The Thunder’s Playoff Puzzle: Three Missing Pieces
Thunder fans are riding high on playoff excitement, daydreaming about Aaron Wiggins' speech and the parade that had everyone buzzing, but with the playoffs just around the corner, this young core team’s issues are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Tough losses and going 1-3 against the Spurs have us all with one remaining question: What is standing in the way of our Thunder and a back-to-back Championship?
Even though we are a defensive powerhouse, and many say defense translates to offense, our three-point shooting has become a critical factor in some of our harder losses. One significant example of this coming into play happened against the Spurs on Christmas, not the present we fans were hoping for. This tough battle ended 117-102, our third loss against the Spurs for the season. The Thunder were outshot from three, 38% to 25%, which, for the NBA, 25% from three is not elite, with the league’s average percentage hovering over 37%. Along with that, Alex Caruso shot 2-12 that night, and our MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 1-6. Although poor shooting nights can be costly, the Thunder’s defense keeps the team in contention, proving that anything is possible when they play to their strengths. Even with all this being said, strong three-point shooting remains crucial to any team’s success.
The Thunder’s perimeter offense may grab the headlines, but rebounding is another area where the Thunder feels the impact, especially when Isaiah Hartenstein isn’t in the game. Unfortunately, Thunder fans must face the hard truth that Chet Holmgren isn’t exactly a “traditional” big. Yes, he is 7 '1 and great at blocking shots, but he lacks in the rebounding department, mainly because he relies heavily on Hartenstein when he is on the floor. In games where Isaiah Hartenstein has been healthy, the rebound numbers have been more equal to our opponent, such as a 52–51 rebounding margin on December 13. But since his injury, rebounding has become a recurring theme in losses. A perfect example is the Hornets game, where we were out-rebounded 52-33, an outrageous margin. Charlotte’s success on the boards despite lacking a true star center highlights a potential weakness for the Thunder, one that could potentially be magnified against elite postseason bigs such as Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Jokic. To clinch another title, we must attack the boards and continue to force turnovers and contested shots.
Rebounding issues expose one weakness, but an even bigger concern lies on the offensive end. Relying almost entirely on Shai to generate scoring is simply not sustainable, especially in the playoffs when teams start throwing different defensive looks at him. Something that sticks out in every loss isn’t just the things we covered before, but an entirely different issue. In nearly every loss by more than a few points, Shai has been held below his scoring average, often finishing in the low-to-mid 20s. When elite defenses begin to find ways to slow Shai down, and the rest of our team can’t carry some weight on the scoring end, or shoot, a deep playoff run seems a lot harder to achieve. In our loss against the Hornets, Shai had 21 points, and he still managed to be our leading scorer for the game. These types of offensive issues are crucial and must be resolved if we want to see our Thunder players reach heights in the playoffs again.
Even though we have immense bright spots on both ends, including our ability to generate steals, force turnovers, and more, questions still arise. Will the Thunder address these concerns through coaching adjustments or roster moves, and, most importantly, can they find their way back to the Finals?
