The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the league’s powerhouses, and it’s time to examine how.
OKC’s elite spacing, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s isolations, the use of small-ball lineups, and rim protection are some reasons why.
Spacing the Floor
Ranking 10th in the NBA in three-point percentage, OKC has shooters everywhere.
The Thunder can get a three pointer in a multitude of ways. The primary is kickout-passes from the paint.
Due to the volume of SGA’s drives to the rim, teams are forced to gravitate toward him, leaving open threes for players like Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Joe. Dort and Joe shoot nearly 40% from three because of this.
Isaiah Hartenstein is another reason players get great looks from distance. With his great playmaking and incredible touch around the rim, Hartenstein is a huge threat off the short roll, whether finding an open shooter or taking the eight-foot floater.
Although Hartenstein is the only rotation player who cannot shoot from three, his playmaking and paint touch more than make up for it.
As almost everyone in the rotation can shoot, OKC has at least three players sitting behind the arc.
Outside of the SGA drive and kick out passes, OKC is comfortable doing it with many of their players. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace do a great job driving and find the shooter running open because of an off-ball screen.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Iso Game
Being one of the best isolation players in the league, there’s nothing Gilgeous-Alexander can’t do. When SGA is in isolation at the top of the key, the Thunder have players in both corners, one player at the wing, and one in the paint.
Gilgeous-Alexander can do anything in this situation. He will either shoot a step-back three, mid-range shot, or a layup. If the defense decides to double, the player on the wing will be wide open for three like Dort is in this clip.
Gilgeous-Alexander isolates a lot on the wing. In this scenario, almost everyone is on the weak side of the court, leaving him to go to work.
In this case, SGA loves to get to the mid-range, driving to the baseline to get a challenging 10-14-foot shot. He has 286 attempts while shooting 51.4% from mid-range this year.
The mid-range is arguably the scariest part of his game.
A post-up iso is the least common but maybe the most effective for Gilgeous-Alexander. One player is on the strong side, two on the weak side, and the big man is near the paint.
Although the player on the strong side may be open, this almost always ends with SGA taking a shot or drawing a foul because of his excellent footwork, patience, and touch.
The Art of Small Ball
When Holmgren and Hartenstein aren’t on the floor, the Thunder run unique lineups.
Jaylin Williams is the center, guarding the perimeter in a 3-2 zone, with wings hedging the ball handler and trying to cause turnovers. Because J-Will lacks rim protection, OKC relies heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander’s shot blocking and other guards to force turnovers.
With the extremely small lineup of Kenrich Williams at center, OKC runs a 2-3 zone, with Kenrich guarding the corner or wing and Caruso, Wallace or Wiggins near the rim. The lineup of SGA, Wallace, Caruso, Wiggins and Kenrich, has a defensive rating of 91.4 and an offensive rating of 124.2.
This lineup is excellent in both half and full court.
The final small-ball lineup is with J-Will and Kenrich. OKC runs a 3-2 zone, with J-Will being a traditional rim protector and Kenrich defending the perimeter. In 36 minutes with the four players SGA, Wiggins, Kenrich, and J-Will, the Thunder have an offensive rating of 150.0 and a defensive rating of 104.3.
The Thunder’s Rim Protection
Fourth in the league in blocks per game, OKC has outstanding rim presence. Holmgren and Hartenstein have elite shot blocking and the guards have incredible instincts.
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best shot-blocking guards in the NBA. His length and ability to jump with anyone without fouling lead him to many blocks and transition opportunities.
When on the court together, Holmgren guards the paint while Hartenstein covers the perimeter. Even in his second year of playing, Holmgren is one of the league’s best defenders, anchoring an all-time great defense.
Holmgren has done a great job contesting the shot without fouling this year, leading to bad shots and blocks.
JDub is a contender for an All-Defense team. He has a combination of phenomenal perimeter defense and paint defense. Because of all this, the Thunder have the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the NBA (43.6%).
The Thunder will use these strengths and more in the quest for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
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