OKC Thunder: TI editor power rankings week 10 – the holidays are here

In week 10 the pundits rank the OKC Thunder as high as third and as low as sixth.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann:

In week ten the stats czar Schuhmann returns the Thunder to the sixth spot, speaks to what is going well and points out the obvious issues of clutch time. For the full excerpt and remainder of his rankings click this link.

"But late-game situations with this team remain fascinating, and other guys will be left open when the defense collapses on the OKC stars. Westbrook made the right play in the closing seconds against Minnesota on Sunday, but the result was Abrines missing his second potential game-winner of the last two weeks and the Thunder losing at home for just the second time since Week 2. What has been a pretty road-heavy December continues with three road games this week."

ESPN – Panel

In week 10 the panel delivered an early Christmas Gift to the OKC Thunder moving them up three spots to 4th. Click this link for the full panel rankings.

ESPN’s panel:

ESPN: Kevin Arnovitz | Tim MacMahon |Andre’ Snellings

The Undefeated: Marc J. Spears | FiveThirtyEight: Chris Herring

"The Thunder would like a fast-forward button to the playoffs, with health guaranteed. They’ve struck a balance between their two superstars and the role-playing shooters and defenders. Russell Westbrook and Paul George utterly believe that they can lead this team over anyone, including the Warriors, and just want the chance to prove it this season. — Snellings"

Bleacher Report:

Grant Hughes holds the Thunder steady in fifth. A portion of his article is below. Hughes full comments on the team along with the rest of his week nine rankings can be found here.

"Paul George ranks second in the league in deflections and leads all players in loose balls recovered by a mile, and he’s been OKC’s leading scorer more often than Russell Westbrook this season. He hit the Kings for 43 on Wednesday. At age 28, he’s firmly in his prime, leading a Thunder team that has the best record and net rating in the league if you start tabulating after that bizarre, Russ-less 0-4 start."

Sports Illustrated – The Crossover

More from Thunder News

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• 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

Writer Khadrice Rollins raises the Thunder two spots to sixth in week ten with his full except below. For the remainder of his rankings click here.

"Paul George and Russell Westbrook continue to look better and better together. But Westbrook can’t keep fouling out like he did in both games of the most recent back-to-back. Knowing how much he will be needed late in games, the combination of him averaging the most fouls per game of his career and shooting the worst free-throw percentage of his career is not going to work if this team is really going to compete for a title this season."

Hoops Habit:

Gerald Bourguet of Hoops Habit offers a wonderfully creative naughty and nice column for his week 10 power ranking. Bourguet also drops OKC one spot into fifth. For the rest of his rankings click here.

"Naughty: The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a great start, but they’re only 11-9 against Western Conference teams and a pedestrian 7-7 against teams .500 and above. Are they just beating up on lesser opponents, bolstering their record with a 14-4 mark against teams below .500? Nice: OKC is doing what it’s supposed to do by beating lesser opponents, and has gone 21-7 since that 0-4 start. Russell Westbrook remains a triple-double maestro and Steven Adams remains one of the league’s best centers as the anchor for the NBA’s second-stingiest defense, but Paul George is looking like a legitimate MVP candidate, averaging a 31-9-5 stat line on .518/.457/.852 shooting splits in December."

CBS Sports:

CBS Sports writer Reid Forgrave holds the Thunder steady in sixth for the third week in a row and offers a delightful Christmas wish list power rankings. lighting how special Paul George has played and more importantly how well Russell and PG have bonded as a duo. For the full list of his rankings click here.

"The Thunder’s present: That their surge in the first third of the season, when they’ve played one of the easiest schedules in the NBA, continues through the rest of the season, when that schedule gets a lot harder. But if Paul George keeps playing MVP-level basketball, the Thunder will make it through any tough stretches of a schedule just fine. George has been unbelievable, the best two-way player in the game."

Next week:

Week ten pundit rankings were based on the OKC Thunder games played as they faced the Bulls, Kings and a back to back set against the Jazz and Timberwolves.

The next power rankings in week 11 will be based on three games beginning on Christmas at the Rockets at the Suns and back home to the Mavericks (on the front end of a back to back/home and home series which will seep into week 12).

That wraps up the week 10 power rankings from myself and the National pundits. Hope you had a wonderful holiday and weekend.