Donovan Not Ready Yet To Announce Starters For Spurs Game

By Randy Renner

More than likey the five guys who started five of the Thunder's six preseason games will be back out on the floor at the beginning of OKC's Opening Night matchup with the Spurs.

Head coach Billy Donovan just wasn't quite ready to make it official when he talked to reporters after the team's Tuesday practice session.

Donovan will have some conversations with his staff and go over potential matchups again before making the official announcement before the game. 

However, don't expect any changes to what has become the Thunder's most efficient and successful starting five over the last couple of seasons. 

Donovan has shown an appreciation for the defense of both Andre Roberson at shooting guard and Steven Adams at center. Adams is also now becoming more of an offensive threat and even his free throw shooting showed improvement in the preseason.

Roberson continues to be a liability on offense but according to statistics on NBA.com his shooting problems haven't adversely impacted the overall efficiency of a starting five that also includes superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and forward Serge Ibaka.

So those are the five guys you can expect to start the Spurs game, the real mystery at this point is who is first to come off the bench and how Donovan handles the rest of the rotation and distributes minutes among his players. 

Donovan said after practice today the team is healthy and no one will be under any type of minutes restriction. 

We'll breakdown some of what the Spurs are doing differently now that they have LaMarcus Aldridge in their lineup and how different the Thunder might look to San Antonio in Wednesday's GameDay blog.