The Oklahoma City Thunder need Anthony Morrow on the floor

If OKC's going to survive without Kevin Durant, they need spacing. And that spacing relies on Anthony Morrow.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are under-manned. Even with the additions they made at the trade deadline with D.J. Augustin and Enes Kanter, without Kevin Durant and now Serge Ibaka, they're having to piece together wins in any way possible. 

If they're going to survive, no matter how long Durant and Ibaka are out, and if they're going to make any significant noise in the playoffs vs. what looks to be one of the best teams in NBA history (according to point differential) in the Warriors, they have to find a way to get the most out of what they have. 

And that means Anthony Morrow is going to have to play more minutes, to a significant degree. Since Durant went out with continuing foot problems on February 19th, Morrow is playing roughly 20 minutes per game. With the additions of Kyle Singler and Dion Waiters, coach Scott Brooks has gone to a platoon approach. He has played Dion Waiters significant minutes, presumably because of his defensive value over Morrow. 

The problem is that isn't how things are working out. 

With Morrow on the floor since Durant went down, the Thunder are 12.2 points per 100 possessions better than their opponent with Morrow on the floor, and 8.2 points per 100 possessions worse than their opponent with him off. So overall, Morrow makes for a difference of 20.4 points per 100 possessions. If you're wondering, that's a huge amount. 

The offensive impact is obvious, particularly with Westbrook on the floor. When Westbrook attacks in transition or in pick and roll situations, the defense is forced to collapse. This leaves the wing open. But two factors play in: the ability for the wings to knock down shots and the confidence and trust that a point guard has in his shooters. A point guard has to feel like if he passes it to you, you can knock it down. And it's clear Westbrook has that confidence in Morrow. 

Morrow's a ridiculous shooter, shooting 43 percent from 3-point range for his career and 42 percent from three with the Thunder this season. But this is especially important with the Thunder, and with Westbrook on the floor. 

Watch what happens with this double screen. Because of the cluster that's created high, Morrow's man, Ellis, has to sink down to challenge Westbrook when he turns the corner. And watch how fast Morrow makes the decision to dish to Morrow. 

Morrow opens things for Westbrook as well. Westbrook shoots 44 percent with Morrow on the court this season, just 42 percent when Morrow's on the bench. And since Durant went down, it gets even more important for Morrow to be on the floor. The Thunder are plus-13.9 with Westbrook and Morrow on the floor, and minus-5.9 per 100 with Westbrook on the court and Morrow on the bench. 

Westbrook needs Morrow on the floor to be the best he can be. It's not just in standard half-court sets, though. The Thunder are the second-best team in the league in offensive rebound percentage; they create a huge number of extra possessions. And the best way to punish a team off an offensive rebound is to find a shooter when the defense is scrambled. 

And Morrow pretty much makes them into an omelet. 

In late-game situations is where the Thunder have struggled the most in the past, as it becomes all one-on-one basketball. That's not a bad thing when the options are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. But without Durant, you need that spacing option. Morrow's only taken 19 shots in games within five points in the final five minutes, but he's shooting 42 percent on them, and 42 percent from 3-point land then. 

Late in a key game vs. the Bulls several weeks ago, Morrow nailed this dagger that shows just how valuable he can be in those situations. 

In many cases, Brooks has opted to play Dion Waiters at the two-guard spot over Morrow, with the idea that Waiters' defense is key to keeping the Thunder in games. The problem is that though Morrow certainly does have defensive liabilities, the defense is actually worse by about two points per 100 possessions with Waiters on the floor vs. Morrow. Interestingly, when both are on the floor is when the defense shines, holding opponents to a 101.4 defensive efficiency, as opposed to 104.0 when Waiters is on and Morrow sits. 

Morrow's spacing even helps Waiters, who has been terrible at shooting this season. Waiter shoots 43 percent with Morrow on, just 34.7 percent when Morrow's off the floor. I'm hammering this dead horse here to point out the obvious-- Morrow's presence has correlated with better performance from Westbrook, Waiters, and defensive stalwart Andre Roberson (in limited minutes). 

Morrow's got to be on the floor. There's no evidence to suggest that the Thunder struggle defensively with Morrow on the court (at least to a higher degree) and every reason to believe that he's vital to what OKC needs to do offensively. The worrisome component is how the defense melts into a puddle when Westbrook is on the floor. The Thunder have a sky-high 109.2 defensive rating when Westbrook and Morrow on the court since Durant went down. However, they actually have a worse rating, 110.3 when Morrow sits and Westbrook plays, and the offense plummets. 

In a weird twist that needs a lot of context we don't have time here to explain, since Durant went down, the Thunder have defended better with Morrow on the floor (97 points per 100 possessions allowed) vs. when Westbrook and Morrow share the floor (the 109 mark mentioned previously). A lot of that has to do with situation and opponent. But it is interesting and it lends further proof to the fact that Morrow simply does not reflect as a poor defender. Synergy Sports lists him in the 29th percentile in guarding spot-up shooters, and the 27th percentile in guarding out of the pick and roll, but every where else, he's solid to good. 

OKC has a big challenge ahead of them even with a three-game lead for the 8th seed. They have to manage until their better players return, if they return, and if not, they have to find a way to compete with the Warriors. But one thing's clear. To do that, they're going to need Morrow, and a lot more of him. 

The Thunder need Anthony Morrow on the floor. (USATSI)