Since the all-star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder are facing a storm they can’t seem to weather. They continue to be one of the worst teams in the league from a record and efficiency standpoint.
Too Much Time Off?
The Thunder have gone 5-9 since the break, equal to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. OKC was straddled with the toughest schedule for the second half of the season, but that doesn’t excuse them from struggling against lottery-bound teams. In games against sub .500 teams in the west, they have a 1-2 record. These were must-win games needed to supplement their possible road losses to much tougher competition.
The Thunder haven’t looked like winners in awhile. In fact, they’ve looked more like a lottery team. Over the last 14 games, they’ve trailed for an average of 32 minutes a game, second to only the Dallas Mavericks— a team fighting to keep their top 5 protected picks. OKC is how you say “hustling backward” for an elite team looking to make a run in the playoffs.
We’re no longer looking at the Thunder team that fought their way back from their 0-4 start– we’re looking at the sub .500 version of the team. They’ve looked lethargic on the defensive end, blown fourth-quarter leads, and are projected to face the uphill battle that comes with not having home court advantage.
Rough Numbers
Over the last 14 games, OKC has trailed their opponent 26 times. When you include ties and leads lost, that number jumps to 58. Fighting your way back from close games make for a great story and an impossible championship run, but doing it every night is not exactly ideal.
Prior to the break, OKC operated as the 13th best offensive rating and the third best defensive rating. Since then, their offense is ranked 29th and defense 10th. The Thunder not posting an above average net rating has been more apparent in their four games below .500 record. They went from being one of the best shooting teams in the league to bottom three in field goal, three-point and free throw percentage. Their true shooting percentage it scraping the bottom of the barrel at 51.8%.
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It was obvious the Thunder could struggle down the stretch, but this is beyond concerning. This is when most teams show their true colors and find their rhythm, but this isn’t the Thunder team you want to bet on in the postseason even with Paul George and Russell Westbrook producing at high levels.
