OKC Thunder season preview roundtable Q5: Can improvements be gained in shooting efficiency

T.I. counts down to the OKC Thunder 2018-19 tip via a preseason roundtable. The focus shifts to expectations for shooting efficiency at the stripe and the arc.

Question 5:

A year ago the three greatest issues for the OKC Thunder were 3-point percentage (24th), free throw efficiency (29th) and assists (28th). Seemingly the assist issue should improve, but has Sam Presti done enough (or the players themselves this offseason) to address their shooting woes fro the perimeter and the stripe? What are realistic expectations in these areas – and what do you think may provide the greatest concern for the squad?

Lawrence George – @geola388

Missing free throws is a crime in the NBA and the OKC Thunder were once one of the best teams at converting at the line. The Thunder should improve in this area overall especially since Dre is out for an extended period of time. He is a fantastic defender but its truly a lottery when he goes to the line. If Russ gets back to his career average (81.4) after a horrid free throw performance last season (73.7 percent), OKC will improve. The addition of Schroder and TLC also help as both shoot above 80 percent at the line. Oklahoma City should finish middle of the pack this year is these render true.

3-Point shooting is a point of contention. I don’t anticipate a quantum leap in improvement and if Russ continues to take horrible three’s off the dribble then its difficult to see a rise in the standings. Melo shot the most three’s on OKC’s roster last season but only at a 35.6 percent clip (while attempting 6.1 treys per game). If the Thunder can redistribute those hots for PG, Abrines and Patterson, their 3-Point percentage will rise. However, the second unit is set to struggle since no-one besides Abrines has a reliable 3-Point stroke. I have the Thunder finishing around 20th in this category.

Tamberlyn Richardson – @TTOTambz

Free throw shooting is entirely on the individual, so this needs to be a key focus at the end of practices. As for perimeter efficiency the addition of Patrick Patterson to the starting rotation should logically improve the space and pace. As for the reserve unit the ability of Alex Abrines to be consistent and for Schroder to hit from deep just enough to keep opponents honest will be key.  My expectation is the team will finish in the middle of the pack for free throw percentage and just below the middle from the perimeter.

Bottom line watch for Sam Presti to use the final roster spot if there needs to be tweaks to the rotation. The key will be whether the team needs to improve rebounding, playmaking or a 3-point sniper.

Gideon Lim – @GideonLim_NBA

Converting freebies start with Westbrook, whose percentage dropped by almost 10 percent last year. That’s another area of improvement for him. Otherwise, perimeter shooting is definitely still a concern. I’m not sure who among the playoff rotation can surpass a 35 percent clip.

Dylan Huntzinger – @ThunderChats

It remains to be seen. You could say yes and be correct, you could say no and be correct. From the skeptics side, the only proven shooters on the squad are Paul George, and Alex Abrines. From the optimistically point of view, Patterson has shown the ability in the past. Ferg showed us some last year. Hami showcased an improved jumper this preseason. TLC has some beautiful looking misses this far. If Dre’s work with Lethal Shooter pays off that’s definitely a step in the right direction. And if Russ can get back to that fluid shooting stroke he was showcasing prior to his surgery, then skies the limit.

Reid Belew – @UpJimbo

Yeah, we’re not good at shooting. I don’t really think Presti changed that unless some player really went at it during the offseason and shows improvement. I think a huge part of the OKC Thunder shooting problem is indefensible shot selection. The area of greatest concern for the squad will be shooting strong enough to create spacing.

Jordan Buckamneer – @jbuckamneer

Shooting has always been a struggle for the Thunder throughout the past decade. The OKC Thunder prefers started a defense to offense at the shooting guard spot in the starting rotation. The problem with that is the stark contrasts between the defensive-minded players and the shooting specialists off the bench leaves the team lacking too much on opposite ends of the spectrum. And we’ve never really had a 3-and-D player to have the best of both worlds.

This year will likely be more of the same in terms of catch-and-shoot opportunities, but things are looking up with added depth to the bench and Paul George entering his second year with the team. No, we won’t be an amazing 3-point shooting team, but defense will lead to offense and more play makers on the floor will lead to better shot selection and ultimately better shooting. I don’t think this group necessarily has to be an elite shooting team given the amount of talent on the floor. I’ll be more concerned with getting to the playoffs healthy. Injuries have plagued the Thunder and always seem to come at the worst time. I think most fans can agree the Warriors are the front runners, but with everybody healthy, the OKC Thunder can’t be counted out.

Amy Li – @realkimchiwitch

OKC will have to step it up on ball movement and players getting open this year. We saw flashes of brilliance when the Thunder were able to create space on the floor so we don’t have two or three guys ganging up on somebody. We should expect Billy Donovan to experiment with more lineups that involve Paul George with either Patrick Pattern, Raymond Felton, or Alex Abrines (who had better defensive ratings and shot better from three than Carmelo Anthony or Terrance Ferguson) to open up the floor.

Alex Roig – @AlexRoig_NTTB

The addition of Dennis Schroder will be key to improving the free throw shooting. He’s a career 83% free throw shooter and should be getting to the line at least 4 times per game this season. A healthy Paul George should also improve the free throw woes. A free throw is basically a mid-range shot, and that’s where George’s injury made him struggle. I think free throw percent goes up considerably, 3-point percent goes up slightly (24th to 20th), and assist numbers stay the same.

Austin Sternlicht – @The_Sternlicht

Shooting has been an issue since KD left. Last year should have been better but for various reasons, wasn’t. But I am optimistic this can change this year. Westbrook has been working on shooting. If he is able to play off the ball, that should help. With George back from having fluid drained from his elbow. Also, if Patterson can bounce back and Abrines can play consistent minutes, that should open things up. My biggest concern is that this team will revert to old habits when things get close. Not ball movement, not execution.

Stephen Dolan – @SteveThunderfan

The Thunder should be better from the free throw line just by virtue of Schröder, who gets to the line regularly, and Russ and PG bouncing back to career average. They’ll never be a great three-point shooting team with their personnel priorities, but replacing Melo’s above-the-break attempts with Patterson’s from the corner, as well as increased minutes for Abrines and/or Ferguson should help them be adequate. Plus, I don’t know if you heard, but Roberson has been working with a shooting coach.

Alex Mcewen – @eflame_717

The short answer is, no. The long explanation answer is, Oklahoma City will not be a good shooting  team until they hire a designated shooting coach and Presti begins acquiring players with a better shooting stroke.

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The reasons behind OKC’s poor 3-point shooting are vast, but they ultimately fall on Sam Presti, because he brings in the players and contributes to hiring coaches. Until Presti is gone or his view on things change the Thunder will remain a poor shooting team.

Asad Ali Jamal – @SuperCyrax98

Sam Presti has done an amazing job this offseason (as he usually does). I believe that the perimeter and free throw shooting percentages will rise significantly with the additions Presti made this offseason and the internal training that will cause improvement between the players. Although I believe the the Thunder will shoot the ball significantly better this season, I don’t believe they will be anything more than an average team percentage-wise.

Rylan Stiles – @Rylan_Stiles

From the line, the Thunder will improve. Thinking back to last year, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George both struggled with free throws especially early in the year. Westbrook shot his worst percentage from the charity stripe. Paul George shot two percent under his career average. With just those two improving the team percentages will go up as they are more likely to get to the line. From deep, the Thunder will still struggle to consistently stroke it from three point land.

This wraps up question five from the roundtable. Question six with five days left in the countdown examines the OKC Blue and the T.I.’s team excitement for the 2018-19 season.