OKC Thunder drops to last in week 18 of power rankings

As the NBA hits the final month of gameplay, the OKC Thunder has 12 games remaining. Four games are on the itinerary for week 19.

During the past week, the losing streak hit 13 in a row with three further losses in week 18.  Specifically, OKC lost to their former captain Russell Westbrook and his new Wizards squad twice as well as the Pacers.

With the play-in tournament and the pandemic, the dynamic heading down the stretch is quite different than typical seasons. While teams have always fought for home-court placement the races are especially tight this year as clubs actively try to avoid slipping to seventh.

OKC Thunder hold steady in week 18 National power rankings

Every area of the ladder has races ongoing. The top of both conferences hasn’t been decided yet or subsequently which teams will avoid the play-in tournament.

The OKC Thunder are in another group actively tanking and desirous of landing that top draft pick 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 are experiencing lengthy losing streaks.

OKC begins week 19 on a 13-game losing steak and subsequently rank dead last on several lists with a high of 26th.

Below are the main national writers/sites offering insight into their ranking and comments about the OKC Thunder.

NBA.com – John Schuhmann:

Kicking off the pundits’ rankings is stat master John Schuhmann of NBA.com. For the third consecutive week, he ranks them dead last in 30th. Schuhmann notes the team playing in the manner they are without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to find the Thunder finishing with the worst offense in the NBA this season.

The following is a portion of Schuhmann’s excerpt however his full offering on the team for week 18 as well as his full listings can be viewed via this link.

"The Thunder have fallen off more defensively than offensively since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s last appearance (March 22). But their 99.8 points per 100 possessions over the 17 games since then are 4.7 fewer than any other team has scored over that stretch. So, with most of their 12 remaining opponents likely to have something on the line, it would be a serious upset if they don’t remain 30th in offensive efficiency through the final three weeks of the season. Amazingly, it will be only the fourth time that the Sonics/Thunder have had a worse-than-average offense in the 25 seasons for which we have play-by-play data."

ESPN Poll:

In week 18 the ESPN Panel holds the OKC Thunder steady in 26th for the third consecutive week. Royce Young notes the impending new losing record the team is about to set with two more losses and the 76ers and Celtics on tap.

The panel’s full week 18 power rankings can be viewed here.

"The Thunder’s losing streak is at 13 games, but even with the extended absence of winning, players and coaches are still adamant the team’s mood isn’t crumbling. “Honestly, spirits are super high,” guard Ty Jerome said. “I mean, we got a super competitive bunch, as everybody at this level is, so you know we hate losing. But spirits are high.” The longest losing streak in Thunder history (since the franchise relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season) is 14. With their next two games against the Sixers and Celtics, chances are good there will be a new mark. — Young"

Bleacher Report:

Mo Dakhil points to Darius Bazley’s strong showing this past week but also notes the Thunder has work to do if they want to up their odds in the draft lottery.

Dakhil drops the Thunder one rung from 26th to 27th in week 18.  A portion of Dakhil’s Thunder excerpt is below. For the remainder of his Thunder thoughts and his full week 18 power rankings click here.

"Oklahoma City’s last win was at the end of March, and the team could go all of April without picking up a victory. This is not to say players aren’t trying. Darius Bazley averaged 24.0 points last week to go with his 7.3 rebounds. Theo Maledon has shown growth as a playmaker, handing out 6.7 assists last week. Coach Mark Daigneault deserves credit for keeping the players engaged despite all the losing.Currently, with the fifth-worst record, the Thunder have some work to do if they want to increase their lottery odds at getting the first pick in the draft."

CBS Sports:

Colin Ward-Henniger of CBS keeps it real and his comments about how difficult it is to keep watching this team are spot on.  For the third week in a row, CWH  ranks the OKC Thunder in 30th. 

Ward-Henniger’s full week 18 power rankings are available by clicking here.

"Three more games, three more losses for OKC, which has now dropped 13 straight with no end in sight. Fans must keep telling themselves this is what’s best for the future, but it’s getting a bit hard to watch. Darius Bazley has increased his production, averaging 24 points per game this week, albeit on low efficiency. Lu Dort scored 18 points in the only game he was allowed to play this week, while Theo Maledon averaged 14.3 points on 53 percent 3-point shooting in three games."

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

Corey Rausch of Hoops Habit week 18 power rankings drops the OKC Thunder to his bottom rung in week 18.

Like his counterparts, Rausch notes how well Darius Bazley played this past week. A portion of Rausch’s Thunder excerpt is below. To review the full excerpt and his entire week 18 power rankings click here.

"Darius Bazley has been in and out of the lineup but when he is on the court he has been impressive. In eight games in April, he is averaging 19.1 points and 6.9 rebounds a night. Of all of the younger guys getting solid minutes, Bazley feels like the next most likely to blossom.As good as Bazley and Dort have been, the fan base remains locked in on Aleksej Pokusevksi. Over the 13 game losing streak (of which he has appeared in 10 games), the rookie is averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He is also turning the ball over 2.9 times per game and may have too happy of a trigger finger (shooting splits of .366/.322/.636), but fun is all that matters for the time being."

There you have it — how each of the national sites ranked the OKC Thunder in week 18 of their power rankings. With the team expected to set a new record for losing in week 19, it won’t be surprising if they are 30th across the board next week.