The OKC Thunder Master Plan Isn’t what the NBA Thinks it is

The OKC Thunder Master Plan Isn’t what the NBA Thinks it is

Never mind the fact that the OKC Thunder currently have the third youngest roster in the entire league or the fact that they still own like a million first round pick spanning the next seven NBA drafts because right now just more than three years since kickstarting arguably the most efficient rebuild in NBA

History the Thunder are looking like legitimate contenders again as they’ve been constantly battling the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top seat in the Western Conference this season and the way OKC is winning doesn’t appear to be a fluke either as the 9.1 Point differ parential they’re sporting so far is the

Second best in the entire NBA only behind that of the Boston Celtics well sure Skeptics would point out that this OKC team has been almost perfectly healthy this season or that their number two rank three-point shooting percentage would soon come back down Earth however OKC could give back a lot of ground in

Those areas and they would still rank with the best teams in the NBA amazingly the Thunder got here in a much different way from what most might have expected looking at it the stockpile of draft picks that they acquired from the the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trades

Have only factored into their current roster once which is when they used the 2022 Clippers first round pick to draft Jaylen Williams otherwise the Thunder drafted Lottery selections like Chad hongren Josh Giddy and Cas Wallace with their own draft picks but even before that they signed defensive standout lud

Dort as an undrafted player back in 2019 and during the 2022 offseason they also picked up Sharpshooter Isaiah Joe after being waved by the 76ers but of course everything around this team begins with Shay Giles Alexander who a lot of people initially saw as a random piece from the

Paul George trade package but is now officially become the first real threat to the yic Yannis and Joel embiid MVP Trio in half a decade but the question is should OKC make a big move or even just a mediumsized trade before the deadline to capitalize in their current

Success so what’s good everyone it’s R balls here and in this video Let’s dive deeper into what’s actually fueling the Thunder’s quick return to Contender status and what could GM Sam prey’s master plan actually be heading into the end stretch of the Season let’s get to it it’s actually crazy realizing that

That Thunder would still have won the Paul George trade even if they haven’t received a single draft pick out of it just by looking at how Shay gilas Alexander has evolved into a top three player this season surprisingly Shay has been one of the most prolific scorers in the entire league despite rarely

Shooting three-pointers as the main driving force of the Thunders offense Shay has instead deployed a drive heavy attack based on his Herky jerky start and stop shot making inside York and to say that he’s been efficient while doing that is a huge understatement as this season Shay has been shooting an insane

72% at the rim and a mind-blowing 60% from two-point distance which is why it’s not surprising that Shay’s 31.2 player efficiency rating this season is the highest PR ever produced by a guard in history not named Michael Jordan so given the drive heavy game of their best player the Thunder scoring attack has

Been primarily centered around a drive and kick type of offense and while this type of offense might be one of the simplest ones in basketball what makes OKC’s drive and kick game so dangerous is that aside from having Shay who’s the most frequent driver in the entire NBA

They also have seven other guys in their rotation who’s averaging at least two drives per game and this matters because when you have so many players who can get into the paint at will this actually creates a ton of wide open Catch shoot opportunities for your team well looking

At it aside from Sharpshooter Isaiah Joe Chad homr and dois bton who’s barely even playing OKC doesn’t have a ton of historically great three-point Shooters in their rotation but because of having so many players who can drive to the basket the Thunder are currently attempting the second most wide open

Threes in the league per game only behind the Dallas Mavericks and when you’re taking so much of those open threes you’re also bound to hit a lot of them which has been the case for OKC as their 39.7 shooting percentage on wide open three-point shots also leads the

NBA this season in this play you can see Shay in isolation breaking down the defense of Cam reddish and as he drives watch how he just draws the Lakers defense into the paint he uses a shot fake to pull the defense further in putting him in the perfect position to

Set up kendri Williams on the weak side who easily drains the wide open three this time you can see Josh giddy using the screen from Jay will to open up a driving lane towards the Baseline you can see how giddy pulls an additional Defender into the lane which leaves k w

Wide open in the corner who then beats the late close out with a three-point shot then in this play with lud Dort initiating the offense you can see J dub approaching to set a quick go screen this gives d a head start to attack the

Lane which enables Jay dub to pop out to the top of the key with a ton of daylight to drain the wide open three-pointer between all the driving and the guard to guard screening that they employ the Thunder have produced what is currently the fourth best

Offense in the entire NBA and of course it helps that OKC has a 7 foot walking mismatch in the form of Chad hongren Chad gives the Thunder another reliable floor spacer who perfectly complements their drive and kick system as a sub 39% 3point shooter who’s almost automatic

Off the catch but also don’t let his light frame fool you opposing teams have already learned that if they try to hide a smaller defender on him Chad can also make them pay with his own driving game here you can see the twom man screen game between Shay and Chad the screen

Forces yic to get switched to Shay as Chad is now switched to Reggie Jackson just watch how Chad exploits the mismatch using his size and that Euro Step to just bulldoze his way into the basket this time as cck gets into space he’s picked up by Carl Anthony towns but

Fearing that Chad might drive goar actually fills up the lane while Jay dub is left unguarded from behind the ark so Chad makes the pass while goar can basically do nothing to contest jdub’s open three-pointer this is also why opposing teams fear guarding chat with big men because centers are typically

Too slow to respond to anything Chad creates from the perimeter so often times opponents decide to defend Chad with guards or wings while hiding their centers on Josh giddy who hasn’t been known as a great three-point shooter the only problem for opponents is that Josh giddy has actually been making his

Outside shots as of late just like in this play Boston actually puts Drew holiday on Chad Chad attacks but he kicks the ball out to gy on the corner porzingis doesn’t know how to respond with the possibility of Chad rolling to the paint so gidy makes porzingis pay by

Draining the three-pointer against the late contest this season giddy has been shooting a career best 36.4% from the three-point line and between that his ever evolving skill set his High basketball IQ and the positional versatility he brings I just don’t believe that he needs to be traded for

Some reason and I really think gidd is going to be a vital piece of the OKC Thunder score moving forward well again Shay is OKC’s main offensive engine but even the most talented shot making athletes can’t play All 48 minutes in the playoff game fortunately for OKC they have Jaylen Williams a talented

Three-level shot maker who this season has been averaging a whopping 31.9 points per 100 possessions when Shay is on the bench this is easily the most productive rate from any player in OKC’s rotation during those non-sga minutes and despite only being a second-year player Jay Dub’s overall numbers

Actually reflect that of a borderline All-Star level Talent this season he’s averaging more than 18 points on a solid 54.8% shooting clip from the field and a hyper efficient 45% mark from behind the arc plus the crazy thing is he also actually plays like a light version of

With how he creates his own shots right here in isolation you can see how Jay dub just torches Justin holiday he uses the hesitation and then he uses his wide body to attack the lane before finishing the tough shot even against contact then in this play jdub’s being guarded by the

Bigger Andrew Wiggins but the screen forces the switch to another solid defender in kaminga starting off with a jab St watch how jdub’s Trent just gets kaminga off balanced while he just easily creates space for that step back mid-range jumper but then moving on to

To the defensive end of the floor on the surface OKC isn’t all that different from last season they’ve been that same overachieving team who despite lacking size has been using their length and tremendous effort to force the most opponent turnovers per game and to draw the third most charges per game by any

Team this season but obviously the reason they’ve jumped from number 13 to number three defensively is that they now have Chad hongren to provide constant Rim protection which is something they didn’t have last season well he’s still a rookie so his best defensive plays are still to come but

The way Chad has changed OKC as a defensive unit is already apparent cuz with him as their last line of defense OKC went from ranking number 10 in terms of opponent field goal percentage at The Rim last season to number one in the entire NBA this season so to sum it all

Up as it appears the Thunder have an offense that is sure to keep playoff defenses on their toast while at the same time their defense is also good enough to help them avoid having to win in a shootout basically all indications point to the Thunder already being real

Championship contenders so if that’s the case do the Thunder really even need to make some sort of a move ahead of the trade deadline just as most narratives suggest well looking at it there’s the fact that Shay has only two playoff appearances under his belt and outside

Of him only Lou Dort and Isaiah Joe have got playoff experience among OKC’s main rotation at the very least you would understand why there are fans making a case for the Thunder to trade for at least a high level veteran presence to come off the bench on top of that there

Are also some clear areas where this team could use some help like rebounding for one as the Thunder currently are the fourth worst rebounding team in the entire league some added interior size could definitely be of help to avoid overring in Jay dub or Lou Dort at the

Four provided that they could find a player that wouldn’t hurt the team’s floor spacing by being a non- shooter but I think the question is is there even a clearly identifiable highlevel bench player that OKC should Target right now based on fit considering that their bench already have the best net

Rating in the NBA well assuming that they do identify someone by all means it wouldn’t hurt hurt OKC to package some of their less valuable draft Capital would say the semi expiring 17 million deal of Davis brons together with perhaps the contracts of guys like Trey

Man or alexe pushki to boost the bench but the even bigger question here is should OKC go for a bigger swing and Target an All-Star level Talent by the trade deadline knowing that they would most likely have to give up a lot more than just bench players to acquire that

Guy well sure we can talk all day about all the ways that someone like Lori marinan could be a perfect fit for the Thunder and how he could move the needle for OKC in the playoff series cuz to be fair marinan looks like the perfect stretch four for OKC starting lineup and

Given his 7 foot frame his shot making and his underrated defense he could form arguably the best two-way front Court in the NBA with Chad hren but if you’re OKC would you actually be willing to offer Marin in a super max extension once his current deal expires by 2025 knowing

That by that time both Chad homegrand and Jaylen Williams will also be eligible to sign their own Max extensions well at some point the Thunder will surely be diving into the luxury tax and sooner or later they’ll have to do something with all those draft Capital that they own but right

Now I just don’t think that OKC necessarily needs to make a big splash of a trade because I think it’s possible that the right deal for the right player with the right contract just isn’t there yet so overall I think the case for patience is actually stronger at this

Point looking at it this current OKC roster has yet to be in a playoff game together yet alone go through a deep postseason run yes their champion ship window might already be open but honestly we’ll never really know OKC’s real strengths and weaknesses until we see how they respond against constant

Opponent adjustments in the playoff series at the end of the day Sam pry is one of the most unpredictable GMS in the NBA but he definitely not going to make a trade just for the sake of making one but it’s crazy that if and when he decides to pull the trigger OKC could

Just basically outbid any other team for any player they’re going after given their seemingly endless stockpile of assets in any case the Thunder are winning right now and all indications just point to this team being primed to have an extensive Championship window for the foreseeable future so thank you guys if you’ve

Actually made it this far into the video but do you actually believe that this OKC Thunder team already has what it takes to make a deep postseason run or do you actually believe that there’s still one trade away from being real contenders feel free to drop your thoughts in the comment section below

And again if you’re new to the Channel please consider subscribing as well again this is real balls and I’ll see you on the next one peace

#NBA #OklahomaCityThunder #NBAhighlights

The OKC Thunder are looking like NBA championship contenders with how they’re playing. But the question is will the Thunder make a trade? Sam Presti has engineered arguably the best rebuild in NBA history which caused Oklahoma City to acquire a ton of draft assets, and which has also landed them Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, and the rest of the Thunder’s young core. The Pascal Siakam trade to the Pacers has been one of the dominoes to fall before the Nba trade deadline but will the OKC Thunder make a trade as well? The Thunder have beat teams like the Celtics, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Clippers, and Lakers but can they stay on top of the Western Conference?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a legitimate MVP candidate this year alongside Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Chet Holmgren has been battling Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the year award and possibly a first time NBA all-star appearance. Jalen Williams looks like a borderline two-way star and Josh Giddey has been starting to find his groove. Lauri Markkanen trade rumors to OKC have been a huge topic as of late but with the Utah Jazz winning, that trade might not be possible. In this video, let’s look into what’s fueling the Thunder’s contender status and will Sam Presti make a move by the trade deadline?

For similar content, please search for:
NBA highlights today, OKC Thunder, Pascal Siakam traded to Indiana Pacers, OKC Thunder trade for Lauri Markkanen,Oklahoma City Thunder highlights, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Thunder rebuild, Sam Presti, Okc Thunder draft, NBA trade news, Thunder at Jazz full game highlights, NBA trade deadline, Victor Wembanyama, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Lakers, Luka Doncic, NBA all-star voting results

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