With two full months in the books, the OKC Thunder served up arguably their most impressive week of the 2020-21 season. Sure, they lost three of the four games but it’s what they did in those matches that impressed analysts and fans all over the NBA.
Specifically, the Thunder pushed the defending champions to consecutive overtime games and led the Nuggets by as much as 19 points prior to succumbing at game end. OKC finished the week with a huge victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Virtually all the power rankings were impressed by the past week and credited the Thunder for what could’ve easily been a 4-0 week instead of a 1-3 week. What made it even more impressive is the club had just the bare minimum of eight players dressed for both games in LA and nine for the Nuggets and Bucks matches. Also of note, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out the last three games nursing a sprained knee.
Most of the pundits recognized SGA’s loss made this past week’s performances that much more impressive. What many didn’t recognize is the team was playing without their second and third-rated point guards because George Hill and Theo Maledon were also out.
For now, let’s look at how the national sites ranked the OKC Thunder in week eight of the NBA power rankings.
National writers impressed by OKC Thunder in week 8 of power rankings
Week eight found the national scribes all citing the Utah Jazz as the top squad and likewise crediting the OKC Thunder (albeit much lower) for their impressive shorthanded performances.
Last week the analysts ranked the team within a four-ladder rung range and in week eight the seedings shrink by one with a high of 22nd and a low of 24th.
The following represents a compilation of the national sites’ excerpts about the Thunder and links to their power rankings list for week eight of NBA action.
NBA.com – John Schuhmann:
In week eight of the power rankings, the stat master John Schuhmann ranks the OKC Thunder 23rd. That’s a one rung jump over last week’s 24th ranking.
As Intentions noted this past week the Thunder had perhaps their most compelling week of action even though they lost three of four games. The big point to take away from Schuhmann is the Thunder have won four games out of 10 opportunities versus top 10 ranked teams.
The following is a portion of his excerpt on OKC:
"The Thunder just played one of the tougher four-game stretches of schedule you’re going to see, they played it shorthanded (notably missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for each of the last three games), and they almost went 4-0. They led the Lakers by 11 points early in the fourth quarter on Monday and by as many as 20 on Wednesday, losing both games in overtime.On Friday, they led the Nuggets by as many as 19 points and were up eight with less than five minutes left, but couldn’t hold on down the stretch. They finally broke through on Sunday, losing a 12-point, second-half lead to the Bucks, but responding with a fourth-quarter run and holding on for their fourth win over the league’s top 10 teams."
For the rest of Schuhmann’s Thunder comments and the rest of his power rankings click here.
ESPN Poll:
This week the panel ranks the OKC Thunder 24th which is a one rung jump over the prior week. Young makes the point that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t likely to make the All-Star Game but has delivered the type of jump worthy of him getting the nod.
The full listing can be found here.
"It’s unlikely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will get much All-Star consideration, but his season is certainly worthy. He is averaging 22.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists, while hitting 50.6% from the field and 38.2% from 3. For some context, three other third-year players in the past 20 seasons have posted at least 22 points per game on 50% shooting: Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Anthony Davis. And if you’re wondering, those three all made the All-Star Game that season. — Young"
Bleacher Report:
Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report drops the Thunder to 22nd this week, one rung down from last week when they were ranked 21st.
Dakhil makes the point regarding the mounting injuries the Thunder are dealing with as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being the toughest player for Mark Daigneault to have to plan around. The fact the team is performing as a team should be credited to the players but also the coaching staff. There aren’t many teams we can point to without superstars and deep clubs who can match up in terms of how hard the Thunder compete night in and night out and that’s something Daigneault and his staff should be extremely proud of.
A portion of Dakhil’s excerpt can be found below.
"The injuries are slowly adding up. Besides Gilgeous-Alexander being out with a sprained knee, they have not had George Hill who is out due to a thumb injury. This highlights how thin the team is at the guard spot.The week ended on a high note as they upset the Bucks behind a great team performance. The entire starting five scored in double figures and the team had 32 assists on their way to victory. A win like that kept the Thunder from falling even further in the rankings."
The full article is available via this link.
CBS Sports:
Not surprisingly, CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger was as impressed by the OKC Thunder as Intentions despite their 1-3 week. And in spite of those three losses CWH moved the Thunder up two rungs from 24th to 22nd in week eight of his power rankings.
CWH continues to provide his seeding based on performance real-time, which is refreshing because it offers the most accurate reflection of the prior week. Alternatively, it can get a bit frustrating to read rankings that are clearly reflecting what the analysts believe the team will do over the remainder of the season.
For fans, it’s fun to witness their team get rewarded instead of stuck in the bottom simply because that’s where they are expected to finish the season.
For CWH’s full power rankings placement click this link.
"This was about as impressive of a 1-3 week that a team can have, losing in overtime to the Lakers in consecutive games, falling to the Nuggets by two, then beating the Bucks in a game that they led for virtually the entire second half. Oh, and did we mention that they only had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the first Lakers game? OKC has gotten contributions up and down the roster with players coming in and out of the lineup, and Justin Jackson was the latest hero against Milwaukee, scoring 22 points and hitting all four of his 3-pointers, including the one that sealed the game with 15 seconds left."
Sports Illustrated:
As of this posting, Michael Shapiro hadn’t updated his week eight power rankings. We’ll add them when they are available.
Hoops Habit:
Corey Rausch of Hoops Habit serves up essentially the same praise as his cohorts for the OKC Thunder in week eight despite the three losses.
Rausch focuses on Luguentz Dort and his overall improvement noting that even though his offense has waned his overall impact hasn’t.
The Hoops Habit scribe holds the Thunder steady on the 24th rung. An interesting side note he makes is that both the Thunder and Pistons don’t seem to know they are supposed to be tanking.
The following is a portion of his excerpt on the Thunder while the full ranking list can be found here.
"Lu Dort putting the clamps on LeBron James was good for a meme but it was also the perfect encapsulation of the mentality of the Thunder. They do not know that they are not supposed to be in every game. The Thunder keep giving it their all, irritating the best teams in the league and being a step ahead of where they should be.Dort further exemplifies this because his statistical impact has dwindled since the beginning of the season and ultimately it does not matter that much. He, like his team, is slowly figuring things out and that is about far more than just this season. The plan is working in Oklahoma City, even if the wins are not part of the immediate future. ."
With two months in the books, the Thunder continue to impress and perform above expectations. What are your thoughts on the placements this week? Let us know in the comments section.