Let’s be clear here: Oklahoma City should not be hitting any sort of panic button. But after the last week and a half, this team appears to be a little bit less invincible than we thought. The Thunder have lost three out of its last five games, and all three losses came against tough Western Conference foes that they will need to get by in the playoffs.
Of course, those three losses account for nearly the entirety of Oklahoma City’s losses on the season. With a record of 26-4, this team is still, obviously, in a great spot. The interesting theme that’s starting to show up, though, is Oklahoma City has struggled against top competition. It seems silly to suggest after the Thunder entered the season fresh off of an NBA Finals and played good opponent after good opponent, but that’s where this team has struggled.
In all three losses, the constant theme boils down to the offense faltering down the stretch. Oklahoma City has committed to isolation basketball and hoped that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would will the team to a win. And while that works often, it’s an easy way to fall short sometimes, too. Gilgeous-Alexander did all he could in each of Oklahoma City’s losses, averaging 32.3 points and taking over late, but it hasn’t been enough. The supporting cast has looked outmatched and unsure.
It happened on occasion in the postseason, too. The Thunder’s offense ran dry and they fell into the isolation trap. When that has happened recently, they’ve been easy to defend. This team relies heavily on defense creating offense, and when they run into a smart team that takes care of the ball and zeroes in on guarding Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s been serious trouble.
On Tuesday night, it was glaringly obvious that OKC missed Ajay Mitchell. Aaron Wiggins has been in an offensive funk, and there’s no real creation off the bench right now. Many of the Thunder’s role players have been turned into stationary shooters, waiting for a drive and kick.
This Thunder team needs to get back to what made the offense so lethal a season ago. Using the team’s big men as a hub, constant movement off the ball, and backdoor cuts all game long. It makes Gilgeous-Alexander much harder to guard when everyone is moving around him. He has gotten so good that it’s easy to sit and watch him play isolation ball while waiting for a kick out, but Oklahoma City is better with heavy motion.
The other truth is that this team just needs consistent minutes together. Oklahoma City’s starting five played together for the first time this season ten days ago. This is a group that’s trying to learn where they’ve improved individually and how to play off of it. They hit a rhythm, together, last season that they haven’t been able to find recently.
Jalen Williams will continue to ramp up and look more like himself with every game. He’s too good not to, and he has proved himself time and time again. Chet Holmgren needs to figure out his strengths when playing against Victor Wembanyama, but other than that, he’s having an unbelievable season. Those two players need to get on the same page together, chemistry wise, and Oklahoma City will see the benefits immediately.
These situations are good for the Thunder to be in, and taking lumps early in the season like this is absolutely a blessing in disguise. It’s what could make this team unbeatable in the playoffs. They need to commit to making the necessary changes, though, and not just relying on Gilgeous-Alexander when the fourth quarter rolls around.
Every season, this team has turned defeat into improvement, and there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. The good news is it’s happening in December, and not in April.