The scrimmage games offered insight into OKC Thunder player growth and team improvement.
Through three scrimmage games, the OKC Thunder demonstrated player growth and team improvements showcasing this squad came to Orlando with a mission on their mind.
The easiest positive to point to was the Thunder completed their three scrimmage games unbeaten and were one of only two teams to accomplish that feat (Pelicans).
Of the other 20 teams, nine teams won two and lost one, nine squads won one and lost two and two clubs lost all three games. (*see end of article for specifics)
Although these games won’t count toward the final standings they do serve valuable purposes. For all teams it allows players to ramp up their conditioning and measure where they are in terms of regaining their flow. With so long off the hardwood it’s essential the players take their time and allow their bodies to slowly get back to game shape in order to avoid unnecessary injuries.
Outside of that commonality, each squad looked at utilizing these scrimmage sessions for varying reasons. Some teams who have already locked in their playoff spot perhaps aren’t quite as worried about how far along the conditioning curve they are. Those few clubs can afford to build a bit more slowly since they’ve distanced themselves from the nearest opponent and have a bit of leeway.
For at least six teams being more prepared and aggressive is essential since they are chasing the ninth seed needing to be within a four-game margin of the eighth seed. Showcasing a variance even among these teams the Pelicans were unbeaten while the Wizards and Blazers failed to win a match.
Wins don’t necessarily indicate dominance though since a team may have been focusing on specific system tweaks. The Blazers have players returning who need to regain chemistry like Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins while they also held out Damian Lillard for two scrimmages due to swelling on the bottom of his foot. They could just as easily play the seeding games and suddenly shift to winning efforts.
That said, wins will always help build confidence and in the case of the OKC Thunder, the three victories offered some palpable benefits the team can carry into their seeding contests.
Two key growth areas:
I’ll caution three games is an extremely small sample size and therefore excitement over improvements and shifts should be tempered.
Teams are still seeking to find shooting rhythm and defenses are affected by a lack of conditioning. That said, there were a few areas where the OKC Thunder made palpable improvements that show how focused the team is in terms of improving and being ready for the eight seeding games.
Likewise, there are a few areas of concern that require tweaking.
Assists:
For example, on the season the OKC Thunder isn’t a team that garners a ton of assists ranking 28th with 21.9 assists per game, but in the scrimmages, the Thunder focused on ball movement and made a huge increase averaging 25.3 assists per game.
Perimeter shooting improvement:
Likewise, the Thunder rank 28th on the season for perimeter shooting (35.5%) but during the scrimmages, they improved each game finishing with a robust 40.1 percent.
While many teams are struggling to find their shot a Thunder who wasn’t known for perimeter snipers is suddenly hitting and it’s not just one or two guys getting hot. In fact, some of OKC’s best snipers through 64 games weren’t the ones connecting from deep.
The following notes the 64 game 3-point percentage versus the three scrimmage game percentage. Players who don’t take at least one 3-pointer each game or average five minutes playing time per game are not included. The players are listed in order of the best efficiency through 64 games followed by their production through the three scrimmages.
Notes: RS = through 64 games, SG = scrimmage games, % = percent
- Danilo Gallinari: RS: 40.9% | SG: 4 of 12 for 33.3%
- Dennis Schroder: RS: 38.1% | SG: 1 of 10 for 10.0%
- Abdel Nader: RS: 37.1% | SG: 4 of 9 for 44.4%
- Chris Paul: RS: 36.2% | SG: 0 of 3 for 0.0%
- Mike Muscala: RS: 35.8% | SG: 5 of 11 for 45.4%
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: RS: 35.1% | SG: 3 of 11 for 27.2%
- Luguentz Dort: RS: 30.1% | SG: 6 of 13 for 46.1%
- Darius Bazley: RS: 30.0% | SG: 6 of 14 for 42.8%
- Hamidou Diallo: RS: 20.0% | SG: 1 of 2 for 50.0%
- Andre Roberson: n/a (22.2% in 2017-18) | SG: 4 of 6 for 66.6%
The main takeaway from the 3-point field goal percentage is the primary scorers haven’t found their shooting rhythm yet. Additionally, it’s obvious the youngsters worked on their shot (as well as Roberson) during the hiatus as they represent the majority of the players who made big improvements.
This could be an outlier but if Dort, Bazley, and Roberson can shoot near league average which they are currently well above it gives the Thunder so much more offensive versatility.
While it’s necessary to temper these statistics with the knowledge, not all teams have rediscovered rhythm and a lack of full conditioning effects defense there are still palpable gains to point to.
Issues with free-throw shooting and turnovers:
For as stellar as the Thunder shot from the perimeter they struggled from the charity stripe. Turnovers were also an issue.
The Thunder averaged 13.5 turnovers and shot 79.7 percent from the free-throw line through 64 games. In comparison during the scrimmages, they averaged 16.3 turnovers and shot to 65.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Again, teams are finding their shooting rhythm again, however, it’s odd they would shoot so well from the perimeter and so poorly from the free-throw line. Finding a balance between the two by improving the free-throw efficiency even if they regress slightly from what they shot from deep during these scrimmages would still put them ahead.
The turnovers, although not ideal are more a matter of tightening up execution. Plus they’re moving the ball more and the extra passes are resulting in finding open 3-point shooters so that might be a trade-off the team is willing to make.
Three main statistical categories:
Prior to the hiatus, the OKC Thunder ranked:
- 14th offensively (111.0)
- Ninth defensively (108.4)
- 11th in net differential (plus +2.5)
Through the three scrimmage games, those rankings shifted to:
- Sixth offensively (108.9)
- Fourth defensively (99.0)
- Second in net differential (plus +9.9)
Again, the improvements can be deceiving based on the small sample size, but the defensive focus and effort are a positive to draw from. Since defense relies so much on communication and effort these are qualities the Thunder can carry forward into the seeding games and playoffs.
A trio of players stand out:
Although we’ve heard from the team how much Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has grown, we’ve not seen much more than a few new moves and what looks like improved strength. His output in the last scrimmage without Chris Paul on the floor gave hints of the future. Shai ended up with seven assists through one half, but copious spot-on passes could’ve doubled that tally if his teammates had connected. Odds are we’ll get a deeper perspective on his growth once his playing time increases.
Roberson makes a noisy return
The return of Andre Roberson might be the feel-good story of the season. Sure, we’re biased here, but for a player to miss two full seasons and then make an impact upon their return is almost unprecedented.
As we’ve noted Dre’s defense may not be fully back, but it sure looks good and each session there were several moments that he changed the opponent’s offensive set. His offense is simply gravy and put frankly if he can keep shooting 3-pointers, even at a league-average the upside is so high it’s almost immeasurable.
And, as he showcased versus the Blazers the shooting isn’t the only new offensive tool in his kit. Dre is driving the basket with abandon and either slamming the ball home or using a finger roll the likes of which we’ve never seen from him before. Suffice to say, Andre Roberson spent his rehabilitation time focused on coming back – and doing so with added offensive tools.
A rookie wonder:
Aside from Roberson, the real coup is the two rookies. Both Dort and Bazley clearly worked on their games and weaknesses during the hiatus. From the first day of practice, Billy Donovan noted the growth of the pair as well as their increased strength. Dort was already stronger than a good percentage of his peers.
Dort’s only criticism was a missing perimeter shot. His 3-point efficiency through three scrimmages ranks third-best but he’s also taking more treys than the two guys ahead of him. This is a revelation and if Dort continues hitting the 3-ball he’ll become a player the starters won’t just toss an occasional shot to. That was the only thing stopping him from becoming a 3 and D stalwart so his future looks very, very bright.
A future star:
Although my heart was sated by the return of the beloved Roberson, Bazley, might be my favorite story of all the returning players. Debates over his value have occurred and witnessing his overall game development is extremely satisfying.
This youngster just turned 20 and like Shai, he is showing he’ll put in the work to take leaps rather than small steps forward. He’s had the best vets to learn from through the early season and now he’ll likely play substantial minutes with Roberson which can only bolster his defensive acumen.
Bazley added strength, worked on his shot, playmaking, and is combining his aggressiveness on offense with an increased awareness of what is occurring around him. The leap he’s taken between when the season was suspended and the return is equivalent to what we’d hope for via a concerted and highly successful offseason effort.
Moving forward, given the unusual dynamic of having so much time off, teams will likely go deeper in their benches than typical to avoid injuries. The fact, the two rookies have improved, Dre is back and Diallo is also looking stronger all bodes well for Billy Donovan’s rotation options.
NOTE: hat tip to Abdel Nader and Mike Muscala for staying ready and consistently hitting shots when their number is called.
As for the vets (Paul, Gallinari, Schroder) not hitting to their typical efficiency, it’s unlikely they’ll struggle for long. Vets are used to ramping up their efforts as the games that count roll around.
OKC Thunder main statistics through three scrimmages
The top-line stats from the box score for each of the OKC Thunder three scrimmages and the average from the three games follow.
Versus Celtics:
Field Goal Percent 37-71 (52%)
3-Point Field Goal Percent 10-30 (33%)
Free Throw Percent 14-19 (74%)
Rebounds 41 | Assists 19 | Steals 6 | Blocks 5 | Turnovers 18
Points: 98 | Opposing Points: 84
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Versus 76ers:
Field Goal Percent 36-94 (38%)
3-Point Field Goal Percent15-42 (36%)
Free Throw Percent 10-18 (56%)
Rebounds 56 | Assists 27 | Steals 10 | Blocks 7 | Turnovers 18
Points 102 | Opposing Points: 97
Versus Blazers:
Field Goal Percent 46-89 (52%)
3-Point Field Goal Percent 20-40 (50%)
Free Throw Percent 19-29 (66%)
Rebounds 41 | Assists 30 | Steals 14 | Blocks 4 | Turnovers 13
Points 131 | Opposing Points: 120
Averages through three scrimmages:
Field Goal Percent 119-254 (46.8%)
3-Point Field Goal Percent 45-112 (40.1%)
Free Throw Percent 43-66 (65.1%)
Rebounds 46 | Assists 25.3 | Steals 10 | Blocks 5.3 | Turnovers 16.3
Points 110.3 | Opposing Points: 100.3
Scrimmage record and results for all 22 teams
The following highlights each of the 22 participants, their records and the scores from the three contests.
Boston Celtics: 1-2
- Lost to the Thunder 84-98
- Beat the Suns 117- 103
- Lost to the Rockets 112-137
Brooklyn Nets: 1-2
- Lost to the Pelicans 68-99
- Beat the Spurs 124-119
- Lost to the Jazz 107-112
Dallas Mavericks: 2-1
- Beat the Lakers 108-104
- Lost to the Pacers 111-118
- Beat the 76ers 118-115
Denver Nuggets: 1-2
- Beat the Wizards 89-82
- Lost to the Pelicans 104-119
- Lost to the Magic 110-114
Houston Rockets: 2-1
- Lost to the Raptors 84-93
- Beat the Grizzlies 119-104
- Beat the Celtics 137-112
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Indiana Pacers: 2-1
- Beat the Blazers 91-88
- Beat the Mavericks 118-111
- Lost to the Spurs 111-118
Los Angeles Lakers: 2-1
- Lost to Mavericks 104-108
- Beat the Magic 119-112
- Beat the Wizards 123-116
LA Clippers: 2-1
- Beat the Magic 99-90
- Beat the Wizards 105-100
- Lost to the Kings 102-106
Memphis Grizzlies: 1-2
- Lost to the 76ers 83-90
- Lost to the Rockets 104-119
- Beat the Heat 128-110
Miami Heat: 1-2
- Beat the Kings 104-98
- Lost to the Jazz 99-101
- Lost to the Grizzlies 110-128
Milwaukee Bucks: 2-1
- Beat the Spurs 113-92
- Beat the Kings 131-123
- Lost to the Pelicans 103-124
New Orleans Pelicans: 3-0
- Beat the Nets 99-68
- Beat the Nuggets 119-104
- Beat the Bucks 124-103
OKC Thunder: 3-0
- Beat the Celtics 98-84
- Beat the 76ers 102-97
- Beat the Blazers 131-120
Orlando Magic: 1-2
- Lost to the Clippers 90-99
- Lost to the Lakers 111-119
- Beat the Nuggets 114-110
Philadelphia 76ers: 1-2
- Beat the Grizzlies 90-83
- Lost to the Thunder 97-102
- Lost to the Mavericks 115-118
Phoenix Suns: 2-1
- Beat the Jazz 101-88
- Lost to the Celtics 103-117
- Beat the Raptors 117-106
Portland Trail Blazers: 0-3
- Lost to Pacers 88-91
- Lost to the Raptors 104-110
- Lost to the Thunder 131-120
Sacramento Kings: 2-1
- Lost to the Heat 98-104
- Beat the Bucks 131-123
- Beat the Clippers 106-102
San Antonio Spurs: 1-2
- Lost to the Bucks 92-113
- Lost to the Nets 119-124
- Beat the Pacers 118-111
Toronto Raptors: 2-1
- Beat the Rockets 93-84
- Beat the Blazers 110-104
- Lost to the Suns 117-106
Utah Jazz: 2-1
- Lost to Suns 88-101
- Beat the Heat 101-99
- Beat the Nets 112-107
Washington Wizards: 0-3
- Lost to the Nuggets 82-89
- Lost to the Clippers 105-100
- Lost to the Lakers 116-123
The OKC Thunder will take the next several days to practice and prepare for the season resumption. Their first of eight seeding games is on Saturday, August 1st versus the Utah Jazz.
Stay tuned to Thunderous Intentions as we ramp up for the game we’ve been waiting almost four months to witness. A victory by the Thunder will move them into fourth ahead of the Jazz and give them the season tiebreak.