Back home since the end of last season, Khem Birch knows he can count on the confidence of his coach Nick Nurse. His more defensive and mobile interior profile is an option that Coach Nurse knows how to use wisely, as the last two outings in Phoenix and Denver have proven.
The two have thus developed a relationship of trust which pushes the veteran pivot to give the best without worrying about the stats; He is the ideal “role player”.
“Honestly, I think with any other team I probably wouldn’t be playing right now. The fact that they have this confidence in me despite all the injuries I’ve had, all the setbacks, and that I continue to have minutes says a lot about what they think of me, and it gives me a lot of trust “, did he declare.
The native of Montreal has indeed not been spared from the glitches this season. The misadventures started from the “training camp” which he missed completely due to the Covid protocol. He then tested positive again in December! Besides that, he missed 14 games with a swollen knee, then broke his nose in mid-January. To top it off, he broke a tooth last week after contact with Dejounte Murray.
A sense of sacrifice appreciated
Despite everything, Nick Nurse still keeps him a place in the rotation with an important role to play, especially in defense. His role was for example highlighted during the victory in Phoenix, when he helped trap Devin Booker by lining up the “Blitzes”, these sequences where the defender on the screener completes the defense of the carrier to do a double take. He thus caused two interceptions which contributed to offer the victory to his
“I think he’s clearly the best to do this for us; he has experience in this field”admitted Nick Nurse. “It’s not easy, as you can see. They spaced out to ward off our defenders. He had several good blitzes, with the need to cover a lot of ground several times. Defensively he was the best option we had, plus he had a huge tap on a missed layup.
In 26 minutes, his contribution is not seen in the stats, with these 4 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. He was, however, started the following game in Denver, contributing 8 points and 8 rebounds. But beyond the numbers, what matters most to him is the “W” that accompanied his last two outings.
“I feel like I’ve been like this my whole career. I’ve never been one to go out there and put up 20 points, put up 20 points and 10 rebounds. I’ve always been a guy who just wanted to win basketball games. So that’s why I like being on winning teams, because I know I can have an impact without touching the ball.”he concluded.
| Khem Birsh | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | ENT | 42 | 14 | 54.0 | 0.0 | 68.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.2 |
| 2018-19 | ENT | 50 | 13 | 60.3 | 0.0 | 69.9 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 4.8 |
| 2019-20 | ENT | 48 | 19 | 51.0 | 0.0 | 65.3 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 4.4 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 67 | 23 | 49.7 | 25.0 | 70.5 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 7.2 |
| 2020-21 * | ENT | 48 | 20 | 45.0 | 19.0 | 74.1 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 5.3 |
| 2020-21 * | TOR | 19 | 30 | 55.6 | 29.0 | 63.6 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 7.6 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 12.0 |
| 2021-22 | TOR | 40 | 18 | 47.3 | 0.0 | 74.5 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.6 |
| Total | 246 | 18 | 51.8 | 21.0 | 69.5 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 5.3 | |
