After 15 games played, The Oklahoma City Thunder currently holds a top 20 offensive rating in the NBA, scoring exactly 111 points per 100 possessions. They’re led by their franchise cornerstone, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 42.4 points per 100 possessions on a ridiculous 63.9 true shooting percentage.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s incredible start to the season aside, it was difficult to come up with meaningful and consistent goals. And as the season progressed, it felt like a one-man show at times, with fans questioning how the offense will improve.
Well, the last five games show that The Thunder could be at a turning point, and for the better.
In their final leg, Oklahoma City defeated the Toronto Raptors, the New York Knicks and the Washington Wizards, and they lost by just eight points to heavyweight title contenders Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. Not bad.
A closer look at the stats from the last five games shows the Thunder scoring 119.6 points per 100 possessions, a mark that sits third in the league this season. The only two teams ahead of them are the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics, who also rank as the top two offensive players throughout the season.
Production is also running across the board. Starters Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort are averaging more points per game compared to their season averages and shooting the ball better too. Aleksej Pokusevski and Jalen Williams also have the most productive stretches. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins also contributed a bit more.
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Overall, the Thunder’s 3-point percentage has also made a big leap and is arguably the biggest factor in the team’s success lately.
In the last five games, the team shoots less often, but makes many more shots. During the season, the Thunder averaged just 34.4% at 33.1 triples per 100 possessions.
But in their last five games, they’re shooting 31.7 3-points per 100 possessions, a league-best 44.5% from downtown. And all of There, Mann, Pokusevski, Gilgeous-Alexander, Robinson-Earl, Wiggins, Mann and Mike Muscala are shooting over 42.9% on their 3-point attempts.
Well, this could be a deviation or a hot-shot streak, and we could see the Thunder returning to numbers closer to their season averages. That is very possible. But it could also bode well for the future of a still-developing and talented basketball roster whose front office has invested heavily in improving the Thunder’s shooting.
However, one thing is certain. If Oklahoma City wants to keep winning regularly, the Thunder will need distance more often than not.
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