Shootaround had already died down Thursday morning inside the OKC Thunder’s practice facility, and yet a cluster of players formed around the back-left court.
Jaylin Williams. Alex Caruso. Branden Carlson. They all stood around in a trance-like state to watch Isaiah Joe, whose shooting form was as robotic as it was hypnotic. His wrist flicked with every release, and so did the net when the ball splashed through it for six straight makes.
It was a sight to behold for the Thunder, which hadn’t seen many 3-pointers drop throughout its first five games of the season. It ranked 29th in the league in that department (28.8%) entering Thursday.
But that was without Joe, who’d been sidelined due to a left knee contusion he suffered in preseason play. And when OKC tipped off its home game against Washington that evening, its top sharpshooter looked as sharp as ever in his long-awaited debut. The Thunder earned a 127-108 win thanks in large part to Joe, who scored 20 points off the bench while going 5 for 9 from distance (55.6%).
“It was great,” Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein said of Joe’s return. “He’s one of the best shooters in the league, so having him back definitely helps the shooting a lot. … It was definitely good having him back.”
Joe is so much of a knockdown shooter that he gets a hand up in his own face, almost as if to make it more fair.
After each 3-pointer the sixth-year guard buries, he buries his face into the palm of his left hand. It’s a signature celebration that has become one of the more iconic moves on the team.
But when Joe drilled his first 3-pointer of the season with 2:50 left in the opening quarter, he wasn’t so generous. He simply jogged back on defense without celebrating.
It was a clear sign that Joe was locked in, and so was a sequence of events four possessions later. As soon as Williams back-tapped the ball to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for an offensive board, Joe backpedaled to the corner with his hands above his hips.
Gilgeous-Alexander promptly delivered the pass, and Joe also showed no hesitancy as he hoisted another 3-pointer that was money. He made up for lost time in the first half by racking up 14 points through 11 minutes on 4-for-6 shooting from deep.
“For sure,” Joe said when asked if he missed being on the floor. “As a basketball player and as a competitor, this is what we live to do. Basketball is our livelihood. It’s the way we put food on the table, and it’s what we’ve been doing since we were little. Whenever you’re here and you’re not playing, you just wish you can be out there.”
Joe couldn’t wait to get out there during halftime either.
He was the first Thunder player who emerged from the tunnel and returned to the floor, eager to get more shots up. He had a lot of catching up to do, after all.
But when the third quarter tipped off, Joe wasn’t looking to get his shooting out of his system. He was looking to play within the system by regularly making the extra pass.
A prime example came in the final minute, as Joe launched a fastbreak and got past Bub Carrington with a nifty behind-the-back move near halfcourt. He had a path to the rim, and likely a spot on that night’s SportsCenter Top 10 if he completed the highlight play. But Joe instead zipped a pass to Ajay Mitchell in the corner for a made triple.
That came during OKC’s 13-3 run, which helped it run away with the game after watching its lead dwindle to two points.
“Despite having it going early, he threw some of the better extra passes of the night,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Joe. “He just made the right play all night. He took the shots when they were there and otherwise kept it moving.”
Joe made one more 3-pointer during the second half, which came off of a shovel pass from Williams with 4:15 left in the game.
Joe was guarded tightly by Tre Johnson, a 6-5 forward with a 37.5-inch vertical. But even though Johnson got a hand up, Joe elevated enough to rise above him and sink the triple.
It was a result of the time Joe spent doing leg workouts in the gym while OKC was on its three-game road trip from Oct. 23-27.
“I was just trying to get stronger,” Joe said. “I was staying in the gym and getting shots up just so whenever I touch the floor I don’t miss a beat or slow the team down at all.”
It’s actually the rest of the Thunder that needs to pick it up from deep.
Despite Joe’s hot shooting, OKC only went 16 for 49 on 3-pointers (32.7%) in its win over Washington. Everyone not named Joe went 11 for 40 (27.5%).
But the Thunder (6-0) still won, just like it has all season. It continues to make up for its poor 3-point shooting with disruptive defense, easy transition buckets and efficient finishes around the rim.
And when OKC does find its touch from deep, it’ll truly be a sight to behold.
“We know that we’re taking the right shots, and we have to take them,” Thunder guard Cason Wallace said. “They’re going to fall eventually. When they start falling, it’s going to be very, very good.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.