Despite an underachieving 2017-18 campaign that was concluded fittingly with a first-round exit in the NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder plan to retain head coach Billy Donovan for next season.
According to Thunder GM Sam Presti, the team has already made the decision to bring back Donovan for next season. Following from ESPN’s Royce Young:
Sam Presti tells reporters at exit interviews that Billy Donovan will be the Thunder’s coach next season.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) May 2, 2018
Though the Thunder ultimately made the postseason when even that was looking doubtful at times, the season as a whole was a major disappointment, to say the least. With a legitimate ‘Big 3’ assembled over the summer last offseason, the Thunder came into the campaign with championship aspirations but came up well short.
It’s still up for debate what the problem was with OKC this season but a lack of chemistry and a heavy reliance on Russell Westbrook in the postseason was not a recipe for success. Some even look at Billy Donovan as the culprit for their struggles as his sometimes questionable rotations and lack of offensive sets put OKC in insurmountable positions.
OKC is on the brink of a huge offseason that could define which direction this team heads in over the next handful of years. Now with the head coach position securely belonging to Donovan, the Thunder could move on to the bigger issues that need addressing, such as the highly-anticipated upcoming free agency of Paul George.
