OKC Thunder falls in week 13 of national power rankings

The week 13 power rankings are up from the national writers with the OKC Thunder continuing to impress.

Intentions have frequently talked about the OKC Thunder winning DNA. This iteration of the team has surprised fans, analysts, and writers alike.

The team just keeps on winning no matter who Mark Daigneault puts on the hardwood. Typically that’s a very good thing. However, in a season when the franchise is trying to tank it’s the last thing you want. The Celtics and Heat all could’ve used some of what OKC had while struggling due to injuries or COVID as the Raptors are now.

National writers drop OKC Thunder in week 13 of power rankings

With that, let’s look at how the national sites ranked the OKC Thunder in week 13 of the power rankings.

Almost all the writers dropped the team down a few rungs although they remain in the high 20’s as they have throughout the season. The OKC Thunder are ranked in a two-rung range or 22nd or 23rd. Let’s dive into their individual comments and specific ranking.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann:

This week John Schuhmann focuses on the OKC Thunder bench noting the rise of Ty Jerome and his solid effort since returning from injury. As noted in the opening many of the scribes bring up the team’s inability to lose and tanking efforts this week. Schuhmann’s note on an employee-friendly environment with liberal days off is his reference.

His week 13 rankings drop the Thunder two spots from 20th to 22nd. To view Schuhmann’s full Thunder excerpt and the rest of his power rankings click this link.

"The Thunder are an employee-friendly basketball team, liberal with their days off. Al Horford has played in only eight of their last 15 games and Kenrich Williams is the only Thunderman who’s played in all 42. They were relatively close to full strength on Thursday, but got crushed in Atlanta, scoring less than a point per possession. They were without Horford and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Houston on Sunday, but were able to hand the Rockets their 20th straight loss, with Theo Maledon getting two big buckets down the stretch and Luguentz Dort making an incredible play to block John Wall’s layup in the final seconds."

ESPN Poll:

Royce Young might win the most humorous take on the Thunder unsuccessful tank effort. He suggests OKC could start two members of their PR staff and still win.

The panel holds the Thunder steady in 23rd. Young’s excerpt is below and to view the panel’s full listing click here.

"Sunday’s game against the Rockets had an unstoppable force versus an immovable object kind of vibe, but not in a good way. The Rockets were on a 19-game losing streak. The Thunder had four starters sitting and started the second-youngest lineup in NBA history. Houston was still a 4.5-point favorite at tipoff, but if we’ve learned anything from OKC this season, it could start two members off its PR staff and probably still be competitive. Sunday, it was Lu Dort scoring 23 and coming up with a game-winning block. There’s something about the Thunder’s ability to play within a system and maximize their roster that has an extremely Spursian feel. — Young"

Bleacher Report:

Mo Dakhil often highlights an individual and this week his hat tip goes to Moses Brown.

Dakhil moves the OKC Thunder down one rung from 21st to 22nd. A portion of his excerpt is below and the full Thunder segment plus his full ranking is available here.

"Three games into the Thunder’s four-game road trip have not gone well. Oklahoma City suffered two blowout losses to Chicago and Atlanta. It bounced back with a win over the Rockets.It seems each week a new young player begins to turn heads for the Thunder. Last week it was Moses Brown’s turn to show out once he got extended minutes. Over the three games, he averaged 12.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 27.1 minutes."

CBS Sports:

Each week CBS Sports writer, Colin Ward-Henninger is the one analyst who’ll credit a team’s strong week with an equally strong ranking. Likewise on the weeks when the club performs below par they are penalized which is what happens this week to the Thunder in CWH’s power rankings.

Ward-Henniger like his counterparts drops the Thunder three spots from 20th to 23rd. To see where he ranks all 30 teams click this link.

"After being blown out by the Bulls and Hawks to start the week, OKC showed some grit by beating a relatively healthy Rockets team with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford out of the lineup. Moses Brown has flourished in extra minutes since coming up from the G League, averaging 12.7 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks this week. Lu Dort averaged 15.5 points in the two games he played this week, and came up with a key block on John Wall late in the Houston game to help seal the victory."

Hoops Habit:

More from Thunderous Intentions

In week 13 of the power rankings, Corey Rausch of Hoops Habit mixes things up. He picks a player from every club who is likely to be moved at the deadline. In the case of OKC his focus is George Hill.

Also, like the majority of the national writers’ group he dropped the Thunder this week from his previous rank of 21st down one rung to 22nd.

The following is a portion of his comments on the OKC Thunder. The remainder of that segment and his full power rankings can be found by clicking here.

"Prior to the trade earlier this week, Trevor Ariza would have been the answer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have remained active, making two trades in the weeks leading up to the deadline and are likely far from done. George Hill has been in and out of the lineup but has been solid when on the court. As teams look to add playmaking going into the playoffs, Hill should be highly sought after."

What did you think of the placings? Let us know in the comments section if you would rank this team differently and if why.

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