Why does okc start sefolosha

I want to be in a good place with a chance to win something. Sefolosha was acquired by the Thunder in the season and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup, where he remained until Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs a week ago. When he went to the bench, he was taken completely out of the rotation.

At 30 years old, Sefolosha's future with Oklahoma City has seemed cloudy for a while. He's still an excellent defender, but his three-point percentage dropped from 42 percent to 31 percent this season, and the Thunder have young wing player Jeremy Lamb waiting for an opportunity. Reggie Jackson performed admirably when given the starting two-guard spot against the Spurs, putting pressure on the defense with his ability to create offense and run the pick-and-roll.

More Central News ». More FS Central News ». View all Central Sites. More Southeast News ». More FS Southeast News ». View all Southeast Sites. More Northwest News ». More FS Northwest News ». View all Northwest Sites. More Pacific News ». More FS Pacific News ».

View all Pacific Sites. Granted, any team would struggle with their two best players out of form, but one of Cook's advantages over Sefolosha is that he can make it easier for Durant and Westbrook to score by spreading the floor. Prior to starting, Cook's role was similar to Kyle Korver of the Chicago Bulls , with the team requiring nothing more than a few three-pointers off the bench from him.

However, unlike Korver, Cook plays acceptable amount of defense to go with his points scored, which allows him to stay on the court longer. Still, no one is expecting Cook or Sefolosha to play major minutes as long as Harden continues his surge into potential stardom. But as long as Brooks requires The Beard to start games on the bench, the starting lineup will always be looking for more offense, and Cook will provide more points than Sefolosha will. The difference between starting Sefolosha for Cook may only be a few points, but those few points could very well be what separates a championship contender from a pretender.