OKC Thunder: 3 keys from loss in Sacramento offer positive takeaways
By Noah Schulte
The Thunder are one of the most athletic teams in the league
Though OKC still has a lot of room to improve in their transition defense, they have the personnel to become dominant in that area. Because the Thunder don’t run very much to begin with, it’s easy to forget that they have one of the most athletic rosters in the league. It’s only in games like the one against the Kings that you remember just how fast this team can be.
They have arguably two of the most athletic players at their respective positions in Russell Westbrook and Hamidou Diallo, both of whom could terrorize defenses in a fast-breaking offense.
We don’t see them unleashed like that often with the current Thunder system, but tonight is a clear reminder of how good they can be in that setting and that maybe it’s time for Billy Donovan to start exploring a more free-flowing system as a legitimate option.