The Oklahoma City Thunder are not bottom feeders in the West
By Joshua Lea
The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to enjoy some well-deserved time off during the All-Star break. The Thunder can exhale, regroup, and make the charge to winning the division.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ended the first half of the season with some key wins. Winning games against Cleveland, Memphis, and Utah, the Thunder are looking to build on what some would describe as an up and down season.
However, given their circumstances, you have to admire the heart of this team. The 32-25 Thunder has made some strides in keeping their playoff hopes alive. Also, they’ve shown they can compete with tough competition in the Western Conference. As of now, the Oklahoma City are three games behind the Utah Jazz for the division lead. The season series with Utah is currently tied 1-1, the Thunder will need to win that season series to increase their playoff success in late April.
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Despite their record, the Thunder are still one of the most feared teams in the west. The presence of Russell Westbrook is cause for teams to reconstruct a defensive plan to stopping him. However, if the role players are making shots, the Thunder are extremely difficult to deal with.
One way the Thunder can help their chances is improving the three-point shot. It’s no secret the Thunder loves the three-pointer. However, they aren’t always successful from deep. Currently, the Thunder are shooting 26.1 threes a game, and only making an average of about 8. While that’s not a high number, sometimes the Thunder shoot better than average.
Last night versus the New York Knicks, the Thunder shot 12-23 from three including 3-of-5 from
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Westbrook and 3-of-6 from Victor Oladipo. Most fans, like myself are against the Thunder taking high volume three-point shots. However, if the shots are falling at a decent rate then, by all means, light them up. Although, against Washington, the Thunder shot a woeful 7-of-34 from three.
Clearly, the Thunder are living and dying by the three, especially without Enes Kanter who provided much-needed scoring off the bench and in the paint. Now, Billy Donovan and company have one week to figure out how to generate offense while maintaining a defensive presence.
The Thunder should have a different approach to the game following the All-Star break. if you recall last season, the Thunder went through a rough stretch following the All-Star break, however, they had an amazing run in the playoffs. The question for this season is if they can do that again.