is a solidified, young, energetic player at that power forward role, and can play the stretch at times with his occasionally hot three-point shooting. This is possibly the deepest, most accounted-for position for the Thunder roster, as behind the Serge Protector are potential-filled Mitch McGary, veteran stud Nick Collison, and also Novak, who is technically a stretch 4. Collison has been a proven role player for this organization now for the longest time, McGary shined in his appearances often in 2014-2015, and Novak, well, is Steve Novak. But he does at another kind of option at that role for coach Donovan.

Seems like OKC have a pretty good picture of their roster and depth chart for 2015-2016. Other than re-signing Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler this offseason, there should be some other goals set. 

First, the most obvious, Presti needs to work on trying to reach a contract extension for 2016 free agent Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook becomes a free agent the following offseason, so his happiness and locking-up should be paid some heed.

Now, the only position that could use reinforcement is the small forward, where there are a few feasible and cost-effective options on the market. Al-Farouq Aminu is already gone on a big deal to the Trail Blazers. Multiple others 3s have opted into the final years of their contracts.

Some intriguing veterans are out there, most notably Richard Jefferson, Tayshaun Prince, and Shawn Marion. These three players not only could provide critical reserve minutes and stability under pressure, but also veteran leadership on the court and in the locker rooms. With all these young guys now on the roster for the Thunder, having a veteran presence other than Nick Collison could go a long way in speeding up the development of players like Cameron Payne.

Sam Presti will have a very interesting and yet unnappreciated and underrated offseason of minor moves in Oklahoma City. Will it reap great benefit with coach Donovan for the 2015-2016 season? All spectators can hope for is that it will help OKC get back to their top-of-the-West winning ways.