Enes Kanter, DJ Augustin Proving to Be Absolute Steals for Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off two huge steals when they acquired Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin at the Feb. 19 NBA trade deadline.
Kanter is showing his immense offensive potential as the team's starting center, while Augustin is a steady backup to All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook.
To bring in Kanter and Augustin, the Thunder gave up some low-level assets in Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, Tibor Pleiss and a 2017 first-round pick. Jackson's forthcoming free agency, potential high price tag and diminishing role left the team little choice but to move him, while the chance to acquire a low-post scorer in Kanter made the offensively challenged Perkins expendable despite what he meant off the floor to this team. The chances of Jerrett, Pleiss and the future pick cracking the rotation on a deep team built to win now were slim.
Kanter began his Thunder career by filling in for Steven Adams, who suffered a fractured hand on Feb. 8, but he has played so well that it will be tough for Adams to reclaim his starting spot. The 22-year-old Kanter is averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 28.2 minutes while notching four double-doubles in his first nine games. By comparison, Adams has just five double-doubles in his first year-and-a-half in the league.
The 27-year-old Augustin, a former college teammate of Kevin Durant at Texas, gives OKC a few things they didn't have with Jackson. He's a career 37.3 percent shooter from three-point range, and his skills as a facilitator makes him a more comfortable fit alongside Westbrook.
Financially, this was a stroke of genius by general manager Sam Presti. The $9.1 million Perkins was owed this season essentially paid for Kanter ($6 million) and Augustin ($3 million) to be on the roster. Plus, instead of getting into a bidding war for Jackson's services, the team can focus on addressing an area of need by using that money to re-sign Kanter this summer.
In any trade, a team hopes to end up with the best player in the deal. Given the way Kanter and Augustin have played so far, you can make the case the Thunder walked away with the best two, and it cost them next to nothing to do so.
The Kanter Man Can
In less than a month, Kanter has established himself as the best offensive center to ever put on a Thunder uniform. That's both a testament to the immediate impact the Turkish big man has provided as well as a sad commentary on the lack of proven options that came before him.
The chart below shows how Kanter's scoring compares to the production of Oklahoma City's top starting center since the team moved from Seattle after the 2007-08 season. The position has been typically held down by one person with the exception of the inaugural 2008-09 campaign, when Nenad Krstic (yes, that Nenad Krstic) and Nick Collison both saw significant time as the pivot man.
If you're still not impressed, consider this little tidbit from Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
No, that's not a typo. Kanter is the only center in franchise history to reach the 20-point, 10-rebound mark in a game, and he's done it twice already while still getting adjusted to his new surroundings. That's not too shabby for a kid barely over the legal drinking age.
The importance of having Kanter's presence down low can't be overstated. With Durant still a week or two away from returning and Westbrook's tendency to force the issue, it helps to have someone who can get easy buckets.
The giant is shooting 62.5 percent from less than five feet this season, and the Thunder have shown a tendency to call his number when the offense hits a rut, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman pointed out after the team's Feb. 26 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
"With nothing else working, the Thunder began pounding the ball inside, using Kanter as a source of offense that OKC has never really had. Kanter quickly generated back-to-back trips to the foul line, where he made all four and brought back some semblance of calm to the Thunder’s attack.
It was an eye-opening illustration of what a low-post scorer can do for the Thunder when the team’s perimeter shots aren't falling and its attacking players aren't being rewarded with foul calls.
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Kanter wasted little time developing chemistry with Westbrook, as 23 of the newbie's 51 successful field-goal attempts have been assisted by the NBA's masked avenger.
That's the third-most of any player that's lent Kanter a hand this season, behind only the Utah Jazz's Trey Burke (44) and Gordon Hayward (37). Westbrook and Kanter's work together should be an effective weapon going forward.
A lot has been made about Kanter's porous defense and, in fairness to the detractors, it's pretty bad. According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting 61 percent from within six feet with the former lottery pick defending and 50 percent overall.
However, Kanter wasn't brought in to be the second coming of Mark Eaton, and the Thunder are wise to pair him with a human brick wall like Adams or Serge Ibaka. While his defense is a liability, his low-post scoring, surprisingly good passing and work on the boards make it a fair sacrifice.
D.J. Hero
The Thunder could have traded Jackson for Augustin straight-up and still came out ahead. When you look at the comparison of both players' time in OKC, the drop-off in production hasn't been severe, and Augustin even holds one key advantage.
| Name | Games | Points Per Game | Assists Per Game | Field-Goal Percentage | Three-Point Percentage |
| Jackson | 50 | 12.8 | 4.3 | 43.2 | 27.8 |
| Augustin | 10 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 39.2 | 39.0 |
Augustin's 39 percent mark from downtown is huge when you consider the team's other options in the backcourt. Jackson and Dion Waiters, the team's former and current sixth-men, both lack consistent three-point range. Andre Roberson has never been a shooting threat, while Westbrook has managed to achieve his offensive dominance despite being a career 30.3 percent shooter from behind the arc.
Beyond the stats, Augustin is a quick learner who comes with a winning pedigree.
"He’s only been here for a couple of weeks now and he’s still learning the system defensively and offensively," head coach Scott Brooks said of Augustin after the team's March 1 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, per Mayberry. "But he’s a winner…I thought he did a good job throughout the game.”
Another big difference in the transition from Jackson to Augustin is demeanor. Jackson's production dropped every month leading up to his departure. He sulked after the team's acquisition of Waiters and seemed glad to leave his old team behind in an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
| Month | Minutes Per Game | Points Per Game | Assists Per Game | |
| November | 38.2 | 19.5 | 7.5 | |
| December | 28.4 | 12.4 | 3.1 | |
| January | 21.1 | 9.4 | 2.8 | |
| February (6 games) | 19.2 | 6.3 | 3.5 |
Augustin, on the other hand, said all the right things after joining his new squad.
"I just want to do whatever I can to help the team. Just come in and play hard, do all the right things on defense and everything will take care of itself." Augustin said, per Slater.
The little Longhorn's leadership and floor-spacing are welcomed additions, but removing Jackson's negative energy from the locker room made this a huge win for the Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have managed to stay competitive for years by making savvy deals and drafting well. The team's performance at the trade deadline is a key example of the former, as the acquisition of Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin is the kind of robbery that would make GTA fans proud.
Kanter is the offensive yin to Steven Adams' defensive yang.
Together, they give Oklahoma City a young, two-headed monster up front that battles in the trenches with the best the West has to offer.
Augustin is a veteran leader who can contribute both as Russell Westbrook's caddy and occasional sidekick.
With one swift move, the Thunder immediately improved their present without mortgaging their future.
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