What improvements must the OKC Thunder make ahead of the NBA Playoffs

What improvements must the OKC Thunder make ahead of the NBA Playoffs

On today’s lock on Thunder podcast who should the Oklahoma City Thunder avoid in the playoffs what improvements must they make down the stretch of this season we’ll talk about it all on today’s show you are locked on Thunder your daily Oklahoma City Thunder podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your

Team every day let’s get it going on the lockdown Thunder podcast and lockon podcast Network your team every day I am your host intro is you by the way the intro and all that I like that that’s you that’s really appreciate you interrupting the intro but yeah I get on

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Linkedin.com loock NBA uh no longer a secret on today’s show Joel Lenay beat Rider from the Oklahoma here to break down the Thunder season thus far Joelle outside of your usual interruptions what’s going on man what’s going on brother good good to be here brother great to see you brother now listen this

Has been a crazy season your first season on the thunderbeat when you look at this Thunder team let’s just jump right in the great Joel Lenay who I know therefore I know the Thunder when you look at this Thunder team what’s their ceiling that’s a pod Easter egg by the

Way what’s this team’s ceiling um as far as this year or like this era or what do we talk so first firstly let’s just go very much in the micro of this season yeah I I well obviously they’re baring the to the PO postseason right um I’d say second round

Is where I have them second round maybe give a good fight in the second round it’s real situational matchups all that I mean we can go on about the science and and all that into it um that comes with the matchups but I I would be comfortable saying in any setting I

Think they are not only capable of winning a a first round Series in most cases but um also just pushing another team in the second round to to the brink so I I’d say second round second round would be a really good goal that’d be their first ever playoff series win

Since Kevin Durant left so that would be a huge milestone in and of itself now you mentioned kind of this era what do you think given how good they already are the assets they that they have you know the pioneer of of Sam presty what is the ceiling of this core of this

Era yeah um I’d say a championship um I don’t want to go too far and say multiple championships this is not Jaylen Brown sitting in front of Taylor Rooks right let’s just be comfortable say a championship that should be the bottom line when you’re this good this

Early got these level of pieces I think it it nobody’s stunned when you say it’s a championship now I’m not going to call them a dynasty I’m not going to say they should be expected to win three or four um but it wouldn’t surprise me if they

Won more than one and I think at the very least they should win a championship especially when you look at the decisions they’ll have to make I mean I know uh you know the aprons and and everything everything that goes into now this next era of money in the league

Um trust me that these guys will be paying the price um they’re they’re they’re not going to cut costs or or cut Corners to to keep from uh you know to to keep the team I don’t know financially like stable or like foot like that’s that’s the priority when

You’re a small Market team um is to keep what you have because you don’t know you’ll probably never look into you know what you have and dub and check um in in succession again so um I expect this team to be contended for championships very soon yeah and and I think that the

Thunder are lucky enough to have already struck twice and it’s it’s gonna be difficult to do it a third time you know you got KD Russ and Harden now you’ve got you know you’ve traded for Shay you’ve got Chad and jdub of course in the same draft you’ve got to capitalize

On this and I think that where the Thunder are set up in the future is that they have enough first round assets not even to go make a splashy trade but to fill out the roster at a at a cost control uh way either by drafting very

Well as we’ve seen them do with case Wallace and other guys who can be complimentary pieces or just by simply trading them for just cheap veterans but keeping the cost down on the on the margins while maintaining you know Shay is going to be a super max guy uh he’s

Already eligible for that as long as he makes all NBA this year which he will so you know you’re gonna extend him gonna extend J and chat like so keeping the cost down in that way the Thunder have really set themselves up well to do that

And as someone who just kind of jumped in to the funnest part of what this thunder rebuild has been with a fresh perspective like to you what’s been the most you know surprising or interesting part about now following this team so intimately um the most surprising

Probably just how many wins a few of these young guys have been worth I mean there’s surprises all across the roster but like Chad being as impactful as he has and like what I’m sure we’ll get into this later in the show but part of the MV argument and just the overall

Framework of his team I think an argument against sh is just how good Chad has been just how much he’s meant I mean that dude is worth like however many wins like you can see the impact even when he’s not when the when the scoring production maybe isn’t there

Like just the overall ability to be an anchor like he’s been worth a lot of wins and then dub has been I mean he has people calling him you know All-Star by next year a future all NBA guy like people see stars when they see that dude

And so um just how good those two have been this early and then you got guys like Isaiah Joe who who um is surprisingly really really surprisingly good for his contract um case Wallace has been I mean it hasn’t been talked about enough because we’re in this you know unprecedented rookie race with

These incredible dudes but um K Wallace has been one of the best rookies in the league and it’s been like an impactful like like you saw the other night a late game closer as a as a 20-y old um so there’s been surprises all across this roster honestly

Yeah it’s been surprising up and down and I think that you know Isaiah Joe taking the next step to be an all-around player has been something that has tied this roster together you can get lost in the top of the roster but things like that have helped them become as good as

They’ve become so far when you look at this team one thing that I’ve been torn with is that coming into the year I was just all in on the fact that I do believe that you know you have to go through some things you have to get some

Battle Scars in the postseason and it’s it’s going to be even more difficult in Western Conference because I think it’s the most competitive most interesting Western Conference or any conference we’ve seen in quite some time but also while that’s all true the Thunder have done a great job of just showing this

Uncommon Poise and maturity where you’re not you’re not thinking that they’re just going to fall off a cliff because the calendar flips to April so where do you land on balancing the need for postseason experience the need to go through things with your core and this team’s also just incredibly good right

Now yeah I I think the problem would be if their experience had a lot to do with their play style like their play style if that was really like I don’t know I mean you can say that you know because they play so fast like that is uh their experience

Their age their age let’s say that that has more to do with their age and anything but experience I don’t know experience comes comes into coverages how you deal with a guy over the course of a series adjustments um and that part like and D all T and just some of how

How why these guys have been in certain situations how much basketball guy like Shay watches I would be less worried about that part but of course you still like if if you’re asked like to put IQ go IQ for IQ with like LeBron in the series or something like that then

Obviously you’re like that’s that’s a factor in the series um but overall I I think there are there’s a good faction of people in the NBA world that have um kind of played up to a fault just the whole experience bit but they do need experience and that’s why I wouldn’t put

Them maybe past the second round there are teams with experience with similar talent that will just probably Edge them out because of experience so that’s that’s that’s why I had their ceiling where it is but I I don’t think it it makes them like a first round out or

Something like that yeah I am uncharacteristically bought into this team despite their age just because you know you can see from the players aspect they’ve been tested and they’ve handled adversity well this season whenever it’s arose I really do believe in this coaching staff I think that the coaching

Staff thing you you’re never going to come around to coach nationally until they do it in the playoffs but everything that Mark’s done since since becoming the coach of Oklahoma City and even whenever the team just had no quality you know not enough quality players on it he was able to make them

Competitive and able to make them uh a team that fought every single night even though they lost a lot and only won 23 24 games they still fought and competed each night because of some of the principles that he laid in there so I do believe in a in a coaching battle like

For example you get the Mavericks out of the playing tournament I’d give the coaching battle wholeheartedly to mark even though Jason kids gone to the Western Conference Finals with Dallas and so things like that add up over the course of time so this season I think

That a good goal is the first round and anything past the first round you are looking at and you are just thrilled that it’s happening and just kind of thrilled with the ride it’s going on but this team is going to gain that experience and then from there we can

Both agree the sky is pretty much the limit for uh for this Thunder roster and for the Thunder core because of all the moves that they can start to make over the course of it but we’re g to make some moves moving into the postseason talking about some key adjustments and

Some key improvements this Thunder team can make despite being you know 47 and 20 they still are uh some some eligible improvements to make but coming up let talk about that now first let’s talk about our good friends over at stitchfix stitchfix is great check them out today stitchfix.com

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As good as you look go there right now and get started at stitchfix.com lockon stitchfix.com locked on we’re back on the lockdown Thunder podcast I’m the lockdown podcast Network your teams every day Joel Lorenzi of the Oklahoman checking it out Joel It’s playoff time almost can’t skip

Past the 15 games whatever but we can the team can’t we can what what is an area of improvement or what is a concern for you heading into the postseason for the Thunder we’re talking about the p word huh the word they don’t like to use it last I checked

Joel there’s no law against it now there might be internal laws with the Thunder but you know we’re not a part of that so trust me I don’t I don’t I go by my own laws brother but too much oftentimes as I’ve told you before what am I worried about for the

Thunder for the postseason um that was your question right right um what am I worried about I am worried about uh this is something I haven’t really my ears hadn’t perked up about it until maybe these past couple weeks because I think there were a couple games like this and

Granted like I I think the Indiana game was one of these um I don’t know how many teams have play like that they also miss Jay dub badly in that game um but Indiana like and Indiana does a lot of teams but Indiana outran them Indiana obviously outscored them that that’s

Indiana’s Mo but um I just thought you know how little the Thunder got in transition like seeing that alternate reality which is something we haven’t seen I mean Mark has always talked about you know the defense is going to be aggressive they’re not necessarily looking to force turnovers but it just

Kind of happens with the way they play um that is a a maybe not frightening but it’s a it’s maybe a concerning reality you know when when if the game was to slow down they don’t start first turnovers because it is so much of what do right and and I know like playoff

Playoff basketball is a completely different game um it slows down it looks different and so I wonder if they can be that outlier that can rely so heavily on that and granted this seem is challenged enough to to maybe squeeze by or or live off so many other facets of the game but

That is such a big part of they do no no yeah and I think that it is a vola part of what they do some of it is of course you know induced by the Thunder some of it is just uh the Thunder playing an abnormal uh level of aggression in know

In every single night whereas in the NBA most nights you’re going to see teams take nights off and possessions off and be too careless in the playoffs everyone’s treating every possession like it’s the end of the world you see the pace of the playoff slow down you

See it become more of a halfcourt game and so obviously that can change things and and really change things for a team that wants to go out there and run I think that the Thunder where they can kind of make up for that is that it

Might not be the 20 turnover games but making up for it in big moments and and using their length to their advantage because even if you shrink the court and play half court and don’t get out and run there’s still going to be opportunities for you to disrupt uh you

Know possessions and even if you don’t come up with steals even if it’s just two deflections in a 24 second shot clock you get two deflections and the ball’s ping ponging around you’re not going to get a quality shot off most of the time against this athletic of a

Defense in OKC so it might not look like turnovers and fast break but it can still stay true to their identity even in the half court by just causing chaos and and I think that they’ll do that but that is a a huge uh kind of point that

Can fluctuate from what we’re typically seeing night in and Night Out in OKC yeah and you you mentioned okay so let me ask you this because you mentioned just them finishing with length obviously dub has been great at that um they’ve had guys that have you know used

That to their advantage where do you see you know how do you see the fate of the the half court offense just for the starters specifically fairing in the postseason you know giddy’s been getting to that push out recently he’s looked different in weeks past than he had to start the year

Throughout the course of the year just how do you see the starters holding up in terms of half court offense and maybe being able to offset some of that stuff we talked about yeah it’s going to come down to in the half court offense for me

Player movement of just if you you know whenever you’re watching the Thunder whenever they get to their secondary action as often whenever they’re the best because this team is so versatile and like one through five they can dribble they can drive and they can play

On the ball and so if you’re going one two actions deep and you’re keeping the defense on their heels they’re trying to switch and crossmatch and and get recovered all that time that they’re playing on their heels you have enough Killers like J and Shay who can just

Rise up and take advantage of any crease that you give them so it’s GNA take a lot of just movement and you can’t be very stagnant at all and it’s GNA take Josh skiddy making very quick decisions and and in the games which he’s done that even whenever they’re playing off

Of him in the games in where he’s made quick decisions he’s gone hard to the basket uh like those been really quality games for the Thunder what encourages me from what we’ve seen this season is that the Thunder have not been shy even last year whenever they were two games under

500 and they didn’t have as quality of players to replace him with the Thunder have not been shy about not closing with Josh kidy or getting a new look in there so uh that helps as well but ultimately I think that Josh Kitty has shown over

These last two weeks that this can work with the starting five and with Josh giddy being more decisive and driving into that space will be huge I the only matchup that concerns me for the Thunder is that there’s not much Josh Diddy can do against an elite rim protector so if

You have an elite guy down there it just comes down to making or missing threes and that’s that’s unfair to joshh Giddy to put him in that spot of just camping in the corner and hitting or missing threes now if you have a rim protector

Who might be a little soft down there or who you can draw out of the paint especially with Chad hren then you can work around that as we’ve seen that’s why Joshua was really good against Memphis he was good against Toronto he was good against these teams that weren’t kristofh porzingis luckily plays

Out east and some of these other Elite shop blockers so it’s going to come down to all those factors but I think that they factors that the Thunder can work around yeah and maybe we’ll wait to the end the showest but I think you got a name in mind right the the ultimate

Kryptonite because I I have a name in mind what’s your name in mind Anthony Davis yeah it’s G be tough that’s that’s that’s the team that everybody’s throwing around right after that’s the only team that that’s won the season series with them when knows to when him

And Braun are on I mean it’s it’s it’s very uh I don’t know it’s easy to say that but but ad has been a tear against them and like even um like sabonis like the match ups like that are like like sabonis is a different player right he’s

Not the same rim protector but I think on the other end like when they have to deal with like a guy that just completely thwarts their actions or what they the way they operate like sabonis in the DL dwars the way they operate now they won the last game they played but

Those first first two games in in in Sacramento that dude had a ball man like just the dho just the freedom the the if Kevin her is coming off like the amount of space he earns them it’s it’s a pro they’re they’re problematic matches for them and they’re almost all big men I’d

Say it it’s interesting I I’d be way more afraid so to say of the Lakers if I was the Thunder than the Kings because with the Kings I would I would trust the ability of Mark to strategize and in the course of a game series take take enough

Away to to win that game against the Kings who have not been tight down the stretch of games who have not executed very well night in and night out to where you could take advantage of them especially defensively and then I think that against the Kings another thing

That works out is playing Jay will with Chad like you’ve seen that at times whenever Jay Will’s in there with Chad against sabonis he can kind of hold up sabonis whenever Chad rotates over and gets a block for example so those things can help now against the Lakers there’s

Not very many adjustments to make it’s going to come down to uh complimentary players hitting threes but the thing is the Lakers are so talented against the Thunder specifically this is where I think that sometimes Thunder fans might be a little annoyed because it’s the Lakers branding of you just feel like

The Lakers every year are shoved down your throat but for the Thunder specifically the Lakers are big enough and they’re long enough to muddy up the mid-range and take that away as much as you can from a guy like Shay a guy like jdub while also spraying out to Wiggins

And and Wallace and Joe and everyone else who you want shooting threes and having the elite rim prote on the back end of all that so that’s where the Lakers matchup is just incredibly frightening uh it’s not to say the Thunder can’t beat the Lakers I think

I’d still pick the thunder in a tight seven game series if they presented the Lakers but that’s who I think has the best chance of the immediate opponents to beat Oklahoma City for sure yeah okay so are we doing this now or we just saying the teams that that we think yeah

Go ahead let’s let’s go to Who Would you avoid in the playoffs I I want to clear up then Sacramento is not one of those teams to me I think they beat them in a series but I I just think of individual matchups they had trouble with I think

Sabonis Falls in there just in terms of individuals somebody who really forces them to kind of change what they do at times obviously ad is the biggest just we we talk about just him being an anchor but um inside like how many how many Second Chances he gives those guys

At least at pivotal moments throughout the course of a game how how much he changes the pace of a game with trips to the free throw line um just the overall way he plays against them it it it’s it creat some pockets of the game that they’ve had trouble with and then

You talk about just complimenting players hitting threes these are not the Lakers of of a pass that can’t shoot man like that are bottom like when they played them last I don’t know what they are now but they were 13th in the league in three-point efficiency that’s that’s

Something you have to defend right and so um that’s uh that’s a problem that’s role players hitting shots that’s uh that’s DLo hidden circus absolutely nutty shots um stuff that can translate to the playoffs so like every I just echoing everything you said the shot making is there for them and that’s why

Barely mentioning LeBron James yeah in one of in one of what has to be assumed one of his last great Seasons obviously he’s been defying the odds this his whole career but like how many more seasons can he play at this much of a level where come playoff time you would

Expect Tim and AD can really put the team on their back if they’re just getting something from their role players they just need enough not to mention that fluky night that they got a couple weeks ago where they were just hitting everything yeah and so we look

At that that seven through 10 range where do where do you rank those teams in terms of threat for the Lakers I would say number one of the immediate future teams now of course Denver is my number one overall but you worry about Denver well down the line you’re gonna be on

The opposite side of the bracket of them who cares Lakers would be number one of my potential first round match ups for the Thunder what are your thoughts on this one Dallas is my number two now here now this is why I think we’ve seen Luca donic every time he’s been in the

Playoffs we’ve seen him by himself take off two games at least by himself so you give him two games the Mavericks have to win two more you’re going to give them another game you would imagine that we’ve seen over the course of this season series with the Mavericks and

We’ve seen over the Mavericks season so far they’re bound to have a game in a seven game stretch where their role players canot Miss that’s now up to three games we haven’t even talked about Kyrie and what he can do and in his big shot creating so if they get into a

Tight game they have two guys who can hit massive shots so do the Thunder by the way but Kyrie’s done it in the NBA Finals Luc has done it in the in the NBA Playoffs so like I would be worried about the Mavericks where I would Circle

Back on Dallas would be I think that the Thunder have the distinct coaching Advantage I think if you don’t get those games from the Maverick’s role players and find a way to shut them down then they’re fighting an uphill battle pretty pretty significantly and Dallas will

Have to play either one or two games to get to this point of playing the Thunder and you know they they have been an inconsistent Team all year long so their inconsistencies might end up costing them but I think that they’re a sneaky bad matchup yeah no I agree I think

They’re number two mostly because uh my Warriors Faith just isn’t what it is the Golden Touch isn’t there anymore but Dallas like you said like I thought I thought on paper and rotationally they got better at the deadline um it it maybe hasn’t translated the way I haven’t looked as

Close to see why it hasn’t transl obviously the inconsistencies like men play a part in that um but look at the big rotation um Gaff and Lively is it’s tough that’s a that’s a tough swap that’s all game long you’re dealing with one of those two so you’re giving Luca a

Live threat at all times you think of Kyrie as a guy that can close a game for you win a game for you we saw that in Denver the other day that can win a game for you um and then Luca I mean the resume speaks for itself right probably

The best playoff performer under 26 do we even need a I don’t think we even need a caveat like he’s just one of the best play performers we’ve ever seen yeah and so I I I say this all the time and I won’t get into the whole shade LCA

Thing but the the reason stop the reason Luca the reason LCA is so great is to me in terms like we always we always talk down on like heliocentric basketball right that dude is like the last hope for heliocentric basketball I think of that Western Conference Finals run and

This I’m going to hold on to this Western Conference Finals run forever I think of that Western Conference Finals run and I genuinely felt flashes of what Brun did in Cleveland the the first time around there’s just never been not never we haven’t seen in a long time a guy

That can single-handedly will a team so far into the playoffs and do what he does hit the shoty HS running offense the way he does and so yeah I always be for I think what I mean look at some of his losses in the first round they’re like Clippers Clippers teams like having

To knock him off you know like yeah Clippers teams having to just fight scratching claw with Paul George and kawhai having to try to contain him exactly and and so now you give him what what feels like his best you know player to the end of the bench like supporting

Cash he’s had um and I I’d be fearful I mean when they when they can really lock in CU like like in inconsistency is still a thing with them when they can really lock in when they’re hitting shots when when you know their actions are tough to be when when they’re I

Think back to the game they beat the Thunder by 30 plus when when when the defense is there when everything’s hidden for them and I’d say maybe they play a game like a game and a half exactly like how they played that game against the Thunder that’s worth maybe

Two wins right there and so we now we’re we’re we’re having to go game by game tallying how fair so I’d agree they’re probably second in that order and I think that we can really nerd out about this matchup if it happened but the one thing that would concern me is that the

Playoffs are a pick and roll game and you you run pick and roll nearly every play in the playoffs it’s like that in the regular season 2 but especially in the playoffs Luca is in the 91st percentile in pick and roll Kyrie’s in the 80th percentile pick and roll and

The reason why is that you look at you look at Chad for example there were some plays against Dallas last week where gatford got some easy dunks and people wanted to pin that on chat but Chad’s having to shade over to take away Kyrie and if Luca was healthy take away Luca

Who is a much more uh you know bigger threat now you’re a step behind whoever the rolling big man is so they’re just getting spoonfed these buckets and at times n1’s because you’re a step behind uh which you know at the same time you can’t really discredit ched for doing

That because the much larger threat is going to be one of those two ball handlers and the Thunder would have to find a way to help on the week set rotation to take away that big it would just present a really messy matchup I think and and and I would just not enjoy

That in the sense of it would be a very stressful series for Thunder fans and it’d be very fun though I think that it would go the distance and I would still even as we’re talking about all the worrisome I would still pick the thunder in that Series yeah no agreed and and

And I’m I’m envisioning what you’re what you’re describing now and I I think back to like like when they open that game like Chad is in like a drop and Kyrie just like pulling up moving through like that’s that’s the shot making that’s goingon to be in the playoffs and that’s

Like when he’s like in a the drop you start the game with right this is not like we’re not talking about him hedging yet we’re not talking about like who If he if he is guarding let’s say I don’t know I mean Mark has the adjustments but like let’s

Say that that that backside rotation guys is like like Lou like is Lou prepared to do that for an entire series you know having to be the guy that has to tag gaffer if he’s got a tag then who are you keeping on on on Luca and Kyrie

Non-stop like who are you who are you going to use as kind of a purple tag on them just death by that matchup you want them to fight over every screen and where do you put Lou I think that there’s there’s a lot of interesting

Stuff that we’re GNA get into we we are very nerdy about this stuff so we can nerd out about it if and when it happens I have a 10f FL hat idea about defending the Mavericks that will’ll tease for our for our future playoff preview pod but

Coming up let’s talk about the rest of the season what should you watch for for the next 15 games I know that everyone’s itching for the playoffs but why are these games so important but first I want to tell you right now I about good friends over at LinkedIn

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Me the Oklahoma beat Rider Joel Lorenzi Joel I know that we’re just itching for the postseason still 15 games to be played what are you watching for in these next 15 yeah um obviously a tough stretch right just finishing it out with the same complexion as you know the

First I’m bad at math 60 plus games um similar complexion these are like they legitimately I I know what it’s ranked but they have one of the tougher finishing schedules off the iest um in the league man I mean you got the East Coast trip um you got upcoming I think

Sacramento is in there somewhere maybe that’s the like the last the back four home games is that it you got the Spurs in there I mean I know the Spurs are what they are but they managed to beat the Thunder last time they play you got

Uh you got the in there it’s it’s interesting as long as everybody plays it’s gonna interesting because you got Milwaukee twice you’ve got Boston uh you’ve got the Pelicans who are playing good basketball right now you’ve got the Pacers again the Kings you know the Mavericks in the season which could be

Huge for both sides at the end of the day Mavericks could be fighting for playoff SL playin positioning Thunder could still be fighting for the one seed so it’s going to be a stretch where uh you want to race to the end but you also can learn some very valuable things like

Like if that Mavericks game is in fact a game where everybody plays for both sides that is a huge data point for the Thunder because the Thunder after that game will have an entire week off whereas the Mavericks will have to go through the playin tournament in all

Likelihood and with that being said if the Mavericks are going through the playin tournament and play the Thunder the Thunder have a whole week to react to that Sunday game and and and have another data point of solely focusing on an opponent that can really help them on

The on the front end of that series and especially capitalize on what what projects to be a great home quarter advantage in games one and two yeah and that’s what we missed with this last game I mean as great as Kyrie was as you know as much as the MAV still were able

To keep keep that game competitive for so long we still Miss Luca who tends to give the Thunder hell and so that that that was the the data we were missing but um I I am excited to see just how to react to the Bucks and Giannis man like

Giannis is is one of those players you just want to see the stress test from them how they react to him um I mean we talked about what Rim protectors look like I know he’s he’s probably uh he’s more helps side than ad is but it’s

It’ll just be fun and then they have Brook Lopez there of course still like Brook Lopez hey we we we can’t discount Brook Lopez so it’ll just be fun to see them especially how how different you know Milwaukee’s defense is since the BKE just a different complexion they’ve

Had um it’s it’s incredible I mean this is NBA schedule and they haven’t played the Bucs at all down to the last 15 games they’re going to play them twice so that’s that’s probably what I’m looking forward to most and that Celtics game you know the Celtics on their home

Court have been incredible the game in December was awesome what has is there is there a question that has to be answered in these next 15 games heading into the playoffs a question that has to be answered honestly man um well I think I think there’s still Yes okay I was going

To say no um because I think so much of so many of the questions that remain have to be answered in the postseason um but I think smaller things I would be looking for um how Gordon Hayward still settles in into these next few weeks um

I think there’s still a Runway there for him to get closer to the player I mean they won’t say the player they envisioned when they brought him on but I imagine they had an idea otherwise they wouldn’t have brought him on and and of course I know the move cleared up

Cast space whatever but I imagine they still wanted him to be part of the playoff rotation that could still be very possible we’ve seen him start a game already I don’t know if that’ll even be a thing in the playoffs but this is clearly a player they want to see

Come along with this team this is a player that even Mark and and I think Gordon has talked about this some too but not as extensively as Mark this is a guy that is jumping into like I he came from a young team he’s with a young team

Now but the difference is that this young team is actually headed towards something right like they’re potentially first in the west that’s something you just can’t go like hit the first into and so he’s been very conscious um and this has been evident in just the way

He’s played in terms of you know how he wants to fit into the offense uh what he’s giving what he’s taking away because everything isn’t additive even if you are a floor spacer now he’s been great in that aspect in terms of being a spacer giving that in lineups giving

That gravity even if it doesn’t necessarily translate the points he’s been aggressive in terms of you know playmaking recently you know just racking up assists uh but I think striking that balance between when to you know pull the catch and shoots because he has looked a few of those off

When to know get to your one dribble pullup one to get to some of the stuff that I think has made him like the the complete idea of him versus you know just still trying to fit in which like that’s not a easy or quick process but I

Think that’s something to watch for in these next few weeks because that’s that’s all they have if he’s gonna be who they want him to be in this run and then and then my other thing would be um Josh GID he uh just furthering some of the actions that

Have you know helped him be this different kind of player have this different imprint on the game be more impactful inside and at The Rim you know the we’ve talked about just just the short roll stuff the screening the ball screening uh the the backside Cuts Like what progression that stuff takes what

Wrinkles might get added before the end of the season that’s that’s all I’m watching for yeah I mean Josh giddy has found his role I think I think that his role is this 19 to 22 minute window and in that window you’ve got to be engaged defensively and with that activity comes

Deflections and Ste and it helps the Thunder turn defense into offense which allows him to thrive offensively and it’s being more uh active and not just sitting in the corner part of that I believe should not be fully placed on Josh KY part of that is just getting him

Involved in the offense from a strategic standpoint but still get more involved in the offense with as a cutter as a screener and things of that nature all those things he’s done the last two weeks and done at a high level um even in that game against Dallas where he

Gets sat down for the majority of second half that was I thought Josh giddy up into that point had played a good game was the fact that Dallas chose to just to just ignore him at such a blatant level that you had to make life easier but up until that point whenever they

Were only ignoring him at a somewhat level he was playing really well so like just play your role the best you can and I think that he’s done that the last two weeks and you’re asking him for 19 minutes to be your fifth best defender and your fifth best player on the floor

Overall he can do that and and the thing with him though is can you do that consistently because throughout this season there’s been pops here and there of him doing it this last two week stretch has been the first time where you’ve seen it consistently this season

Can you build on that and take this through the end of the regular season take this into the playoffs yeah no doubt and you know I just I think you’re you’re right about the window and I I think like and it’s crazy because Dallas is one of one of

Those more aggressive teams in terms of you know gapping him really sinking like almost under the rim on him I think the Rockets are up there there in terms of that level of aggressiveness everybody’s not up there there are some teams that are like I’ve seen teams even in this

Latter half of the Season that are like only within arms length away from him which is completely different from what Dallas does right so I it’ll be interesting to see um just the different coverages he sees through the end of the year too how they respond to those um

How Milwaukee plays them how Dallas plays him next time around which I don’t know how different that will be um but just the way teams play him because that matters too right yeah it for sure does and and to Josh’s credit I mean is a young guy who’s having to play a away

He’s never had to play before he’s done a good job of finding that role uh really you’re just looking for consistency and and to me his version of consistency comes down to him just providing effort and that’s like the easiest thing most controllable thing

For a player to do and uh as long as he does that which I think he will he’ll be able to to play this role uh pretty well obviously you’re going to be relying upon KAS and Isaiah and and Wiggins and these other guys too but um that’s what

I’m watching for is not to have these big Peaks and valleys from Josh giddy that we’ve seen to this point in this season have a more consistent level that we’ve seen in the last two weeks in in terms of effort or yeah in terms of like in terms of just

Engagement level defensively is the big thing his he he has the frame that if he’s engaged defensively he can get deflections in the entry passes he can mix it up on the glass and and pull down a lot of rebounds for you uh and start the break the other way he can get

Steals he can do those things so as long as he’s engaged defensively the rest of it kind of falls into place and I think the Thunder doing a better job of of um not putting him in the corner and just making him sit there as they did at the beginning of this whole

Process uh using him more as a screener using him on the ball and and also using him as a guy that cuts behind the action and is able to benefit from some of these dump off passes in the dunker spot that that we’ve seen him get these last

Couple weeks so all of that doing all of that for the last 15 games will go a long way in in in pushing this team toward you know in into the playoffs and on a good note yeah I’d agree I think the energy is a important thing it’s

Something you har on a lot but I I do think like engagement engagement only far him defensively like there’s still there’s still some obviously like yeah he’s not gonna turn into l d at all but he can turn into the fifth best defender on the court and whenever you’re the

Fifth best defender in on this team where you have all these other good Defenders it’s going to be enough sure fair I I I still think there are some obviously there which are gonna oh absolutely their limitations his window um I do think case and some potential matchups and

Some potential games is GNA have to be a playoff Riser but I I I wouldn’t I wouldn’t doubt uh casing at all I mean he’s like we talked about earlier in the show he’s been one of the more competent rookies that dude is like a legit rotation guy on pretty much every team

In the league I think yeah and again we’re talking about the Str role from the standpoint of like 19 minutes a game I’m I I’m still leaning heavily on K Wallace still leaning heavily on Aaron Wiggins especially and of course is Joe so like uh this this glass half full

Josh giddy thing is still in the prism of 19 minutes or so because even when he’s been playing well this these last two weeks that’s all he’s been getting anyway even as he’s playing better they still you would still prefer to close with other guys

Frankly so so where do you see uh See wigs in the rotation because I know this was a big thing earlier in the season I think back to like what was that trip the first week at the New Year the Washington Trip where I think Wiggins

Had a great game and people were like well why doesn’t Mark play Wiggins more you know they that was like the height of the whole experimentation thing like what what let’s let’s keep it firm here where do you see Wiggins minutes window rotation spot all that in the postseason

Yeah so I appreciate you never listening to the podcast because everyone who listens knows that I love Aaron Wiggins and I think that he should be a Hallmark of the playoff rotation because regardless of matchup he can he can fit uh and be versatile defensively he can

Cash in and be in the right spots offensively as a play finisher like he should be playing more than 15 minutes a game in my opinion which is obviously something that Mark just has not agreed with to this point which he knows more than we do but uh for me I’ve been very

Much a proponent of Wiggins and dating back to Summer League of his rookie year I’ve been saying that Wiggins is going to be a guy who has a lot of juice I think that he still has juice and has proven that he’s just got to get minutes

To to to correlate with that and I think that come playoff time everything gets pushed out of the window besides winning uh the goal is to just win no matter what and and he is going to be one of your best players and and give you the

Best chance to win in a lot of matchups and a lot of games yeah I think so I mean Mark has said it in between the lines since then like just calling him you know this plugable player that other guys are calling him a Swiss army knife

Which is like these are teams you you might hear guys throw around like in any basketball set in college High School whatever this is this is not like these are not unheard of terms but on this team I don’t know how many times these guys are just throwing that out

Willy-nilly but it’s it’s been thrown out a lot for him like this is notable um he’s I think Mark is on record saying he’s as good of a system guy as they have so it’s like almost it’s dumb to think that um you know like he’ll lose

Minutes for like a uh like people I know the heer that discussion was oh well you didn’t play wigs as much this night but you played Lindy here three spot minutes four spot minutes I don’t see that stuff happening in the playoffs I mean obviously Lindy might play the end of a

Quarter like the other night like for you know a half courette you want some shooting there but like I’m I’m so far into the belief that Wiggins is gonna get the minutes he deserves because this is a guy like this is another guy I think could be on a lot of playoff

Rotations man I I thought that was a guy that I mean Phoenix has Ro O’Neal now but I thought Phoenix would have killed for a guy like like Aaron Wiggins man I mean just that that pluggable Wing type the shot making has been there uh just

The switch ability he’s not the he’s not the uh craziest Defender but he’s a he’s a good Defender like um there’s just so many qualities to him I I I think people would be Del losing I mean I’m not saying the thunder I don’t think the Thunder go away from like experimenting

In Pockets um it won’t be just to the degree they’ve seen in the regular season um but I think Wiggins is is less on the experiment side of on on the firm rotation side yeah and that’s where like that’s where I have to keep clinging to

Hope of like to me Wiggins has proven what he is and that’s not really going to change he came in as an older college player uh it’s he is what he is at this point which is an incredibly good role player an incredibly good rotational piece and so you know needing to just

Cram minutes you know down his throat for the regular season is not uh something that you have to do uh because he’s a guy that stays ready so come playoff time though he be ready and I think that he should play like he should be above the pecking order of a lot of

Guys on this roster and you’re right I don’t foresee like Lindy or anyone else getting minutes besides like maybe like Lindy is trusted by Mark that’s what might worry you but he’ll play like offense defense type stuff and situational type stuff he won’t play he won’t play true minutes to me that’s

What I me and he shouldn’t and he shouldn’t at all like Lindy bless his heart but nonetheless Joe appreciate you joining us what are you cooking up at the Oklahoma can’t say can’t say brother uh good things good things over here huh FBI you the FBI you trying to uh dig

Into my records and stuff we can talk about your records off the air but uh yeah appreciate you coming on go follow him at JX Lorenzi on Twitter uh you have a lot of stands over there but until tomorrow be good and be good

The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading into the NBA Playoffs as a top seed. What will the OKC Thunder with their starting five in the postseason? What has Josh Giddey looked like the past few weeks? Who should the Thunder avoid in the playoffs and why the Lakers and Mavericks present such a difficult threat. Oklahoma City is poised for a historic run this season with a championship window opening up. Joel Lorenzi joins Rylan Stiles to break it all down.

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