OKC Thunder rise again in week 10 of national power rankings

With ten weeks complete teams are almost finished the first half and the OKC Thunder are continuing to impress.

March 4th marks the end of the first half taking teams into the All-Star break that like many things this year won’t follow the typical pattern. Players will get five days off from March 5th to March 11th unless they are participating in the All-Star Game or events on March 7th.

To that end, this past week the participants were finalized with the coaches determining the 14 reserves and Adam Silver selecting the two injury replacements.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an obvious snub but let his actions provide his response. As a result, many of the pundits were impressed by his efforts as they frequently cited him in this week’s power rankings.

With that, let’s look at how the national sites ranked the OKC Thunder in week ten of the NBA power rankings.

National writers raise OKC Thunder in week 10 of power rankings

By the midpoint, in any season it’s not unusual for specific tiers to have formed. This season started and continues without much change at the very top and bottom of the ladder. The Jazz, two LA clubs, 76ers, and Nets invariably fill the top five seeds with the occasional rise of a team in the second tier (see: Suns or Bucks).

Likewise, the bottom rungs have consistently featured the Wolves, Pistons, Cavaliers, Rockets, Magic, Kings, Wizards, Pelicans and OKC Thunder.  The biggest weekly shifts occur within the 16 teams in the middle and even then it’s usually no more than one or two spots

In week 10 the national writers ranked the OKC Thunder in a range of a high of 22nd and low of 25th. Let’s take a look at their insights on the team and their specific seeding.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann:

The narrator’s favorite opens this edition paying homage to the multiple buzzer-beaters this week. As such, OKC Thunder wing, Luguentz Dort’s game winner versus the Spurs gets recognized with the John Schuhmann hat tip.

Similar to his cohorts the Thunder excerpt cites Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s strong All-Star snub week performance and dives into the Canadian’s stellar efficiency.

Week ten the stat master raises the Thunder two spots from 25th to 23rd. A portion of his excerpt and the rest of his power rankings can be viewed via this link.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a quiet night as the Thunder got blown out Denver on Saturday, but still averaged 27.4 ppg on an effective field goal percentage of 69% (plus 30-for-35 from the line) over a stretch of five games in seven nights. That included a career-high 42 against San Antonio, featuring a mean step back against Tre Jones and a slick, lefty scoop around Jakob Poeltl. It was noted in this space earlier in the season, that Gilgeous-Alexander has great brakes, but he also has the ability to step on the gas."

ESPN Poll:

The panel ongoing yo-yo placement for the Thunder continues as they raise the team up three rungs from 27th to 24th. Writer Royce Young provides the excerpt with the full listing here.

"Even with a bit of a clunker on Saturday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s February should’ve caught your attention. He averaged 25.4 points on .518/.474/.846 shooting splits plus five rebounds and six assists a game. SGA wasn’t really all that much in the All-Star conversation, but he has a case to at least be in the snubbed category. And even though he said he wasn’t thinking about it, the day after the All-Star reserves were named, he dropped a career-high 42 on the Spurs. — Young"

Bleacher Report:

Mo Dakhil like his counterparts hones in on SGA’s great week. Dakhil holds the Thunder steady in 24th with a portion of his excerpt on the Thunder below and full lisitng available here.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a big week, putting up a career-high 42 points in the Thunder’s win over the Spurs. That outburst should not come as a surprise as he has been balling since he came back from his knee sprain. In the seven games back, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 25.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent from three on 5.4 attempts."

The full article is available via this link.

CBS Sports:

Throughout this season CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger has been fair in his assessments and typically ranks teams with more emphasis on the past week than his counterparts. While he recognizes the split the Thunder accomplished and gives Gilgeous-Alexander praise it seems this week’s ranking has more to do with where the team will finish as opposed to how week 10 went and who they beat given both of those teams rank ahead on his ladder.

Ward-Henniger holds the Thunder steady at 25th this week. For CWH’s full power rankings placement click this link.

"OKC beat the Hawks and the short-handed Spurs this week, while losing to the Heat and Nuggets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his tremendous season with 26.5 points and 4.8 assists per game this week on 48 percent 3-point shooting, but he just doesn’t have enough consistent help offensively with Al Horford in and out of the lineup. Still, this team remains competitive on a near-nightly basis, which has resulted in more wins than many expected."

Hoops Habit:

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 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

In week ten, Corey Rausch of Hoops Habit offers up more praise for SGA and raises OKC up one rung to 25th.

The following is a portion of his excerpt on the Thunder while the rest of that segment and his full power rankings can be found via this link.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable this week. He posted a line of 27.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game with insane shooting splits of .597/.536/.857. Doing everything in one’s power to push a team to victory is no easy task for any player. Seeing a 22-year-old do so is exceptional. Gilgeous-Alexander has clearly benefitted so much from his year of apprenticeship under Chris Paul and has become a star in his own right. While he did not make the All-Star Game this season, the accolades will be his before long."

Thunderous Intentions:

T.I. dives into the mix this week with our take on where the OKC Thunder and peers rank as they close out the first half of the season.  Like Ward-Henniger teams with strong weeks get rewarded in my list including the Thunder who rank 22nd.  Check out the full comments on why OKC was seeded there and where the other teams ranked by clicking this link.

"Instead, this crew never stops competing. That the Thunder have the same record as the Hawks, the same number of wins as the Pelicans and more victories than the Magic, Rockets, and Kings is telling.Although trades and injuries have affected the teams mentioned — the Thunder has dealt with the same issues. While the above five teams are underachieving, the Thunder winning in spite of the odds speaks to one factor — CULTURE!"

That wraps up week ten of the power rankings. What are your thoughts on the rankings? Let us know in the comments section.