Lakers.com BasketBlog

Kevin Pelton does as good a job as anyone of covering the Sonics for Supersonics.com. Before each game he talks to someone in the know to get the Opposing View on the game that night. Today we talked about the Lakers on their site and got Kevin to talk about the Sonics for us. Here’s what he had to say.

As we near the halfway point of the season, what have rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green shown you that you didn’t expect to see when the season began?
I would say their poise and maturity, but honestly that wasn’t a surprise. That was how these rookies were advertised to us coming into the season, and during summer league it was evident that they are beyond their years on and off the court. With Durant, I think maybe the biggest surprise is how much he has improved defensively over the course of the season. I think his potential to be an impact defender has been underrated, and he’s done a tremendous job this year considering he’s being asked to play on the perimeter for the first time in his career. In Green’s case, I’ve been surprised by his ability to translate his post-up game to the NBA despite playing against bigger defenders, including power forwards when the Sonics play in small lineups. As he develops this aspect of the game, it figures to become a weapon for the Sonics.

How do you see the Point Guard position shaking out between Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour, & Delonte West?
Because the Sonics have three players who can start at the point, this was an important position to evaluate going into the season, with Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo wanting to give each guy a chance to start and back up on a regular basis. Unfortunately, injuries have made it difficult to accomplish that, with Watson starting the majority of the season. We still haven’t gotten a good look at West as a starter and the new coaching staff hasn’t seen Ridnour in that role. Until all three guys get that opportunity, it’s tough to say who will emerge a the position.

The record doesn’t reflect it, but the Sonics seem to be in a lot of games before letting it get away late, is that just a product of being a young team?
Not only a young team but also a team that has made wholesale changes, meaning roles hadn’t really been established in those situations early in the season. Eventually, that kind of competitive play was going to translate into victories, and we saw that during the month of November, when the Sonics played several close games. Durant has shown the ability to raise his play in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, an encouraging aspect of his development, but everyone on the court - a cast that depended on the game - contributed in close wins over Milwaukee, at New York and Toronto.

What might surprise Laker fans about the Sonics tonight?
The last few seasons, when the Sonics have won, they have done so with offense. This year, the team has made strides on defense. It hasn’t always gotten noticed because the Sonics play at a fast pace, so they’re in the bottom five in the league in points allowed per game. When you look at it on a per-possession basis, however, the Sonics have been stingier, playing their best defense in several years. The Sonics play hard on defense and do a good job of contesting shots, limiting opposing field-goal percentages. There’s still a lot of work to do to get where Carlesimo wants to go defensively, but the Sonics are moving in that direction.