The Thunder Have A BIG Problem
When the Thunder are eventually eliminated from the NBA Playoffs this spring many of you will chalk it up to inexperience after all waited by minutes played the Thunder are the League’s youngest team with multiple rotation players yet to play a single postseason contest but their fatal flaw can’t be
Measured in years or games played OKC’s eventual demise can likely be explained in much simpler basketball terms they’re just not big enough you won’t find a bigger believer in the young Thunder than me remember we told you a year ago that Oklahoma City would be legit contenders in 2024 and
Earlier this season we explained how Chad holgren was tying everything together for what’s now a first place Squad they have almost double the number of wins as the League’s second and third youngest teams combined and the future appears even brighter today than it did when this season tipped off but let’s
Face it the Thunder will more than likely fall short of a championship this spring general manager Sam pry famously quipped on media day that the Thunder still had to finish their breakfast well perhaps the shest sign OKC’s already devoured its first meal is the team’s graduation from feel-good story to
Nitpicked Contender such as life when playing at a 57 win in Pace led by an MVP front runner life moves pretty fast from a literal size perspective the average height of OKC’s current 10man rotation is a perfectly average 6’6 and change plus homr stands at 7′ 1 so the
Team’s Achilles heel doesn’t exactly pop off the page when scanning its roster or studying its formula sheay gilis Alexander’s League leading 24 drives per game ensure the Thunder consistently touch the paint and their top three offense is engineered around those drives Jaylen Williams is already a hyper efficient three-level scorer OKC
Gets two and converts from the rim at fairly average rates and hom grin has mostly completed the puzzle on both ends the big man has proven capable of spacing the floor and protecting the rim while providing a team that often relied on small small screening actions with a more traditional screening option but
After chat the next tallest players in head coach Mark Dago’s postseason rotation will likely be 6’9 Jaylen Williams and a 6 fo8 oversized guard in Josh giddy Plus for all the mismatch power that hr’s lanky rangy game provides the wiy 21-year-old is liable to be pushed around by the League’s
Behemoths the Thunder’s lack of size was most glaring during a recent back-to-back in Phoenix and Los Angeles first Sun Center Yousef nurkic pulled down 31 rebounds a franchise record for a team that once employed Prime Charles Barkley 24 hours later OKC had no answer for Anthony Davis the ease with which ad
Went about his business against hren and Company saying more than 24 points and 12 rebounds ever could what you doing oh well I’m I’m dominating the Thunder’s lack of heft manifests itself most obviously on the glass where an otherwise Stout defense bleeds Second Chance opportunities OKC’s 29th ranked defensive rebound rate is sandwiched
Between the rates of Portland and Washington of the League’s 14 worst rebounding teams overall the the Thunder and Pacers are the only ones currently occupying top six seats only the Wizards give up more Second Chance points with Homer anchoring things OKC keeps teams out of the paint and holds opponents to
The lowest field goal percentage at The Rim resulting in a top five defense that appears playoff proof on the surface but the postseason is where flaws are mercilessly exposed and exploited since the NBA expanded to 30 teams 20 years ago the only squads that won championships with bottom 10 defense of
Rebound rates were the 2013 Heat and the KD Le Warriors some of the most talented teams ever assembled not to mention between all the extra shots allowed off rebounds and a defensive scheme that surrenders three-point attempts the expected effective field goal percentage of Thunder opponents actually pegs OKC
As the 21st ranked defense according to cleaning the glass it’s a recipe for disappointment so which West playoff teams are best equipped to exploit the Thunder’s most apparent flaw well almost all of them with two SF Footers and a propensity for taking and making three-pointers from the corners the
Healthy Timberwolves would fit the bill as the Thunder give up the highest frequency of corner threes with nurkic in the middle and Shooters all around him the suns are an obvious threat didto for the defending Champion nuggets who boast the sixth highest offensive rebound rate and feature reigning Finals
MVP nicolea yic at Center Damon sabonis the League’s leading rebounder for a second straight year can change a game for the trigger happy Kings Clippers center aita zubot ranks seventh in individual offensive rebound rate while La is one of the League’s best shooting teams with front court size and a top
Eight Mark in Second Chance points a Pelicans team featuring yonas valent chunis and Zion Williamson could surely cause the Thunder headaches but perhaps the two teams Oklahoma City should fear most are the Warriors and Lakers after demolishing Los Angeles in November the Thunder lost three straight to Davis’s
Lakers between December and and March no team has beaten OKC as often this season as for the Warriors Golden State is actually the League’s smallest team and starts the 6’6 Draymond Green at Center but don’t be fooled the Warriors boast the League’s third best offensive rebound rate and Steph Curry’s Club has
The shooting to punish Oklahoma City’s scheme of course if the Thunder remain a top two seed and the Lakers and Warriors remain playing teams either of those veteran Laden squads could present first round challenges for OKC see should the Thunder falter in one of those matchups pundits will say they were simply too
Young the truth is that they’re too Small thanks for watching if you like this video and want to see more content like this be sure to hit that subscribe Button
When the Thunder are eventually eliminated from the NBA playoffs this spring, many of you will chalk it up to inexperience. But their fatal flaw can’t be measured in years or games played. OKC’s eventual demise can likely be explained in much simpler basketball terms… they’re just not big enough.
Written & Narrated by: Joseph Casciaro (@JosephCasciaro | X)
Produced & Edited by: Stephen Addante (@stephenaddante | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)
Courtesy List: https://pastebin.com/L9JF1rNA
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theScore
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theScore
Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/theScore
#nba #thunder #oklahomacitythunder
40 Comments
People gotta realize the only real weakness we have is rebounding, offensive rebounding doesn’t matter because the whole point of them is second chance points, but if you turn the ball over at a high rate, it pretty much cancels it self out. We played the suns two weeks ago and nurk had 31 rebounds and they got blown out. Because they had 22 turnovers and we only had 6. So the stuff we do is better than what other teams do so that’s why we’ve been so successful without a “ big “
Get Dwight Howard
Presti is like that fable about the man who gets a wish and uses his wish to get more wishes, and dies without actually ever using one
I BEEN SAYINGG THIS ALL YEAR CHET TOO SMALL HE AINT ENOUGH THEY R GONNA GET TORN APART IN THE PLAYOFFS
These videos are always so good kudos to you JC & @thescore
I think they can get Jarret allen if they really want to…he can fill up the C position and is a great rebounder and defender..chet is too inexperienced and i m sure silling to share the court with allen
Don't think you should count out OKC — excited to see how teams will try to scheme against SGA in a series. The west is stacked, every series is up in the air
You're talking about the warriors like the thunder didn't beat em 3 out of 4 times this year. And the one time the warriors won shai wasn't playing
Excellent! Articulate!
Very good points. OKC has had some uncharacteristic losses the last month, and rebounding matters in the playoffs.
Hoping to see you guys start posting 2-3x / week for the nba! Looks like it’s your most popular videos that everyone love!
Josh Giddey will get ejected if he playing against Tyrese Haliburton’s pacers
“Too small” or realistically just need to focus and improve their rebounding. GSW in your example was the perfect point about that
dont forget the mavs. they had trouble beating them last night without Luka or green while exum and gafford also dealt with injuries. before that gaff and pj absolutely owned them in their first game with the mavs and before that lively kept getring the best of chet. obviously the thunder should be favored against whoever ends up being their first round matchup but everyone would rather face them then the nuggets wolves or clips
Okc have exceeded expectations this season. They have lot's of draft capital to improve their squad and add in some addtional bigs in the offseason and the upcoming 2024 draft. They also have Houston's pick this year which is likey going to be a lottery pick. However I would be suprised if they made a deep run in the playoffs due to the size issue. A 1st round Mathcup against the Lakers or Dallas could be a nightmare stylistically, but OKC should not be discounted as they are the number one seed for a reason. Additionally they have the advantage of youth as well being under no pressure to win now. They will be seen as contenders 'real' contenders next year so most likely that is when their title window will start . No one predicted that they would be the number one seed in the western confernence. I am really exicted to see how they perform in the playoffs this year!
They will be fine.It takes time to be a good team.Lets wait till next year where they can make moves
It's just baffling to me how they didn't address this issue during the trade deadline. They are overflowing with future trade picks, and they don't want to spare any for one decent big?
call me crazy but i would trade the okc picks for alex sarr
Both things are true. The local media knows they’re too small. Presti certainly does. OKC is patient. How far can this group go? We gotta see. They’re gonna make a move for a big man.
They shouldve not traded down for Wallace and got Lively. Really puzzled by that move.
Mid ass take im tired of all these lame ass pods saying the same thing.
They got Moose back 😂
Really?!
they lack Aquaman
Thunder need steven adams to complete the team
Don't like the fact that you're already writing them off, before the playoffs. But yes, it was a shock they didn't sign anyone by deadline. Any back-up center..
The reason the thunder are so good is the reason why they’ll lose huh? No one can stop them because they run 5 out with a ton of guard on guard ball screens with one of the most skilled stretch 5s ever. But Ok buddy 😂
Okc is best equiped to beat a team like Gsw or even Dallas which is really difficult, facing up against centars like Jokić,Gobert, Sabonis,Zubac,AD,Valanciunas and Zion,Nurkic all guys who are above 270pounds they will destroy every Thunders front court player,Okc have J Will and Muscala as backup bigs, that is bbq chicken for big centar in west
If the big problem was that bad they wouldnt be the 1st seed. But yeah, they could certainly do with someone in the off season.
OKC could face off against Dallas, who have Gafford and Lively, with Luka, Kyrie and other shooters around them.
Too smalll…but significantly taller than the Warriors who are one of the best rebounding teams? Hypothesis disproven. This comes down to coaching somewhat and the players wanting to rebound somewhat. Small teams can win the rebound battle but they have to be crashing the glass instead of leaking out to hope for a breakaway dunk on the other end. Warriors are also ranked near the bottom for pace, because they are crashing the glass instead of running off while hoping someone else on their team gets the board.
OKC is tall enough and has great athleticism, they can get rebounds if their coach decides the focus on that. Right now they have decides to emphasize the run game.
Just double team shai. Let see what the other players can do. The rookie chet gonna get bullied for real.
Propaganda.
A team that wasn’t supposed to be this good and is on top of the west. Don’t say you’re a fan or saw this coming.
Something something playoff whistle going against sga
“If opposing teams shot their regular eFG% against the Thunder, they’d be 21st in dRTG. Lmao, if my grandma had wheels she would be a bike. A complete joke of an argument.
There is no doubt they have rebounding deficiencies. However, what they lack in size is also what allows them to drive to the lane, space the floor, and make 3’s. I am not saying OKC will be champs this year but it’s important to note that one disadvantage can also create an advantage in other aspects of the game
Those idiots should’ve bought Jakob
We would destroy The Suns and T wolfs
If the thunder are makings shots. No one can stay up with them. Yes its an experiment how they approach the game. Fun to watch and if more teams took their approach the nba viewership would increase. Only team that has a winning record against them is the lakers. They have tons of draft picks and add ant man to this team and they would be unstoppable. Another year of 1 round exit for the bucks and it might happen with their draft picks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is too small to play point-guard?
Josh Giddey at 6'8", Jalen Williams at 6'6", and Chet Holmgren at 7'1" are small?
OKC just simply doesn't want to have 2 bigs on the court. If they wanted a 2nd big they would have one. It isn't like they are are short on things to trade or cap space. They could have picked another big at any time over the last 3 drafts and chose not to.
It isn't the kind of basketball they want to play, and as a top 3 team in the NBA at an unprecedentedly young age, so it seems what they are doing is working.