The OKC Thunder hits week three of NBA action generating lots of hot takes in the news. For Friday, November 8, Thunderous Intentions looks at some of those topical articles.
It’s been an interesting season to this point with the OKC Thunder in most games competing right through to the final buzzer. They enter the weekend with the sixth-ranked defense following the loss to the San Antonio Spurs and a vintage LaMarcus Aldridge offensive performance.
Initially, the Thunder struggled to put points on the board and they’re still experiencing a section in every game where the offense goes cold for three to five minutes. In most of the losses, those minutes can be pinpointed as the reason the W’s aren’t occurring.
Moving forward the club needs to figure out a few things on offense especially with three games in four nights on the horizon. Part of the issues lies with the reserve unit although they’ve taken a pretty big step scoring 37.1 points per game ranking them 15th among their peers. Last season the Thunder reserves ranked 28th in this same category as per hoopsstats.com.
The early standouts for the squad are the usual suspects. Danilo Gallinari‘s versatile offensive skill set is impressive and he’s sure to solicit copious offers from title contenders prior to the trade deadline.
Chris Paul‘s leadership is palpable and his influence on the youngsters is showing in their effort. What isn’t translating is while Dennis Schroder‘s on-off court net rating displays quality numbers it’s not showing up necessarily with the reserve unit. That said, it’s a positive sign the bench is improving slowly but surely and Schroder’s defense is partially why. Equally compelling is Terrance Ferguson‘s on/off court rating isn’t showing growth particularly defensively as the team is almost 10 points more efficient (8.4) when he sits.
Clearly, the club is keeping tabs on this situation which may be why Billy Donovan elected to go with Hamidou Diallo in the closing segment of the Spurs game instead of Ferguson.
With that, let’s take a look at some of the top articles you’ll want to view on your beloved OKC Thunder.
OKC Thunder in the news:
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Welcome to Loud City writer Reid Belew offers an intriguing article looking at how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is defying the sophomore jinx.
"Hyped rookie puts together strong first season. The fan base is excited. A new savior has arrived. Season 2 begins. H’s game is unrecognizable. It doesn’t work. He fades away along with all the hope placed upon his shoulders.The notorious sophomore slump. The afflicted include Derrick Williams, Tyreke Evans, Michael Carter-Williams, and Emeka Okafor among others.Safe from its victim list is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Boy Wonder, Kid Dynamite."
Writer Dorian Craft of Thunder Wire looks at the positive impact of rookie Darius Bazley and how he’s integrating well into the rotation.
"Tuesday night against the Magic, Bazley played an important role for Oklahoma City, scoring 10 points and pulling down six rebounds. He knocked down a couple of key three-pointers, including a 25-footer with 7:58 to play and the game tied at 83. That bucket put the Thunder ahead for good."
And with the OKC Thunder holding a draft cupboard stocked to the brim with picks courtesy of the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trade the launch of the NCAA season warrants greater attention than ever before. Thunderous Intentions writer Rylan Stiles gets OKC fans ready for the season with his Big Board of the top 60 prospects.
"We have a ton of draft coverage that I am incredibly excited to release throughout the college basketball season, but let’s start with the ultimate preview. A 60-man big board complete with each player’s position, height, weight, college, top games to watch, the likelihood they declare for the NBA, a quick scouting report, and what their ceiling is."
This is an article you’ll want to bookmark to ensure you catch key games and to learn more about each of the prospects who Sam Presti will be keeping a keen eye on this year.
That wraps up in the news for Friday, November 8. Enjoy your day and make sure to visit Thunderous Intentions daily for all your OKC Thunder coverage.