At every level of basketball, substitutions cause some level of momentary chaos and spontaneous communication on the floor.
As the deck gets shuffled and new players check in at the scorer’s table, arms start pointing all different directions. Players and coaches identify who plans to guard the new incoming opponents, the players trot over to their new assignments and start recalling their pregame film study. This season, when Thunder changes lines on the floor, opponents are going to be doing even more head scratching and checking with the bench as they decide who each player should mark.