Tanking OKC Thunder nab coveted bottom 3 with 3 games to go
Well, fans the final week of the NBA season is upon us and with it comes great news for the OKC Thunder as they are closer to reaching the main goal of the season. That being to land the best possible lottery draft position.
The 2020-21 campaign has been dubbed the resiliency era. Initially, this squad overachieved with their scrappy, gritty effort combined with the expedited ascendance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When SGA had to be shut down as he dealt with a nasty case of plantar fasciitis the team took a turn for the worse.
In truth, it was also at this point that head coach Mark Daigneault began to utilize creative rotations, doling out extra minutes to players the franchise wanted to gain experience and so the front office could assess the support staff with a view to their fit within the next iteration of the club.
Although the Thunder youngsters defied the odds there are countless matches and in-game situations that were handled differently than they would’ve been had the Thunder been trying to get into the play-in tournament.
For example, Kenrich Williams has proven to be a calming presence with a Swiss Army knife skillset. Likewise, Tony Bradley has arguably been a better fit upfront with the likes of Darius Bazley and Isaiah Roby. Yet, in the match Sunday versus the Kings, as the Thunder struggled on both sides of the hardwood both players remained glued to the bench. That’s just the most recent example of choices Daigneault made to ensure the loss.
OKC Thunder lands in coveted bottom 3 seed in the final week of gameplay:
Although the “T” word was whispered or denied for months it was the overarching objective of the season. Why bother amassing a closet so full of draft picks you can’t close it unless the corresponding efforts were being made to win the top draft pick?
The good news for the OKC Thunder is their efforts are paying off and just in time. Intentions have kept Thunder Nation in the loop the last month with our Tank Wars weekend episodes keeping an eye on the opposition.
During this stretch of games, the Thunder has predominantly been positioned with the fifth-best odds (or 10.5 percent) to win the top draft pick at the NBA Draft Lottery to be held on June 22nd.