Calm Before the Storm
For the last several seasons, no team has been able to tank as successfully and as excitingly as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Pioneered by Sam Presti, the youngest team in the NBA is riding a hot streak a few weeks before the All-Star break, winning seven of their last 10 games.
The recent surge has been headed by a budding young backcourt that features a mix of versatility, length, efficiency, and high-energy basketball. Led by the soon-to-be All-Star-certified Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the young Thunder could be further along than expected.
For the last few seasons, the Thunder have been associated with losing and accumulating a plethora of picks. Now, those picks are starting to develop into future stars. SGA will be a sure-fire first-time All-Star, but he isn't the only bright spot for the young Thunder. His backcourt mate Josh Giddey is having a sensational sophomore year.
The big guard has jumped from 12 to 16 points with a leap in efficiency from 42 to 48 percent shooting. He also leads his team in rebounds and assists with eight and 5.7, respectively. Giddey's shooting from deep is still a project and his biggest question mark. Still, his ability to score without the ball and find open teammates will always give him an advantage, especially when playing alongside the likes of Shai and Chet (from the glimpses we saw in preseason).
The ways the Thunder are winning are by playing to their strengths and playing smart, high-intensity basketball. Aside from their youth, one of the Thunder's prime features is their height, featuring the third-tallest roster in the NBA. This has culminated in a top-10 offensive rebounding team. The Thunder are capitalizing on these second chances, as they have attempted the sixth-most shots in the association while hitting the third-most.
Along with their length and intensity benefitting them on offense, it also has on defense. Their extra length and hustle have resulted in the fifth-most steals and seventh-most blocks, resulting in a defense that has created the most turnovers in the league, helping their offense score the seventh-most points.
While the Thunder may not be poised to even advance past the Play-In tournament, one certain thing is this young team is ready to take the next step in their developmental process. When looking at the statistics of the young 2022 OKC Thunder, they resemble that of the 2020-21 Memphis Grizzlies, as offensive rebounds, FGA/FGM, and turnover ratio all resemble each other.
The Memphis Grizzlies were the first young team to take an unexpected jump from the top of the draft to the playoffs; could the Thunder be next?