OKC Thunder leaps upward in week 10 of national power rankings

With the omicron variant raging throughout the national basketball association the resulting effect has equated to postponements and plenty of G-Leaguers and rookies getting extra run. Up until this week, the OKC Thunder was one of the luckier squads avoiding many absences.

OKC Thunder leaps upward in week 10 of national power rankings  

It was another strong week for OKC as they won three of their four matches getting revenge versus the Grizzlies while also beating the Nuggets and Pelicans. The lone loss was to the Suns and even in that match, they kept things close.

Let’s take a look at what the national writers had to say about the Thunder in week 10 and where they ranked them.

OKC Thunder power ranking – NBA.com:

Although the stats master has been more generous in his placement of the Thunder he too drops them down two spots from17th to 19th.

The stats mix he offers is compelling as Schuh outlines Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact, the move of Darius Bazley to the bench, and what a crime it is SGA and Kenrich Williams don’t get enough playing time together.

To view the full excerpt and Shuhmann’s week 10 power rankings click here.

"The 4-1 stretch coincides with Darius Bazley being removed from starting lineup. The Thunder have been outscored by 14.8 points in 389 minutes with Bazley on the floor with three guys — Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Lu Dort — that have started every game they’ve played. But they’re a plus-4.9 per 100 in 123 minutes with the other three on the floor without Bazley…Bazley is now in Health and Safety Protocols. Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, has played in 29 of the Thunder’s 32 games. Without him (or Williams), they lost in Memphis by 73. With him (and Williams), they won in Memphis on Monday. And at 12-20, the Thunder are two games out of a Play-In spot. So their visit to Sacramento (13-21) on Tuesday is kind of a big game."

ESPN Poll:

In week 10 the ESPN elects to offer a New Year’s resolution for each squad suggesting the OKC Thunder get Josh Giddey and Lu Dort as much running time as possible. As for placement, ESPN places OKC 27th only one step up from the prior week. Feels like a bit of a slap given how well OKC has played in comparison to teams who rank higher (that the Thunder beat!).

Tim MacMahon offers the blurb for the Thunder as per below. To view the entire resolution and ranking list offered by the panel click here.

"Oklahoma City’s rebuild is still in its early stages, but rookie Josh Giddey and 22-year-old Lu Dort seem to have established themselves as long-term core pieces alongside franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. So it makes sense to keep giving Giddey, a gifted passer, and Dort, a lockdown defender who has made huge strides as a scorer, plenty of room to stretch their wings offensively, even (or especially) if it costs OKC a few wins this season. — MacMahon"

CBS Sports:

No surprise the national writer who DOES credit the OKC Thunder for their strong week is Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports. CWH always puts more emphasis on the current week in question and as such notes the winning streak.

Ward-Henninger vaults the Thunder up six rungs from 28th to 22nd. To view CWH’s full week 10 listing click here.

"Here comes OKC, who won consecutive games over the Clippers, Grizzlies and Nuggets this week. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched his first triple-double of the season with 27 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in the win over Denver, while rookie Josh Giddey impressed with averages of 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and eight assists this week. The Thunder didn’t shoot particularly well from the field, yet they were still able to grit out three straight wins."

SportsNet:

In his version of power rankings, Steven Loung of Sportsnet seeds the 30 NBA squads in tiers. His five tiers are the Fab Five, The OKC Thunder landed in the bottom group in his last weekly segment. In the week 10 version, they make an unprecedented jump from the bottom tier of five into the fourth tier. The five tiers are:

1. Fab Five
2. Just a tad outside the top tier
3. Decent teams of late
4. The true moribund middle
5. The NBA’s falling five

Teams joining the OKC Thunder in the fourth tier are the Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Mavericks, Pacers, Lakers, Pelicans, Raptors, and Wizards.

Loung points to several teams slumping and his full excerpt dives more specifically into the Lakers’ trials and tribulations. More notable is the fact OKC has risen into this group especially so soon after everyone was labeling the Thunder the biggest tankers in the league!

To view Loung’s full article for week ten click here.

"There are 10 teams here at the fourth tier, and as the subtitle suggests, this is where the actual “middle of the pack” of the league lies. It just so happens, though, that the NBA’s middle at the moment is incredibly uninspiring with most of the teams at this level mired in slumps."

Overall the national pundits gave kudos to the OKC Thunder in week 10 although not all of them were as generous. Their placement runs as high as 19th and as low as 27th.