Can the OKC Thunder Really Make a Run with This Little Playoff Experience? | JJ Redick & Tim Legler

Can the OKC Thunder Really Make a Run with This Little Playoff Experience? | JJ Redick & Tim Legler

Let’s start with the Thunder my my beginning question to you because I think this team is [ __ ] awesome my beginning question to you do you think youth or experience matters in the playoffs I think it will matter um to a certain degree I mean they have very

Little experience so you just got a handful of games I think in the playoffs for Shay you got I think a handful for Dort for d y and I think Isaiah Joe’s got a few games under his belt and that’s pretty much it so here’s why I

Think here’s why I think it can matter if you haven’t been in those situations in the playoffs where what’s different is the weight of a certain moment or the weight of a game and what that means in the overall picture with getting out of that series like in the regular season you’re not

Going to feel that weight you know you you certainly can feel if you’re not playing well at the time you’ll feel pressure at the end of a particular game right at certain moments okay win or lose you get on the charter you get on

To the next city you go to the next game and that’s all that carried was one game that’s all that carried whatever happened in that pressure moment it’s not the case in the playoffs right these things are cumulative as the series goes and there are pivotal points within

Series that can turn them their their series defining moments I do think it helps to have some experience navigating those kinds of situations collectively I do one thing that they have going for them they have a a style of play offensively and a lead player that I don’t think is

Going to be phased too much by anything that he’s going to see in Shay Gil just Alexander right and their style of play the continuity they have together um that that’s that’s that’s that’s something that they can certainly hang their hat on but look to say that it

Just doesn’t matter at all to never be in that 22 situation fourth quarter of a game five you know one possession game three minutes to go to navigate that and then the weight that you’re going to feel of what that could mean and the impact of winning or losing that series

I I do think it matters I don’t think it’s something that I would dismiss a team and say you got no shot to make that run you know just because of that but I also don’t think you can say well no it doesn’t matter whatsoever with a team this young that collectively has

This little playoff experience you know the the thing with uh the thing with Shay is he does have a little bit of playoff experience he doesn’t have uh the playoff experience of being the guy and I said this a few weeks ago I am so fascinated and intrigued

By how he is going to play in the playoffs because I think one of the key developments to his offensive game has been the development of the counter this [ __ ] has a counter for everything now and we talk all the time about players with no holes in their

Game I I don’t think Shay has a hole in his game right he’s hitting threes now at roughly 38% uh his off the dribble game mid-range his drives he creates free throws limited but he’s been an elite postup player when he has gotten those opportunities against really anyone not

Just mismatches so watching him in real time as the guy and him figuring out the counters and the needs that’s going to be one of the most fascinating things to me about the playoffs Clippers recently Paul George said right now we don’t have an identity which I don’t really have a

Problem with because I think within a season that happens all the time with teams yeah you find an identity you lose an identity you refine your identity and your identity can shift four or five times in a season this is who we are this is what we’re playing this is

What’s working uh the the the thing about the regular season is you’re playing all these different teams I think that’s part of the reason you’re identity can shift so much you’re playing the same team over and over in the playoffs when I look at the Oklahoma City Thunder they have an identity to

What they do offensively and it starts with driving the basketball right they are number one by far in terms of drives per game not only that they’re excellent at driving the ball it’s not just the volume of the drives they’re excellent at driving the ball number three in

Terms of field goal percentage on drives number one in terms of free throw attempts on drives number eight in points in the paint it starts with that on top of that they’re the number one team at three point percentage dude I was looking this up today outside of

Giddy this is their rotation right Jaylen Williams 45% Dort 41% Chad 39% Shay a little over 37% Isaiah Joe 41% Cas Wallace 42% uh Aaron Wiggins 48% kenri kenri Williams is in the 30 high 30s uh Jaylen Williams the center from Arkansas is almost 37% like outside of gidy shooting

And they have drives and they have spacing their driveing kick game is so [ __ ] good it’s so good so Shay against a loaded defense we’ve got answers to that that’s what it feels like to me when I see Shay gilis Alexander to me what differentiates him from every other star scorer in the

League is he operates in an area the floor that no one else operates in all the time he controls from Edge of the lane to edge of the lane if you were to draw a line straight up the edge of the lane all the way to half court it’s

Unbelievable the extent to which he’s able to manipulate the basketball within that parameter right no matter what no matter what the defense does to him no matter where he’s shielded no matter where he’s sent no matter where the traffic comes from to your point about the counters because of his ability to

Manipulate the basketball and get back centered and then stop at any time with probably the quickest mid-range pullup in that area the floor in the league and and this just kind of hit me over watching him probably over the last 10 15 games I started watching this guy and

I’m like it’s really crazy if you think about the other like top 15 20 scores in the league like they’re all over the place they’ll be on the wing they’ll be in the post some backing guys down right sometimes they’ll get in the corner and ball screen out of the corner shis

Alexander stays in the middle of the floor like the entire time and the pressure that that puts on defenses to try to figure out a way to like scheme for him where he doesn’t have a great ability to to get the ball out and there’s great

Spacing now where guys can make a simple play and get a good shot that to me is what separates him from every other Elite offensive player in the league he controls an area of the floor that makes it really difficult to scheme to take the ball out of his hands to Blitz him

To whatever it may be because it’s you when you run someone to that area of the floor you’re so exposed for a quick easy three-point shot and that is to me the the greatness of Shay Gil just Alexander I’ve just never seen an offensive player be that comfortable in a crowded area of

The floor in the paint and you you never really get to force him into an area that he’s not comfortable that is why I think they’re so special offensively and I also think JJ they’re selective about their threes they’re the highest three-point shooting team in the league

They don’t take a ton they’re not a high yeah yeah they’re they’re in the low to mid-30s most nights you’re talking about some of these top teams that we think have a chance to win it I mean it’s not it’s not rare for Boston to be up in

That 4550 range a lot of teams over 40 on a given night they’re going to take the ones that make sense to them because you’re not talking about a bunch of pure Shooters like the guy you named the guys you named so why are their percentages

So high because they take good shots and a lot of it has to do with the way the foundation of their offense is built around this great player in the middle of the floor and then the simple reads that come out of it right so so two

Things to that number one did you ever did you ever probably didn’t cuz I don’t know maybe they didn’t have this drill in the 80s and ’90s did you ever do the the one-on-one drill up top you get the ball at the top of the key and you

Weren’t allowed to move okay you did do okay so we did that as well although I didn’t play a ton on one-on-one but that was a thing that was like a drill you got the ball at the top of the key and you could go one-on-one you could use as

Many dribbles as you want you just couldn’t go outside of essentially the paint right um the point about uh the threes and Shay and this was true last year even where they I think they really started to build this identity around ding the basketball is that as you get

Into shifts which is essentially you’re committed to help it it’s not necessarily to on the ball but you’re committed to help right they move the ball and drive and then when you shift again they move the ball and drive and you shift again they move the ball and drive and

So part of the reason I think that this is again from watching them and also just common sense part of the reason that I think they have such a high percentage from three is because of Chad so now you’ve got a fiveman who can shoot who can attack Closeouts his

Versatility just in that regard attacking Closeouts and shooting the three at a respectable clip the defense has to react to that it creates an extra layer of space so the difference between a contested defender on a three from three F feet now all of a sudden it’s 5

Feet it’s a different game because of Chad h no I completely agree with that and the thing I love about Chad he falls in line with takes great shots and that’s the thing about Oklahoma City when I watch them play and this is maybe you know

There’s other teams I could say it about for stretches but I think consistently with OKC nothing ever feels forced ever even the stuff that Shay gets you’re talking about a dude that’s averaging over 30 points a game that’s going to be a high volume High usage guy that’s

Obviously has to come down and generate that kind of offense every night you ever watch Shay G just Alexander and and kind of go man Shay’s really getting him up tonight like wow that was a tough one they don’t really do that they don’t take those early quick threes that a lot

Of teams take where it feels like a guy just made up his mind to get one up they don’t really do that and chat’s a big part of that man like he’s so efficient in what what he does and his ability to extend now out to 24 25 feet it’s a huge

It’s a huge um development for their team in the spacing that they need need to have look there here’s the thing with Oklahoma City and I probably have not given him enough legitimate weight all year because I’m always thinking about can you actually picture them seeing

Them win it like win it get by Denver that’s what I’m talking about both teams healthy can you see them actually getting by Denver and that’s where I always kind of run into a like no I really can’t see that and maybe I go to a couple other teams that it would be

More likely for me if they were clicking and playing right and playing well and found a rhythm and an identity and a consistency going into that series you look at a team like the Clippers and say if they’re playing well when they would get to a team like Denver like I feel

Like they would have a better chance so maybe maybe I’m dead wrong about that um and maybe some of it is just because of the collective inexperience of winning as a group when the stakes are raised Gordon Hayward by the way uh there’s another one uh 55.6 from three uh

I want to make two points but I’m going to make them separately because I want you to to sort of respond to the first one so going back to Identity uh Mark dagnal gets asked all the time about their rebounding W and he had a great

Response the other day and I’m I’m sort of paraphrasing here here he’s like we know it’s a weakness but we’re going to manage that weakness Joe Missoula always talks about managing the game managing shot right so Joe is really into the just the math of playing basketball right so his

Decision making about do I double team this guy what am I willing to live with defensively it’s based on time and score and it’s based on how the game Flow is going so if his team and they do a great job of managing turnovers his team is man managing turnovers they’re getting

Up the right type of Threes they’re getting to the free throw line and they’re winning by seven well why would I why would I double cuz we’re managing the shots we’re managing the game and if you look at OKC right they’re 28th in defensive rebounding 28th in offensive rebounding 28th in rebound percentage

Overall so they are not a good rebounding team relative to the rest of the NBA well how do they manage the game all right they don’t turn the ball over right number three in turnover percentage they lead the league in points off of turnovers so they’re turning teams over they are number three

In a opponent fast break points so they’re getting back on defense we’re willing to give up extra possessions on the offensive glass and we’re we want to set our defense we’re not going to allow fast break points so you combine the the the the free throws on the drives you

Combine the percentage of makes on drives you combine the three-point shooting the good shots along with we’re going to turn people over we’re going to score in transition off of turnovers and we’re not going to allow that on the other end that mitigates just mathematically it mitigates some of the

Rebounding Wes no completely well listen you’re going to have to counter and every team’s in that same category you’re GNA have to counter whatever your weakness is you have to counter it with something you you have to find a way to make up for that and offset that in one

Way it certainly helps you is being able to score at such an efficient rate that you’re constantly back balanced defensively to not allow the early stuff yeah you might give up some second shots and they’re going to because of the way that they play the way that their

Personnel is set up like the lack of depth of bigs on that team that’s the way that they’re going to be they’re going to be subject to that and vulnerable to that but the other things that they do prepare them to be able to withstand that where on a given night

That’s not going to be their undoing it won’t be because they do so many other things well and I think that’s a very smart approach by their coaching staff something they’re going to probably have to address going forward you got to Shore that up but they do so many other

Things well that that’s not going to be like their Achilles heel that that’s ultimately what they can’t survive yes correct now in a potential matchup with a given team right that creates a lot of Second Chance points that also doesn’t turn the ball over like again you have

To play this game where you’re managing it in a certain way it potentially could come back against a certain matchup in the playoffs right um I think that there’s a certain group of people on NBA Twitter that love jayen Williams and understand how good Jaylen Williams is

Yeah to the Casual fan and again I’ve said this a hundred times I have nothing against casual fans I want to be enter entertained too right I am a casual NFL fan okay I don’t I don’t Deep dive on the NFL it’s fine I love when somebody

Say I’m a hardcore NFL fan but I love when somebody says to me oh no that such and such linebacker or that safety like he’s [ __ ] awesome you know what I mean I’m like oh okay now it makes sense why that team so good it’s good I’m I want to tell you

Something Jaylen Williams is a star and because of Chad and and the season he’s having uh as a as a rookie you know he’s his second year but the season he’s having as a rookie and some of this wemi Chet buzz and because of Shay and truthfully because of some of

This off the store off the court stuff with giddy because they are Oklahoma City and they don’t get a ton of Ashley televised games to me and I I’m not gonna say he’s the most underrated or underappreciated but to me he just he’s the best player that flies under the

Radar yeah this guy this guy does a little bit of everything really [ __ ] well you want to have a fun exercise go up and down the top 10 12 teams in the NBA and start listing like I guess what you would label them as a co-star I

Think it’s a good description of who Jaylen Williams is they clearly have yeah their top Star right and any team in the league I could say any team in the league who’s their best player a name is gon to immediately jump out of your mouth I was thinking about this out

Of the 30 teams there’s only a couple where you might have to go let me think about that you’re G to say a name immediately and we’re going to say the same name right and most people that do this for living are going to say the same name so you’re talking about that

Next guy and so he’s a co-star because I agree with you first of all he is a star because how what he has done to develop his game offensively that you can run your offense through him now when Shay’s on the bench put the ball in his hands and

The way that he can now run ball screen and make great decisions and get what he wants and then he is affecting people on the other end of the floor it’s he’s not just out there as like a conscientious Defender like oh yeah you know he plays hard defensively no no he actually

Influences outcomes against really good players so he is doing it on both ends he’s gotten just better and better and better at the Polish in his game offensively to where he now he is a legitimate star player and I was just looking at his his splits are incredible

The dude is shooting 58% at home for the season 50% from the three-point line for the season now why does that matter well they might end up with the number one seed so he’s going to get a lot of home games potentially right and he’s re and

Look by the way splits on the road aren’t bad but he’s really good when they play at home like ridiculous shooting numbers when you look at the totality of his game so I completely agree with you he is somebody that I think and I I don’t even know if I’d say

The Casual be a fan I think there are guys that like watch The League every night that I would consider like man they really love the NBA like they really follow it they know it that aren’t watching a lot of Oklahoma city games to really understand how far this

Guy has come and like what the pecking order is but if I were to ask you start listing these co-stars and these other teams you you’d be shocked when you start writing down names and say man no would I take Jaylen Williams over that guy whereas like you you would think

Your knee-jerk reaction would be no because it’s going to be a bigger name it’s going to be somebody that’s got more accomplishments under their belt like Allstar appearances are like whatever and your knee-jerk reaction is going to be no no it’s got to be that guy but when you really break down the

Nuts and bolts of how they’re playing right now I think you take Jayden Williams over more guys than you think that are in that second seat yeah I agree with that I agree with that and he’s had some big clutch moments you you talk about the ability to just run

Offense through him like how important is that going to be in a playoff run that you have a second guy who legitimately you can run efficient offense through who can make threes who can get to the basket who can make shots from the mid-range who can make the

Right reads out of pick and rolls and also very comfortable playing off of Shay yeah like there’s no uh there’s no butting heads there right right it’s not my turn your turn it’s like he’s he can oscillate between roles very easily and it’s interesting I I I hadn’t really

Thought of this um but there I think there’s a little bit of a similarity um depending on lineups with them where you could sort of make an argument um who like who you gonna hunt similar to Boston because you have like you talk about Jaylen Williams defensively they they have Lou Dort yeah

Right who’s like yeah an all all defensive caliber Wing Defender right Shay who block steals for a guard like he’s up there right you have Chad as a rim protector K Wallace as as a as a guard who’s gonna fight over screens and get deflections Kendrick Williams who’s

A [ __ ] dog right they they have like this ability to put out Ross put out lineups where it’s like well what’s the what’s the matchup we’re gonna hunt here even even giddy is really good positionally as a Team Defender like he’s not a guy you’d want on an island

With an elite level I did see a clip of him a low man the other day super late on a baseline but it happens you yeah you could find those clips on every single guy in the league have you seen by the way have you seen this Instagram

Or Tik Tok I don’t even know what it is I I came across it on Twitter the the we done with the90s thing have you seen that oh my God it’s hilar it’s first of all it’s objectively it’s hilarious but it’s the same thing this this guy is’s like basically picking and choosing

These Random clips of you know 90s playoff would I watch like what you talking about like the Jord had no left hand so it’s a clip of Jordan going left where he doesn’t finish or it’s like Scotty Pippen shooting an airball right right and it it’s it’s it’s you know very much

Picking pick the worst moments of each guy as a player right okay I airball a layup once by the way my rookie year I’m sure I did I don’t it’s been too long now so I don’t I I’m sure I did I remember vividly shooting the worst air

Ball of my life against the Miami Heat from the left wing for some reason I remember that shot just drifting right on me was off by like 2 feet right and I didn’t shoot many air balls but I remember that one every now and then I’ll have like pts day it’ll it’ll pop

Up in my head anyways I think the Thunder are GNA be super fun this is gonna be fun this G be fun to watch oh yeah it’s gonna be fun to watch be fun to break down it’s GNA be fun to watch Mark dagnal make adjustments with within a series um and

I I think they have enough optionality with their rotation that they can make lineup adjustments depending on who they’re series matchup is

This week we’ve got a packed episode of ‘The Old Man and the Three.’ In the first half of the episode, Tim Legler joins to help give a full breakdown of the NBA playoff picture during the regular season’s home stretch. In this teaser clip, Legler and JJ go in-depth on why and why not they think Shai Gilegeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and the Oklahoma City Thunder could make a deep playoff run given their youth and lack of playoff experience.

Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.