OKC Thunder losing streak effects week 17 of national power rankings

The final month of games is upon us as the OKC Thunder has 15 games remaining on the itinerary. They’ll play three this week with two of those featuring former franchise cornerstone Russell Westbrook.

As for the past week, the losing streak hit 10 in a row with four consecutive losses in week 17. Specifically, OKC lost to the Jazz, Warriors, Pistons, and Raptors.  In spite of the losses, there were high points to draw from last week.

Luguentz Dort delivered a career-best effort against the team who have won the most games through 17 weeks of play. Dort followed that up with a historic game in Tampa Bay that featured three Canadians from Montreal starting in an NBA game.

As the Thunder check off the final games of the season, something worth noting is the teams who are trying to outperform them in their tanking efforts. Both the Pistons and Raptors sat the majority of their core in an effort to try to land the ‘L’ from the match. Neither were able to translate those roster choices into the loss, however.

Another notable takeaway from week 17 is with Dort and Darius Bazley back those consecutive 20 and 30 point losses were abated. While the Thunder are still losing they’re doing it in a more competitive fashion.

OKC Thunder losing streak noted in week 17 National power rankings

With a month remaining there isn’t likely to be much of a shift particularly at the bottom of the ladder. That’s because the teams in those positions are purposely trying to tank and subsequently on lengthy losing streaks.

The OKC Thunder win that crown in this week of power rankings as they begin week 18 on a 10-game losing streak.  Similar to last week this seeding in week 17 ranges between a high of 26th and a low of 30th.

The following provides the individual placement for the OKC Thunder with a portion of the excerpt for the team and a link to their full power rankings list.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann:

As the final month plays out don’t be surprised if the Thunder are in last place on most power rankings lists.  That’s partially because OKC keeps losing and partially because of how they are losing. NBA stat master John Schuhmann offers up some insight as to the latter part of that equation in his weekly column.

Schuhmann also keeps the Thunder in 30th for the second week in a row. A portion of his Thunder musings is below. For the full excerpt and his complete power rankings for week 17 click here.

"But the Thunder are 0-10 in April, having lost the 10 games by an average of 23.1 points. Luguentz Dort has returned from a seven-game absence and scored a career-high 42 points in Utah on Tuesday. But the Thunder have still scored 7.4 fewer points per 100 possessions than any other team in April, having turned the ball over 19 times per 100 possessions (up from 14.9 prior).Of course, the Thunder already had a bad offense, especially with no Gilgeous-Alexander. That their solid defense has suddenly become worse than that of the Kings (though they’ve played more bottom-10 offenses than top-10 offenses this month) is a bit of a mystery. A bunch of 23-and-unders playing more games and minutes than they ever have could have something to do with it."

ESPN Poll:

The highest power ranking the OKC Thunder receive is awarded by the ESPN Panel (and Bleacher Report) with a 26th placement for the second week in a row.

Royce Young offers the excerpt (per below) noting the current losing streak is the longest since the inaugural season of the franchise. To view the ESPN panel full power rankings for week 17 click here.

"The Thunder have lost 10 straight, their longest losing streak since 2008, when they lost 14 in a row during their inaugural season in OKC (which resulted in head coach PJ Carlesimo being replaced by Scott Brooks). It has dropped them to the fifth-worst record in the league and only a couple of games behind (ahead?) of the Magic for the fourth worst. But as has been a theme throughout the season, even with an apparent low spot, there are good things happening in OKC. Luguentz Dort erupted for a career-high 42 against the Jazz, then followed it up with 26 against Detroit and 29 against Toronto. — Young"

Bleacher Report:

The other writer who ranks four teams beneath the OKC Thunder is Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report. Dakhil holds the Thunder steady in 26th. The following is a portion of his Thunder excerpt. To view his full excerpt and the full power rankings list for week 17 click here.

"There have still been a few bright spots amid the prolonged losing skid. Luguentz Dort had a big game against the Jazz after coming out of the NBA’s concussion protocol. He dropped a career-high 42 points including a career-high seven made threes, but then missed the following game due to left shoulder soreness. Aleksej Pokusevski had a nice game in Oklahoma City’s loss to Toronto with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and more impressively six blocks.The young kids are playing hard for the Thunder and putting up a fight in each game, but they are just too young to be able to pull out some of these close games."

CBS Sports:

The one columnist who ranks teams with more emphasis on the prior week is Colin Ward-Henniger of CBS. With the Thunder hitting 10 losses in a row and four in week 17 it’s not surprising then that he keeps OKC at the bottom of his power rankings for the second consecutive week.

CWH full rankings are available via this link.

"The young Thunder continue to do their best, but have now lost 10 straight games after another winless week. Lu Dort returned to the lineup and has embraced the role of the team’s primary scorer, averaging 32.3 points on 56 percent 3-point shooting in three games this week. Darius Bazley, an intriguing young forward who averaged 16 points this week, has also become more aggressive offensively out of necessity."

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

Hoops Habit:

In his week 17 power rankings, Corey Rausch of Hoops Habit notes the big week of Lu Dort. One important stat not focused on last week in Dort’s big night versus the Jazz was while he scored a career-best 42 the rest of the starting rotation scored a  cumulative 29 points.

Although some of his peers have the Thunder in the bottom spot of their rankings Rausch holds them steady in 29th in his rankings.

The following is a portion of his OKC excerpt. For his full Thunder musings and the rest of his placements for week 17 click here.

"As always with the Oklahoma City Thunder, there is a different young player to talk about each week as someone else sets themselves apart. This week it is Lu Dort, the second-year undrafted standpoint who has cemented his place as one of the foundational pieces of the future.The explosion against the best team in the league caught the attention of many. Facing down the Utah Jazz, Dort went off for 42 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. No other player for the Thunder scored even 15 points and the entire rest of the starting five combined for just 29 points."

That wraps up the week 17 power rankings from the National Pundits. Drop your thoughts in the comment section for where you feel the Thunder should rank.