Week four NBA power rankings lists find the OKC Thunder ranked as high as sixth and as low as 21st.
Week four power rankings find scribes all over the map once again in their ranking of the OKC Thunder. The variance of 15 spots is rather large and points to pundits confusion over the squads true value. Other than Bleacher Report the teams rankings were based on games played against Kings, Clippers, Mavericks and Nuggets.
OKC Thunder power rank by scribe:
NBA.com – John Schuhmann
The NBA stats master John Schuhmann holds the OKC Thunder steady at 12th. Schuhmann points out the OKC Thunder will play seven of eight games versus winning teams beginning with the Spurs.
"The team meeting that the Thunder held after Thursday’s loss in Denver was apparently about Paul George’s aggressiveness, because he came out firing – totaling 79 points on 25-for-44 shooting – in weekend wins over the Clippers and Mavs. Russell Westbrook seemed happy to take a back seat, though it’s noteworthy that he found his free throw stroke, making 17 of his 19 attempts after shooting just 58 percent from the line through his first 11 games. The Thunder have survived two games without Steven Adams (calf contusion) and don’t play a team that’s not the Bulls until Friday, giving Adams and Carmelo Anthony (who missed Sunday’s game with a sore back) extra time to rest. The visit to San Antonio on Friday will begin a stretch where they play seven of eight games against teams with winning records, holding a 1-4 mark against that group so far (with the only win coming against New York on opening night)."
ESPN – Panel
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The ESPN panel has consistently held the Warriors and Rockets in their top spots. A little odd given the Celtics haven’t lost since their 0-2 start. This week the panel drops OKC yet again two more spots to 13th. It’s been a common refrain here at TI the Thunder’s clutch time issues are the biggest deterrent to breaking through.
ESPN points to how well the Thunder performed in this situation last season. Notably that success can all be credited to Westbrook. Although the current iteration of the team could rely on Russ to get the job done, presumably they want to keep opponents guessing. But first, OKC will need to capture a victory in the clutch.
ESPN’s panel:
ESPN: Kevin Arnovitz | Amin Elhassan |Ramona Shelburne
The Undefeated: Marc J. Spears | FiveThirtyEight: Chris Herring
"Last season the Thunder outperformed their record by outscoring their opponents by 20 points per 100 possessions in clutch time (the last five minutes of a game with the score within five). Though they finally finished off a close game last week after losing their first six, the Thunder are still very much a work in progress when things get tight, as they are 1-6 in games that have gone to clutch time while being outscored by 50 points per 100 possessions, last in the NBA. — Michael Schwartz"
Sports Illustrated – The Crossover:
The OKC Thunder also slide on SI’s The Crossover scribe Kenny Ducey list from tenth last week to 13th this week. Coincidentally, Ducey ranks the Knicks one spot ahead and points to Carmelo Anthony’s change of address leading to the Knicks having more fun without him than he’s having in OKC.
"The league’s second-best defense after the Celtics? Not the Warriors. No, not the Spurs. It’s the Thunder, allowing 98.5 points per 100 possessions! Who said Russ and Melo can’t check guys?(By the way, Raymond Felton has made eight of his last 16 shot attempts.)"
CBS Sports:
In week three CBS scribe Chris Barnewell dropped the Thunder all the way down to 21st. Week four Barnewell continues to hold the Thunder at 21st. Seems a bit odd to place a squad ranked second defensively 21st. Especially when the team ranked beneath them is the Lakers (who were ranked six spots higher on this list last week).
"It isn’t time to panic yet, but concerns about the Thunder are warranted. They haven’t looked good in wins, and they look even worse in losses. They’ve struggled in clutch situations, yet they have one of the best defenses in the NBA. Maybe this all balances out and swings in their favor, but it’s not great right now."
Bleacher Report:
New this week is the Bleacher Report power ranking. Scribe Grant Hughes’ list comes out earlier, so it won’t include weekend games. Hughes is also the only scribe who seems to recognize the OKC Thunder are a solid defensive squad. At sixth this is by far the best ranking of the pundits.
"Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers was the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first against a West foe. Having seen the Clips fall apart this week, even that victory loses some luster. And the Thunder’s other two “triumphs” over Dallas and Chicago hardly generate confidence in the team’s progress.Still, it was encouraging to see Paul George match Russell Westbrook‘s 16 points in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Mavs. Marginalized more than either of his two star teammates, George needed a bit of a breakout. He got one over the weekend, totaling 79 points combined against L.A. and Dallas."
This coming week the OKC Thunder have just two games – the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs.
Each week this season TI will share where the pundits rank the OKC Thunder and offer our insight on the trends from the previous week.