Common place for OKC Thunder in week 9 national power rankings

A big week for the NBA both in terms of the positives and negatives.  On the bright side, Stephen Curry created a new mark in the NBA history annuls. While closer to home Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave OKC Thunder fans something to cheer about.

The negative is clearly the rising cases of COVID-19 in the league (and in North America) as more than 70 players entered the health and safety protocols.

National media rank OKC Thunder in a common spot – week nine power rankings 

In terms of the week nine power rankings the national media had a common view of the OKC Thunder all placing them in the same seed. Although the sites use different calendars (NBA and ESPN use the typical Monday to Friday while CBS runs Saturday through Friday) they all saw things the same.

Hindsight is 20-20 and if SGA’s 3-pointers versus the Pelicans and Clippers had been the final shot (darn Hail Mary’s) then perhaps the home team would’ve risen up a few spots.

Hey – we’re in it for the tank this year so don’t let the low ranking impact you too much as this is precisely where the Thunder wants to be. The added benefit is the national media appreciate the gritty, competitiveness of the Thunder.

With that, let’s take a gander at what the National scribes’ thoughts and placements were for the OKC Thunder in week nine of power rankings.

OKC Thunder power ranking – NBA.com:

In week nine the statsmaster John Schuhmann of course touches on the SGA shots and drops some intriguing statistics to go along with it. In the excerpt below he notes the rise of youngster Tre Mann and his awe-inspiring dunks.  As for the Thunder rank, the NBA writer drops them one spot to 28th in week nine.

Most notably, Schuhmann offers optimism about the team’s recent play citing the last five games have included four of the most efficient games this season. To view the full Thunder excerpt and week nine list click here.

"Overall, the Thunder’s 30th-ranked offense has shown some signs of life. They’ve still had some stinkers, but four of their five most efficient games of the season have come in December. Tre Mann has had a spot in the rotation since Thanksgiving, had had a couple of highlight dunks, and has shot 14-for-25 (56%) on catch-and-shoot 3s.After those two wild finishes, the Thunder now return to the scene of the crime (the biggest margin of defeat in NBA history) on Monday."

ESPN Poll:

The ESPN panel holds the OKC Thunder steady in 28th although they note the theatrics of the week including two 3-pointers by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

that amounted to one victory and one heartbreaking loss. As per usual Tim MacMahon provides the Thunder excerpt and the full week nine power rankings are available via this link.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s buzzer-beater over the Clippers overshadowed rookie Josh Giddey‘s near-triple-double. Giddey finished two points shy but had 18 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Giddey became the first teenager in NBA history to grab at least 15 rebounds and dish out at least 10 assists in a game. — MacMahon"

CBS Sports:

The rankings for Colin Ward-Henninger run on a different schedule than that of his NBA and ESPN counterparts. As such CW-H doesn’t have the win from Saturday versus the Clippers on his list. The good news is it should result in OKC rising up his board next week.

Unfortunately, in week nine it equates to the Thunder falling a spot from 27th to 28th. His full week nine power rankings can be viewed via this link.

"OKC nearly salvaged a winless week on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absurd game-tying 3-pointer against the Pelicans that would have forced overtime were it not for an even more ridiculous three-quarters court heave from Devonte’ Graham that gave New Orleans the win at the buzzer. As a result, the Thunder now have the worst record in the Western Conference. The offense, barely competent with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, descends into ineptitude by mustering just 93.6 points per 100 possessions without him."

As of posting Hoops Habit didn’t have a full 30 team power rankings list so we’ll check back over the week and add it if it becomes available.

SportsNet:

Steven Loung of Sportsnet ranked the 30 teams in tiers with the OKC Thunder landing in the basement alongside fellow tankers – the Pistons and Magic. The other two teams in this group are the Rockets who’ve shown signs of maybe wanting to get into the play-in tournament as well as the Pelicans who have to make up their minds if they’ll pack it in or push forward with playoff hopes.

While Zion Williamson is out (at a minimum six weeks) they’ve been playing better of late and the front office might feel it’s essential they try to get that play-in seed as part of satisfying Williamson this offseason when they discuss his rookie extension (oh to be a fly on that wall).

"The Pistons matched a franchise record with their 14th straight loss on Saturday, falling to the Houston Rockets, but were able to avoid setting a new low marker with a victory on Sunday against a Miami Heat team missing the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.When you’re the worst team in the league, sometimes you have to find small victories along the way to keep on chugging along."

There you have it fans – the week nine power rankings from the main national media sites. The OKC Thunder were universally ranked 28th.