OKC’s favorite journalist Anthony Slater has a breakdown of Daignault’s “Rare Offensive Approach” in the Athletic today

It’s behind a paywall, but you can find it [here](https://theathletic.com/5070468/2024/01/04/oklahoma-city-thunder-offense-nba-stats/). Great breakdown of how OKC is innovating positionless basketball.

* “Entering Wednesday’s games, the Thunder had the NBA’s third-ranked defense and fifth-ranked offense. Their scoring success is rooted in a multi-year front office and coaching strategy to draft and develop versatile playmakers at every position, asking all of them to sharpen every basketball skill. Among the most important is screening. If everyone can screen and everyone can handle and make decisions, the coaching staff can game plan against an opponent in any way it desires.
* “System fundamentals across the board,” Daigneault said. “So, like, we’re teaching our fives how and when to cut. We’re teaching our guards how and when to screen. We’re not siphoning out skills to positions.””

It also has a little more (unsurprising) insight into why the team will likely not make any blockbuster moves this year as teams gameplan more rigorously for the Thunder and they go through growing pains in figuring out the roster.

* “You have to go through those struggles to evolve,” Daigneault said. “The league is not just going to sit back and let you do what you want to do.”

One highlight – Jalen Williams admits he’d never set a (meaningful) screen before joining the Thunder. Great read!

by asourman