Naturally, we tend to think of trades in terms of the players who were traded. But there's another side to these transactions, where a player is suddenly provided with added minutes and opportunity after his teammate is sent elsewhere. We saw big names like Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic and Lou Williams dealt before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, so it's worthwhile to look at the players who now benefit from some of these moves.
As we see in the NBA all the time, players who have been buried on the bench or labeled as role players can often change their perception given the chance, and addition by subtraction sometimes leads to improved performance. With that in mind, here are six players who should benefit from having their teammates traded at the deadline.
Wood was in the middle of an All-Star caliber season when he was forced to miss over a month with an ankle injury. When he returned, the Rockets had lost 17 games in a row, challenging for the league's worst record. The team has continued to lose after his return, and Wood's frustration came through when he complained about his lack of late-game touches in a close loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I would like to be more involved in the offense going down the stretch," Wood said after taking just two fourth-quarter shots in the loss to OKC. "There's often times where I've been left in the corner and taken out of the offense, and it kind of takes me out of rhythm."
Victor Oladipo was a main reason for Wood's lack of involvement late in games. Oladipo's fourth-quarter usage rate of 32.8 led the team, with Wood also falling below John Wall and Eric Gordon with a usage rate of 22.8 in the final frame. With Oladipo off to Miami, Wood should have much more opportunity in crunch time. His isolation efficiency hasn't been great, but he certainly has potential in that area late in games with his quickness and finishing ability.
The Rockets' net rating is 10.9 points per 100 possessions better with Wood on the floor, and he could soon emerge as the undisputed No. 1 offensive option for the first time since joining Houston.
One of the most tantalizingly talented young big men in the league, Williams will likely become the Celtics' full-time starting center with Daniel Theis traded to the Bulls. Williams has the look of a rim-runner and shot-blocker due to his length and athleticism -- and he does those things very well -- but he also has incredible playmaking and passing ability. In his first start of the season in Friday's 122-114 win over the Bucks, Williams dished out a career-high six assists to go along with seven points, nine rebounds and five blocks.
Boston is 24th in the NBA in assists, so getting Williams more heavily involved with the starters should generate more open looks for the league's 13th-ranked offense, and he'll provide much more rim protection than Theis. Williams is in the 82nd percentile, allowing 0.92 points per possession around the rim, according to Synergy Sports Technology. It will be fun to watch him on both ends as he becomes one of Boston's most important players down the stretch and into the playoffs.
It's safe to say that when the Clippers signed Kennard to a four-year, $64 million extension shortly after trading for him last offseason, they weren't expecting 7.9 points in fewer than 20 minutes per game. At times over the past month, Kennard has fallen completely out of the rotation. Part of the reason for Kennard's limited production was his positional redundancy with Lou Williams, who was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo at the deadline. With Williams out of the picture, Kennard should become a main scoring option in the bench unit, with Rondo potentially providing him with more open looks.
Kennard's shooting hasn't been a problem -- he's fifth in the NBA at 47.8 percent from 3-point range and is in the 91st percentile with 1.36 points per possession in catch-and-shoot scenarios, per Synergy -- but he's only taking six field goal attempts per game. The volume should increase with Williams elsewhere, now that Kennard has the freedom and confidence to fire away at a much higher clip.
He showcased his ability in a recent 21-point comeback against the Hawks, becoming the first Clipper in history to put up 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists in fewer than 20 minutes.
"I am so happy for Luke Kennard just staying ready, the way he's performed the last four games he's played," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the win over Atlanta. "He's definitely earned -- he's earned something."
One of a few exciting young guards on the Pelicans, Alexander-Walker struggled to find consistent playing time when JJ Redick was active. With Redick traded to Dallas, Alexander-Walker should slot into that backup shooting guard role and not have to worry about losing his rotation spot if he makes a mistake. He's been solid as a fill-in starter with Lonzo Ball out, and New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy recently explained that Alexander-Walker usually plays better when he knows he's going to get big minutes, a sentiment that Alexander-Walker agreed with.
"You're not really looking over your shoulder," Alexander-Walker said, via Pelicans.com. "You're able to play with, in a sense, no conscience, because you're just thinking about the game. You're not thinking about what can come if you make a decision that doesn't pan out the way you intended it. I'm trying to trust myself, so that even when I don't start, I can still come off the bench and provide effective things."
Since March 4, when Redick went down with an injury, Alexander-Walker is averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 38 percent 3-point shooting. He's also been excellent defending the pick-and-roll all season, allowing just 0.618 points per possession according to Synergy, which is in the 96th percentile. His length and activity can help a Pelicans defense that has been at the bottom of the league all season.
Steve Clifford is basically Old Mother Hubbard after the departure of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, so Okeke will get all the run he can handle as the Magic look toward the future. A redshirt rookie, Okeke has been a solid contributor off the bench for most of the season. In his first start after the trade deadline, Okeke put up a career-high 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-6 3-pointers, in 37 minutes.
Okeke profiles as a prototypical stretch-four, currently in the 98th percentile with 1.527 points per possession in catch-and-shoot situations, according to Synergy. His next step will be leveraging his shooting ability to take advantage of hard closeouts by putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim -- an area in which he's struggled so far, but shows potential.
If Okeke can continue to develop in the last couple of months of the season, a core of him, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr. is a decent starting point for Orlando's rebuild.
As is the case for most second-round picks, Lee has battled for minutes throughout his rookie season, occasionally stepping in when injuries hit the Pistons hard. He's certainly taken advantage of his opportunities, putting up 12.6 points and 3.9 assists per game on 59 percent shooting during a seven-game stretch from late February to early March with Delon Wright out of the lineup.
With Wright now traded to the Sacramento Kings, Lee should be able to compete for more consistent minutes. Killian Hayes, the No. 7 overall pick last November and the presumptive point guard of the future in Detroit, is still rehabbing from a torn labrum in his hip, and at this point it might not make much sense to bring him back in a top-of-the-lottery-bound season. Lee will be in the mix with Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Jackson and newly acquired Cory Joseph for minutes, though it's hard to imagine Joseph will see much playing time considering he's likely not in the Pistons' future plans.
Lee's lack of shooting will limit his effectiveness, but he's shown an ability to penetrate and draw fouls -- he took a career-high 10 free throws in Friday's loss to the Nets.
In a relatively small sample size, Lee is in the 96th percentile in overall offensive efficiency including assists, at 1.454 points per possession according to Synergy. It's definitely worth the Pistons giving him a hard look in some extended minutes to close out the season.
