Eric Maynor goes into every game with a four-item checklist, a short, simple summation of what coaches expect of him when his number is called.
"Get guys shots. Take care of the basketball. Score when you need to. And defend,” said Maynor, the rookie point guard who the Thunder acquired in a trade with Utah on Dec. 22. So far, Maynor has made it all look easy. In eight games with Oklahoma City, Maynor has recorded 24 assists against six turnovers. Check and check. As the backup to starter Russell Westbrook, Maynor has averaged 5.5 points and one steal in 14.8 minutes. Add two more checks. More importantly, though, Maynor has provided the Thunder with stability and long-term security at the position, two components that have eluded the franchise since current management took over in 2007. Over the past 2 seasons, the Thunder franchise has run through eight backup point guards, first alternating Delonte West, Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson and Mike Wilks in Seattle, then trotting out Westbrook, Watson, Wilks, Chucky Atkins, Kevin Ollie and Shaun Livingston throughout the past two years. But in Maynor, the Thunder now seems ready to stop the song in its game of musical chairs. "It’s amazing that he’s come into the games controlling the games as well as he has,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "You can tell the guys that follow the league and are gym rats, because he came in and knew exactly what our guys liked and where they like it. That’s a great thing to have.” Maynor, the 20th overall pick out of Virginia Commonwealth, ranks ninth in assists-to-turnover ratio with a 3.09 rate. His 10.5 assists per 48 minutes rank seventh in the league. And since arriving in Oklahoma City, Maynor has improved his shooting percentage to 46.2 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. "Offensively, he’s pretty much flawless in leading our team,” Brooks said. Already, Maynor has shown an ability to push the ball on the break and finish in traffic on one possession and whip a pass to a cutting teammate in a halfcourt set on the next. But the trait that stands out most has been Maynor’s leadership despite being only 34 games into his professional career. Maynor barks instructions when needed while on the court and demands the ball or insists a teammate keeps it moving rather than forcing an unnecessary one-on-one attack. Maynor credits Brooks and his teammates for allowing him to play to his strengths instead of altering his style to cater to the current core. But Maynor also admits that it is the Thunder’s core that has helped him excel. "It’s not easy,” Maynor said. "But I like the system. I think the system fits me a lot. You’ve got guys around you that can really play. I think that’s why it’s looking easy.” With Maynor in the mix, the Thunder has become even more versatile. Listed at 6-foot-3, Maynor’s size and athleticism gives Oklahoma City a dimension it’s never had in the backcourt, where the league’s newest trend is playing two point guards together. Brooks already has utilized Maynor and Westbrook several times together, allowing the Thunder to apply more pressure defensively while putting an additional playmaker on the court offensively. Brooks said Maynor is developing as a man defender but needs to continue to focus on improving his team defensive concepts. "He just has to get on the same page with what we’re doing,” Brooks said. "That’s going to be the hardest thing because he hasn’t had a training camp with us. But he wants to get better.”
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