OKLAHOMA CITY -- With 2 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first quarter of the Thunder's game Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant headed for the bench and, for the first time this preseason, left Russell Westbrook on the floor without him.
It's long been a complaint for the Thunder's previous coaching regime, to split time between Durant and Westbrook, staggering their minutes so as to leave one of them on the court at all times. And as coach Billy Donovan teased the Thunder's rotation in the team's penultimate exhibition outing, one of the big rotational takeaways was his apparent intention to try and pull that off.
"Clearly we'd like to have those guys on the floor," Donovan said, "but also being mindful of helping those guys really be efficient and letting them get into a flow but also getting them some rest."
The benefit to doing it is pretty obvious -- you have either Durant or Westbrook on the court rather than not having Durant or Westbrook on the court. Both players have adapted in the past couple seasons to playing without the other, and they have each reached incredible individual heights in doing so. One of the Thunder's apparent strengths is their impressive depth, and playing that imposing second unit alongside either Durant or Westbrook only furthers that depth.
"We've got good players," Durant said. "Things tend to be easier when you have your best players on the floor. We can mix a lot of different lineups, and that's what coach did tonight."
Not that previous former head coach Scott Brooks never pulled this tactic in the past, but it wasn't a standard maneuver. The Thunder had a structured rotation that relied on turning the second unit over to creative attackers, whether it be James Harden or Reggie Jackson.
Last season's sample size is smaller because Durant played in just 27 games, but of his 913 total minutes, 713 came playing with Westbrook (78 percent). In 2013-14, Westbrook missed 36 games, but of his 1,412 total minutes, 1,369 were with Durant (97 percent). Their last full season in which neither missed extended time (2012-13), of Durant's 3,119 minutes, 2,619 came alongside Westbrook (84 percent). Flip it around, and of Westbrook's 2,861 minutes that season, 92 percent were with Durant.
The Thunder are extraordinary when those two are playing together, so it makes sense to have them combined as much as possible. Last season, the Thunder were a plus-9.3 points per 100 possessions with Durant and Westbrook on the court. In 2012-13, they were an eye-popping plus-12.5.
But those were different rosters with different strengths (and weaknesses). This Thunder incarnation is deeper than ever, and while having the two supernovas together is ideal, staggering them more often would seem to bring the best out of the secondary pieces. Westbrook's solo act on Sunday featured plenty of time combining with Enes Kanter (with whom Westbrook found a strong pick-and-roll connection last season), while Durant spent a lot of time with Serge Ibaka.
Donovan has been experimenting with different lineup combinations throughout the preseason, but he is settling in as the season opener nears. Durant played a preseason-high 31 minutes and had his best outing yet (23 points on 9-of-14 shooting), doing his best to put the, "How are you feeling?" questions to bed.
"Next question," he deadpanned, when asked about it yet again.
Because of foul trouble, Westbrook played just 27 minutes, but he still managed 17 points and 12 assists. Kanter had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Ibaka had 18 on 7-of-8 shooting. Dion Waiters had 17 on 7-of-13. The Thunder were balanced, letting the muscles of the roster flex as Durant and Westbrook orchestrated it all, whether together or separate.
"It felt good to kind of know the rotation," Durant said. "I'm sure [Donovan] is going to tinker with it a little bit more, but it's good to play more than just two quarters."