Here’s where the national media and top sites rated the OKC Thunder in week four of action.
NBA.com – John Schuhmann:
Stats master Schuhmann rewards the Thunder for their strong efforts moving them up from 11th to 9th this week.
"Dennis Schroder has filled in OK for Westbrook, but the bench has suffered without Schroder. In these last three games, the Thunder have outscored their opponents by 50 points in 112 minutes with Paul George on the floor (even though George hasn’t shot particularly well) and have been outscored by 38 points in just 32 minutes with George on the bench."
Schuhmann mirrors thoughts Thunderous Intentions has harped on regarding how the Thunder reserve unit has stalled without Schroder. For the full Schuhmann write up and his entire week four list click here.
ESPN – Panel
It’s not like the ESPN ever is that enamored with the Thunder, but like their counterparts, they also reward OKC for a strong showing. Week four the panel shifts OKC up to 10th from their previous 13th position.
ESPN’s panel:
ESPN: Kevin Arnovitz | Tim MacMahon |Andre’ Snellings
The Undefeated: Marc J. Spears | FiveThirtyEight: Chris Herring
"With Russell Westbrook’s return from an ankle injury on the horizon, the Thunder are playing some of the best ball in the NBA. Winners of seven in a row before the Mavericks finally took advantage of Westbrook’s absence to hand them a loss, the Thunder face a light schedule this week with two games against the Suns and one against the Knicks, opponents who have a combined .231 winning percentage. — Snellings"
Bleacher Report:
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Grant Hughes was perhaps the greatest advocate of the OKC Thunder last season and it seems he’s continuing that trend into this season. Hughes posts his list three days earlier than his counterparts so it often reflects differences. This week his rank was based on the loss to Dallas and wins over Cleveland and Houston.
To the point above Hugues sifts OKC up to 8th from their previous 14th ranking. An excerpt of his comments is below. For the full Hughes commentary on the Thunder click this link.
"Only the Lakers generate a higher frequency of shots at the rim, and the Thunder are still playing winning basketball, despite an abysmal hit rate on three-point attempts. In other words, don’t worry too much about OKC’s lagging offense. Even if playing with Russell Westbrook tends to stifle offensive flow, the Thunder are getting the right kinds of shots."
Sports Illustrated – The Crossover
Like his cohorts writer Khadrice Rollins rewards the OKC Thunder for the win streak and strong week. Rollins moves OKC from 12th to 6th.
"The Thunder experienced a sour ending to an otherwise impressive week. Russell Westbrook’s ankle needs to get better as soon as possible for this team to keep pace with the playoff hunt. They could survive another week without the former MVP if their defense keeps forcing turnovers the way it has so far."
CBS Sports:
Writer Reid Forgrave surprisingly didn’t seem as impressed by the Thunder as the other pundits. To wit, Forgrave only moved the OKC Thunder up one spot from 13th to 12th. Not sure how he ranks the Rockets ahead of OKC, but hey that’s why everyone gets to voice personal opinions.
"The Thunder are, after a rough first week, exactly what we thought they would be: A team that struggles to make shots but makes up for it on defense. The defense ought to get even better once Andre Roberson returns. But it’s surprising just how bad the shooting has been. Three rotation guards are shooting 11 percent or less from three: Russell Westbrook, Raymond Felton and Hamidou Diallo. And Dennis Schroder is shooting only 27.9 percent from three."
Due to some sites running their ranking lists mid week Ian Levy of The Step Back and Gerald Bourguet of Hoops Habit lists fell in the middle. They’ll return in week five. For now, click on the above links to see their last ranking.
That wraps up the week four of power rankings from the National pundits and yours truly. Next week they’ll be more shifts as top squads have faltered and under performers have improved.
Meanwhile, OKC has gone right back to their winning ways and improved on both sides of the court.