National Basketball Association

Billy Donovan has the Most Difficult Job in the NBA

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Billy Donovan made the leap to the NBA in large part because he would instantly be contending for an NBA championship. Well, now he’s not…

Poor Billy Donovan. Donovan left a program that he built from the ground up, a place that he spent 19 years of his life, to coach Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Oklahoma City (imagine that!) was the only basketball situation in the entire world that could intrigue him enough to leave Gainesville.

After one year that dream is over for Donovan. Now he’s got to incorporate at least five new players into a a system the other ten guys are trying to learn. Donovan’s got a gaping hole at the small forward position (sorry Kyle Singler fans, last night is an anomaly) and a bench rotation that looks afraid of each other.

May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan reacts to a call during action against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Donovan does have one thing on his side. He’s used to constant change to his roster! Donovan never had a player for more than four years (shocker!) so he’s a pro at teaching players his spread system. His 2006-2007 Florida teams are legendary for having one of the greatest overall team chemistries in college basketball history.

Donovan’s biggest challenge will be re-engineering the minds of the returning Thunder players. For seven years the mantra has been “feed the superstars.” If the game was tight, either Durant or Westbrook would take the shot off an isolation play. Now the mantra has to be “feed the open man.”

For this team to function there has to be constant motion on the offensive end. OKC has the athletes to run teams out of the gym. They showed signs of “what could be” last night with a few nifty transition plays; Billy Donovan has to convince his players to buy in to that philosophy for 48 minutes a night.

As of now the Thunder could be a giant abomination or a surprise success story. Billy Donovan will be the driving force of which narrative happens this season.