The Oklahoma City Thunder Should Teach a Class on How to Rebuild

The Oklahoma City Thunder Should Teach a Class on How to Rebuild

Shay gilis Alexander Chad Holm and Jaylen Williams lead the Oklahoma City Thunder and this organization has had one of the most successful rebuilds in recent memory moving away from Russell Westbrook and Paul George in 2019 OKC brought in a number of different pieces to help them move into a new future

Since their first season after these big moves they have blazed past expectations and with SGA developing to an MVP level player homeg GM being a top rookie and Jay dub continuing his impressive play from his rookie year into year two as well as a number of other key

Contributors the OKC Thunder have been one of the NBA’s best teams this season as one of the League’s youngest teams I’m sure like many other fans I’ve had no choice but to pay closer attention to the squad so let’s take a look at the players that make this team who they are

Shay gilis Alexander is the main act for the show in Oklahoma City and I’ve heard about how good the Thunder guard is over the last few seasons but as someone that really hasn’t watched the Thunder a whole lot until this season I’m really just learning how good he truly is and

Has quickly become one of my favorite players to watch He’s parts of a handful of players averaging 30 or more points per game this season SGA possesses extremely valuable traits that have helped him from a player with potential in LA to one of the best players in the

Association first we can look at his ability to finish at The Rim which is near the top of the league Shay was one of the most frequent drivers last season sitting at number one in drives to the basket for contest with almost four more than second place and he was number one

In total drives as well across 68 games played and we have seen much more of the same this season as he always seems to find himself in the lane playing at his own pace as well as using his body and his above average height for a point

Guard all allow him to get to the rim and finish and he’s one of the most effective guys around the basket in the league and one of the most fun to watch in my opinion with just how impressive his slashing and finishes R time and time again we know how impactful this is

For any offense SGA also knows how to get to the free throw line and converts his free throws at a very high rates because of the slashing ability the second trade that helps the first team all NBA guard average as much as he does is his mid-range shooting again his Pace

Helps him get these looks and his height helps him convert these attempts at such a high rate he is number one in the NBA in efficiency for guys who take at least four mid-range shots per game and being able to play in the zone is not only aesthetically pleasing in my opinion for

Any player but is also so valuable especially can playoff time SJ is definitely more of a scorer than a passer but he is still a good passer averaging around six assists per game and his drives give OKC so many opportunities as defenses understand just how dangerous he is coming

Downhill he can finish at the basket and play in the mid-range at League high levels but he hasn’t hasn’t quite been a three level scorer as a guy who hasn’t taken or made a lot of Threes over the last few seasons but over the last several games he has been much better

Which is very scary and this is an improvement I really want to see continue going forward the mid-range shot isn’t out of style like a lot of people try and make it seem being a threat at The Rim is something that will forever be important in basketball but

With the three-point shot being as important as it is in today’s game Shay developing a reliable three ball will make him pretty much an Unstoppable will score if he isn’t that already as a guy averaging over 30 a game for the second year in a row and if this keeps up this

Type of three LEL scoring is exciting for the Thunder and their fans but terrifying for opposing teams and their fans who have to watch SGA torch their teams even worse than he already has been SJ knows how to be a bother on the defensive end as well and this mainly

Shows up with Steals and deflections leading the league for both categories and he was was number two amongst guards last season for total blocks over the last few years SJ has become one of the best players in the NBA earning First Team all NBA honors last season and he

Was only 25 and so many more years to come Chad hom grin was drafted number two overall in 2022 by OKC out of Gonzaga and he had the same appeal as a lot of guys in the modern day a taller player with some skills you expect from

A guard and after missing his entire first season with a foot injury he has been that and more leading the Rookie of the Year race the skill that probably sticks out the most for CAD is a shot blocking ability blocking almost three shots a game in year one we know how

Important a big is for any defense they are the foundation and everything builds from inside Chad is number two in the league for most shots defended at The Rim per game and out of players that defend at least seven shots at The Rim each game Chad makes guys miss at the

Sixth best percentage near season Defenders like Anthony Davis and three- time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy gobear and he is only 21 years old on the offens side of the ball again Chad has been as good as advertised if not better and he is impressed thus far he

Has been able to put it all together in his rookie season he’s shooting well from the field from three from the line pretty much everywhere first of all Chad of course brings value in the paint because of his height as a seven-footer the big thing with him of course is

Filling out his frame and becoming bigger for the future if he can add weight and I’m sure he’ll be able to he’d be much more effective down low and when it comes to backing down Defenders Chad has also been great on threes shooting over 40% and over 45% on catch

And shoot threes which is amazing for the okasi offense having that sort of big man floor spacer he can also hit his mid-range shots the most exciting part of the rookie offensive game in my opinion is the self-creation he does an impressive job at putting the ball on the floor and

Getting to the rim and he has a really great touch as well which helps him right now because he can’t always get all the way to the basket again chat has been able to put it all together in his first season playing in the pros what we

Have seen is extremely promising for a guy who hasn’t even played half of a season yet I’m excited to see how he continues to develop and just how good he can become Jaylen Williams was picked 12th overall in the same draft as CH and he is yet another promising player for the

OKC Thunder Jay dub is a three-level scorer with an improving overall game since his rookie season Williams has shown an ability to get to and finish around the rim he has a slick handle and a step that helps him Shake Defenders and get past them and he has a frame

That allows him to finish through contact just in year two he has shown great improvements specifically with his scoring maturity getting to his spots in the mid-range I mentioned the value of the mid-range and being a threat from all over the floor for our two previous Thunder players and Williams has

Showcased that same ability this season shooting a great percentage from the mid-range shooting over 46% and his handle as well as his threat to drive help set up the shots perfectly and he has been in a Groove all season long especially when he takes over in fourth

Quarters providing so much value as an overall playmaker while SGA is on the bench which is such a great luxury to have another guy who can lead your offense while your lead guy gets rest Jay du was solid from three for his rookie season shooting almost 36% but

This season he’s over 40% and this Improvement just makes him that much more dangerous of a score and a guy who can kill you from all over the court outside of his scoring he can also pass the ball demonstrating a great ability to find guys with his awareness and

Quick decision making and he has yet another guy who helps his OKC offense stay flowing again referring to his frame Williams uses this to defend and sit down on the ball and he has good hands disrupting plays making him a very complete player at just 22 years old du

Was first team all rookie last season and he is yet another example of OKC’s great drafting that has landed them in the position they are in now and he is a dynamic scorer and seemingly a third piece that a lot of teams simply do not and will not

Have these three are of course amazing for OKC show casing three-point shooting mid-range Mastery high level finishing ability defense on every level pretty much everything you want from your players but you don’t become as good as this team is with just three guys guys like Josh giddy Lou Dort KAS Wallace

Isaiah Joe and Jay will and others bring so much to this team Josh giddy has been a surprise for a lot of people and he’s gotten a lot of attention for his lack of flash on the courts while still being able to be effective he did not start

Off this season great but has been much better as time has gone on he’s another guy that has struggled shooting the ball in his career but is shooting much better than he ever has from what I’ve seen over this last stretch of games giddy has shown a pretty good touch

Around the basket as well he’s also shown value as a passer and rebounder in his career when GID is playing well it makes the Thunder that much better A lot of OKC fans seem to want to move on from giddy mainly because of his defense and some of the offensive limitations that

Have shown up throughout his career which are legitimate concerns and giddy oftentimes makes very silly plays that make you question what he is thinking and fans question his value on the team versus some of their other players but if he can continue to shoot better finish well with his floaters and be a

Third playmaker for the Thunder I believe he has a place on this team but if OKC decides to make a move in the near future he would probably headline a thunder package lud dor has always had a defensive reputation in the the NBA never being afraid to check some of the

League’s best but over the first four seasons of his career he shot just 33% from three and if you’re going to be out there you need to be able to stretch the floor D is now shooting over 40% from three this season but because of his

Lack of a three for the bulk of his time in the league you question if he will keep this up nonetheless he has been extremely valuable for the Thunder this season on both ends K WS is yet another player that proves this organization eye for talent as they traded for the 10th

Pick on draft night Wallace comes out of Kentucky as NBA guards do and he has impressed you know what you are going to get from Wallace nightly and his role is pretty defined which I think is pretty impressive considering his youth for starters Wallace’s calling card has

Always been his defense which is rare but such a valuable trait for a point guard he competes like crazy and really gets up into offensive players on the perimeter on the offensive side of the ball the word is efficiency he’s shooting well over 40% from three and he

Seems to be automatic from the corners he also often times is simply in the right place around the rim another rare trait for a PG again K Wallace is a very mature rookie having very defined traits very early in his career and is so valuable for this team as a role player

Which I think is great to see as many rookies understandably have trouble finding their role other role players include guys like Isaiah Joe who was a player a lot of 76ers fans wanted to see more of in his time in Philly he is a great three-point shooter yet another Thunder

Over 40% accuracy he isn’t only a shooter though as I think he is very active overall offensively and defensively Aaron Wiggins is shooting almost 50% on threes and it’s yet another valuable piece a lot of Thunder fans want to see more of in rotations and in addition to his shooting he

Provides a lot of value as a cutter and just overall brings energy Jaylen Williams or Jay will is a backup big for the Thunder who they drafted out of the second round in 2022 he doesn’t play a lot of minutes but when he is out there his presence as a competitor is

Definitely felt by his and the other team kenri Williams is shooting well over 40% from three yeah another Thunder player lighting it up and he is a guy you can put into immediately energize your squad as he is very active all over the courts Mis provides value as a playmaker

And he’s another ball handler we saw his value straight away in a game like last night where it’s SGA and four guys out there that can’t really create their own shot and they struggled Mage comes in and immediately helps them break the zone and helps them convert the Thunder

Have a number of young players like Trey man that don’t get minutes but have shown potential overall this team is amazing the Oklahoma City Thunder have shown a lot of teams the correct way to rebuild the trade sending out Paul George for Shay gilis Alexander turned

Out to be an amazing one as I think it is safe to say SJ has panned out pretty well at just 25 years old and he’s only going to get better drafting guys like CH Jay dub Wallace and others have shown this team’s scouting abilities and correctly utilizing the draft is such an

Important part of a rebuild but one so many teams fail at and this organization’s success in this area is one of the things that has catapulted them into top rankings this team is not perfect however they are near the bottom of the league and Reb bounds which

Killed them in their recent loss to Brooklyn for example when they definitely should not lose and this problem won’t just go away Jay will provides some size Off the Bench but even he is a bit under size for a five signing another big body could be a

Focus going forward over some of their last games their defense has also been a lot worse and they need to lock back in on this end in the first halves and you know continue to be one of the best teams in the league but overall I love

This team like I said in the beginning of the video they have forced me to pay attention and I’m so glad I’ve started to and I’ve quickly become one of my favorite teams to watch and have been number one as of late they play for each

Other on both ends and I’m curious to see how they fair in the playoffs but what do you think how good are these Thunder is SGA the MVP is Chad the Rookie of the Year how much do you love jdub let me know in the comments below

Thank you guys for watching this has been Rashad with Hoops times 2 hit the Subscribe button if you want to see more content like this hit the like button if you enjoy this video I’ll see you guys next time peace out

The Oklahoma City Thunder have put on a masterclass of rebuilding over the last few seasons, showing so many teams how to do it properly. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander developing into an MVP caliber player, Chet Holmgren being one of the best rookies in recent years, and Jalen Williams taking a leap after his already impressive rookie season plus so many other key contributors have helped head coach Mark Daigneault and his team to the top of the league. OKC seems to be ahead of schedule as one of the NBA’s youngest squads. Let’s take a closer look at the Oklahoma City Thunder and their players.

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