The okc thunder’s coah has made them stronger and improved Rankings. NBA Week 8: Thunder Getting Experienced and Learning
The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently playing a difficult run of games in December. With every game that goes by, Thunder supporters and management alike gain additional context.
After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in H-Town to start the week, the Thunder won two close games at home against the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors. Each of these three games had a completely different plot and gave the Thunder information for the future.
Everything about the Rockets game was dismal. In the loss, the second-best three-point shooting team in the NBA made 27.6% of their shots from beyond the arc. Aaron Wiggins and Tre Mann had excellent outings off the bench, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the only Thunder starter who appeared. To make matters worse, Rockets reserve Aaron Holiday tied his career high in three-pointers made in a game with six, and scored the most points in a game since 2019.
Oklahoma City defeated the Warriors at home on Friday night, rebounding—not in the literal sense, of course. The Thunder forced an incredible 29 turnovers from the Warriors en way to an exciting overtime victory, even though they lost the rebounding battle 60-39.
With 7.1 seconds left in regulation, rookie center Chet Holmgren walked to the free throw line, and you could hear a pin drop on a night that the Paycom Center was maybe the noisiest it had been in five years. Holmgren made three straight free shots to force overtime, completely unconcerned.
OKC’s core replicated a legendary Thunder moment during the five-minute overtime period that the Thunder dominated. Meme “Pizza Rolls”
It was unironically humorous, sure, but this moment was more than just a renowned meme making a comeback. It seemed like a stand-alone classic moment. An arrival if you will.
The Thunder exploited an injured Utah Jazz team at home to win the game 134-120 after taking the weekend off. The Thunder reserves let up in the last quarter, losing steam after leading by as much as 38 points in the third quarter. The Thunder’s regular rotation did not dominate the non-garbage time minutes of the game, as seen by the Jazz’s 22-point fourth-quarter lead over the Thunder.
The Thunder were able to learn valuable lessons from each game this past week. A 2-1 record is nothing to sneeze at especially considering the rigorous schedule OKC has to endure practically all month. We’ll take a look at how national media outlets rate the Thunder’s performance through eight weeks of NBA action, and where they stack up against the rest of the league.
This week’s ESPN power ranking has the Thunder at #5, down one spot from last week. In his ESPN segment about the Thunder, Tim MacMahon only discusses Gilgeous-Alexander’s unprecedented dominance through 22 games.
Beyond himself, SGA plays at a very high level. Shai and Isaiah Joe, the sixth man, have the highest net rating of any tandem in the Association when they share the court.
Shai will flourish on the court when surrounded by elite shooters, as has been clear when he was given the keys to the team in 2020. Years passed while we watched Mike Muscala. Because of Joe’s ability to attract so much attention, OKC is able to run guard-to-guard screens that have very favorable results.
Over the last few seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander’s talent has developed to a whole new level, elevating the Thunder to a whole new level. The rest of the league should be afraid of the rising star and the youthful group that surrounds him if they continue to rise.
Here are ESPN’s complete NBA power rankings for the most recent week.
In NBA.com’s weekly power rating, OKC was solidly positioned at #4. Since last week, the Thunder’s offensive and defensive ratings have somewhat declined. The Thunder now have the third-best net rating in the Association after moving up from #5 in both categories to 8th in offensive and 6th in defensive ratings.
The Thunder’s ability to restrict their opponents’ turnovers while simultaneously forcing their own is a major factor in why their offense and defense both rank so highly. Young teams tend to be sloppy with the ball and finish near the top of the league in turnovers. Despite being the second-youngest NBA team, the Thunder have the fewest overall turnovers.
According to John Schuhmann of NBA.com, the Thunder improved on their league-leading turnover differential figures in two of their most recent games.
“The Warriors made 29 mistakes as well. With 3.8 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents, the Thunder are currently leading the league. Their two games from last week included two of the six greatest differentials for any team this season (-18 against Golden State and -12 versus Houston).
While forcing teams into mistakes is a necessary first step, the Thunder must make the most of these mistakes to win. Just over 25% of the regular season remains, and OKC has accomplished this. At 20.9 points per game, Oklahoma City leads the league in points scored off of turnovers.
This will be crucial for the Thunder to maintain during the postseason, since the level of play considerably drops. Taking advantage of opportunities to produce odd-man breaks could be crucial for the Thunder to win a game this spring, and perhaps even a series.
Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports highlights Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s outstanding performance from the previous week’s games in his power rankings article.
Though we have talked a lot about Shai’s offensive effectiveness, it seems even more astounding today. SGA is the only NBA player that shoots at least 55% of his field goals (55%), out of the seven players who average at least 20 attempts per game. Give that some thought. A guard who, during the first quarter of the season, shot more than 55% from the field. That is not how things usually work.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s defensive influence is maybe even more impressive. The passage from Ward-Henninger was error-free. Shai played for a week and averaged five steals per game. Shai has entirely altered the perception of a guard who was previously thought to be a liability on that side of the ball.
The results of the eye exam support the statistical findings. Shai is a genuinely talented defender, and the Thunder’s consistent progress over the previous two seasons can be largely attributed to his dedication to that position.
You may read Ward-Henninger’s reflections on the events of the last week surrounding the Association here.
There are now answers to many of the urgent issues that surrounded the Oklahoma City Thunder over the offseason. For instance, a lot of people questioned whether Chet Holmgren would be able to continue playing center. Yes, without a doubt, has been the response.
Head coach Mark Daigneault likes to refer to these unsolved questions as “images” that need to be worked out in the long run. For the majority of team supporters, Josh Giddey’s suitability in the starting lineup has been a major concern. To draw any kind of conclusion, the Thunder will need to play more than 22 games.
The Thunder will surely benefit from Daigneault’s ongoing experimenting with lineups and player minutes in order to provide answers on Giddey’s fit as soon as possible. Coach Daigneault’s willingness to deviate from the usual with his lineups occasionally sparks controversy among the supporters, but his methods and dedication to the organization’s long-term goals are unwavering.
The Thunder will travel to Mile High City on Saturday to take on the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions. Denver dominated the game from beginning to end, spoiling the Thunder’s home opener this season. As they did in late January of last year, OKC will try to repay the favor by defeating Denver at home.
The Thunder will play the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Monday night to wrap out their week. Due to Ja Morant’s ban, the Grizzlies have had a very difficult season. Ja’s suspension will expire after this game, so the Thunder should be able to take advantage of it.
