Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts after a play in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) reacts after a play in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Enes Kanter Freedom is back in the headlines, and his recent attempt to insert himself into the WNBA conversation has sparked some major controversy. Whether you agree with the political statement or not, that shouldn’t erase the fact that Kanter Freedom had a productive NBA career.
And honestly, his basketball resume is better than some people remember.
He wasn’t an All-Star center and had some very real limitations that prevented him from becoming the complete player his raw talent once suggested he could be. But for 11 NBA seasons, Kanter Freedom was a consistent scorer and rebounder, finishing his career with averages of 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 748 games (259 starts) while shooting 54.8% from the field.
He also posted an impressive 20.8 career PER, a reminder of just how effective he could be offensively when given meaningful minutes.
So let’s put the headlines aside for a moment and spill the beans on what Enes Kanter Freedom actually was as an NBA player and delve into the reality of his career.
A No. 3 Overall Pick Who Became A Legitimate NBA Contributor
Enes Kanter entered the NBA with some heavy expectations. The Utah Jazz selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and at 6’10” and 250 pounds, he was a massive figure with very soft hands around the rim.
Kanter’s early development wasn’t smooth. He came into the league as a teenager and spent his first two seasons primarily learning behind the scenes. He averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 66 games in his rookie season, averaging 13.2 minutes per game. The following year, Kanter posted 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 15.4 minutes per game over 70 appearances (2 starts).
But by his third year, Kanter was beginning to look like a player who could handle real responsibility. During the 2013-14 season with Utah, he averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game, finishing 8th in Sixth Man of the Year voting over 80 games (37 starts).
Those numbers hinted at something important: if you put Kanter on the floor, he would produce. He wasn’t the type of player who needed plays designed for him every possession. He just needed the ball near the rim and had a very silky touch around the basket.
His Oklahoma City Peak Was The Best Basketball Of His Career
The trade that sent Kanter from Utah to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2014-15 season arguably unlocked the best stretch of his NBA career. After arriving with the Thunder, he averaged a monster 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds over 26 games, shooting an outstanding 56.6% from the field.
Playing alongside the brilliant Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook helped unlock his game. Westbrook, in particular, was adept at finding the big man near the basket.
For a stretch, Kanter looked like one of the most productive big men in basketball. Playing alongside Durant and Westbrook wasn’t always easy because there weren’t many shots left over after those two got going, but Kanter found a way to carve out a valuable role.
In 2015-16, Kanter occupied a sixth man role, finishing 3rd in Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in only 21.0 minutes per game.
A year later, in 2016-17 (Westbrook’s MVP campaign), Kanter posted 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 21.3 minutes per game while finishing 8th in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
One Of The Best Offensive Rebounders Of His Generation
If there is one part of Kanter Freedom’s game that deserves genuine respect, it is his work on the offensive glass. The man could rebound.
Kanter Freedom built a career on effort and positioning around the rim. He had a knack for finding the ball after everyone else had already assumed the possession was over. He averaged a career 3.0 offensive rebounds per game with a 15.2% offensive rebound percentage.
His career average of 7.8 rebounds per game doesn’t fully capture how dominant he could be on the glass when playing starter-level minutes. Give him 30 minutes, and Kanter was capable of putting up double-digit rebounds almost casually.
Kanter had two seasons averaging over 10.0 rebounds per game, and five seasons posting at least 8.0 rebounds per game. Five seasons of averaging at least 3.0 offensive rebounds per game, a strong indication of how solid he was around the rim.
Portland Gave Him Another Chance To Show What He Could Do
Kanter Freedom’s time with the Portland Trail Blazers deserves more attention when discussing his career. After his OKC stint ended, the big man had a half-season opportunity with the Trail Blazers.
He became an important frontcourt piece for teams that were trying to compete in the Western Conference and played meaningful basketball alongside Damian Lillard.
During the 2018-19 season, Portland reached the Western Conference Finals, and while Kanter was never the franchise’s No. 1 or No. 2 option, he provided toughness and rebounding at a time when the Blazers needed it.
Kanter averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in 23 regular-season appearances and averaged 11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
That season also showed the contradiction of Kanter Freedom’s career. Offensively, he could be extremely useful.
Defensively, particularly in the modern playoff environment, opponents could target him in space. That was never Kanter’s strength. And unfortunately for him, being an old-school center became difficult as the league moved away from traditional centers.
His Defense Was The Biggest Reason He Never Became A Star
Let’s be honest about the other side of the ball: Kanter Freedom’s defense was the biggest weakness of his career.
He wasn’t a rim-protecting center in the mold of Rudy Gobert or Dwight Howard. He wasn’t quick enough laterally to comfortably switch onto smaller players, and elite offenses could exploit him in the pick-and-roll.
Those issues became especially noticeable in postseason basketball. He simply didn’t have the athletic profile to become a defensive anchor in terms of fast feet and explosive athleticism. Kanter averaged 0.5 blocks per game over his career and held a 108.1 defensive rating.
In another era, his strengths might have outweighed his weaknesses even more. Put Kanter in the NBA of the 1990s or early 2000s, and his ability to score with his back to the basket and dominate the offensive glass would have been even more valuable.
He Was More Than Just A Journeyman
Kanter Freedom ultimately played for Utah, Oklahoma City, New York, Portland, and Boston across his 11-year career, appearing in 748 regular-season games and starting 259 of them. He averaged 21.5 minutes per game.
Calling him a journeyman isn’t wrong, but it can sound dismissive. This wasn’t a player hanging around because he was a great locker-room personality who barely played. Kanter stuck around because NBA teams knew exactly what he could provide.
As an interior scorer and rebounder, particularly on the offensive end, Kanter could make a coach look very smart for putting him in the game.
His career also included seven seasons averaging double figures in scoring, and his combination of efficiency and rebounding made him a valuable specialist even as the league’s defensive demands eventually became harder for him to overcome.
So, How Should We Remember Enes Kanter Freedom As A Basketball Player?
The fairest answer is this: Enes Kanter Freedom had a good NBA career. Not a great one, but a good one.
He was the No. 3 overall pick who didn’t become a superstar, but he still carved out more than a decade in the world’s best league. He finished with 8,349 career points, grabbed 5,822 rebounds, became a dependable double-double threat at his peak, and played important minutes for playoff teams including the Thunder and Trail Blazers.
His 54.8% career field-goal percentage and 20.8 PER also demonstrate just how efficient he was offensively for much of his career.
The recent controversy surrounding Kanter Freedom will understandably dominate conversations about him right now, particularly given reports that his proposed WNBA involvement was viewed as part of a broader political protest.
But basketball-wise, the resume was solid. Yes, he wasn’t Nikola Jokic or Shaquille O’Neal, nor the best big man of his era.
But he was a very good rebounder, a talented interior scorer, and a player who gave NBA teams production for 11 years. And in a league where plenty of lottery picks disappear before their rookie contracts are finished, lasting more than a decade and playing nearly 750 games is something worth respecting.
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