Yet again, the OKC Thunder lost a difficult game to the Sacramento Kings. Offensive execution emerged as a familiar issue for the team. However, the team also saw defensive chinks to sort out tonight.
Earlier this week, TI contributor Joshua Lea wrote about how despite recent losses, there is still no need to panic about the team’s situation. But, against the Kings, the Thunder showed that the team still needs serious work on both offense and defense.
As usual, fans found a way to spin the Thunder’s loss into a comical disaster.
Oklahoma City almost surely will still end up in the top echelons of the Western Conference. But, online critics were not entirely wrong about the Thunder’s biggest faults.
Unquestioned potential
Last week, I looked through more game film and saw Billy Donovan’s adjustments on the offense. Tonight there were moments again that the OKC Thunder’s offense actually looked impressive.
Some observers have the impression that the Thunder are only elite on offense because of star power. That is untrue. Look at this play. Instead of the usual Paul George, Carmelo Anthony gets a pindown screen from Jerami Grant. As Melo gets his feet set, see how Grant is completely wide open along the baseline and Steven Adams has a mismatch down low. Worst case scenario, George is also wide open for the skid pass. The OKC Thunder have indeed made progress running sets out of timeouts. The “out of timeouts” thing is the key.
Death by execution
Last year, when the pressure started to put its squeeze on Westbrook’s shoulders, the Thunder cracked.
Russell Westbrook had the sense to pull back and wait for the Adams screen. That was good. But, Westbrook chose to fling a wild, off-balance three-pointer with a good time left on the shot clock. With so much firepower on hand, Westbrook’s decision-making was inexcusable.
The OKC Thunder have already shown themselves capable of running good offensive plays. Westbrook’s challenge is now more than being unselfish and giving up the ball. Westbrook’s job, as the heart and mind of the team, is to work the coach’s playbook and ensure a good shot.
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If Westbrook had done just that last night, the Thunder might have made a more impressive comeback.
Dialing in on defense
Oklahoma City is the second best defensive team in the league according to defensive rating. Paul George, in particular, has ramped up the team’s switchability to another notch. But tonight, the team showed it lacks discipline on defense, especially in transition.
To put things nicely, the Thunder’s defense should just gameplan for transition defense without Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has always had the habit of conserving energy whenever the opponents get on a fast break. Notice how after the layup he never enters back into the video?
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Even with Westbrook out of the frame, the OKC Thunder start off with three players back on defense, enough to contain the young Kings. But the defense breaks down when Paul George decides to go for the steal instead of hustling back early. He ends up trailing the play, and the Kings simply have to make the extra pass to find the corner three.
Tightening loose ends
The Oklahoma City Thunder are undoubtedly one of the league’s most talented teams. They have the full potential to emulate the ’08 Celtics. On offense, the team has enough firepower to overwhelm opposing teams. Defensively, the team’s sheer length can be flat-out suffocating for opponents.
Tonight’s loss serves as a reminder of what the team needs to work on. Offensively, the OKC Thunder has made progress. The next step for Billy Donovan is clinching and perfecting execution down the final stretch. Defensively, the Thunder’s fundamentals are already there. The team just needs to hone its focus, especially when the lead starts slipping.
If the team can eradicate issues, there should be no need to worry about the Ws coming in.