Power Rankings week 12: pundits in consensus as OKC Thunder drop down lists

In week 12 the OKC Thunder suffered a tough 1-2 result defeating the Spurs but losing consecutive games to the Hornets and 76ers.

OKC began week 13 with a 15-21 record, remaining in the mix for a play-in seed but equally far enough behind that they can flip the switch to tank mode.

Statistically, the Thunder fell out of the top 10 defensively (11th) and for the second consecutive week slide a spot in the offensive ranking (25th) but remain a top-three squad for pace (3rd). The one area the team should be most concerned about is ranking 25th in net rating.

Where National sites seed OKC Thunder in week 12 power rankings

OKC Thunder power ranking – NBA.com:

The stats master dives into the front-court depth issues for the OKC Thunder in his rankings for week 12 noting the loss of both POKU and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Schuhmann drops the OKC Thunder three spots to 25th.  A portion of his OKC Thunder excerpt is below, to see the full OKC segment along with Schuhmann’s full week 12 rankings click here.

"With both Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl out, the Thunder have been starting rookie Jaylin Williams (alongside rookie Jalen Williams). The taller (and skinnier) Williams had some strength issues as the Thunder lost in Charlotte on Thursday, getting bully-balled by Mason Plumlee and struggling to finish in traffic. But he flashed some defensive awareness (dropping off Plumlee to thwart a back-door cut) and made one deft pass out of the high post. (The Thunder might also have to give consistent minutes to Mike Muscala, having outscored their opponents by 12.0 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.)"

ESPN Panel:

Every year ESPN comprises a panel of writers who offer up the excerpts on the teams and vote on where the teams rank weekly. The panel this season is comprised of Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, and Kevin Pelton.

In week 12 the panel follows the example of Schuhmann dropping the team three spots to 25th.

"The Thunder put up 150 points in a Tuesday night victory against the Celtics, marking the most scored since the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The last time the franchise scored at least 150 in a game was April 6, 2008, when a Seattle SuperSonics rookie named Kevin Durant posted 37 points in a 151-147 win in double overtime versus the Allen Iverson/Carmelo Anthony-led Nuggets. Against the Celtics — and without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Oklahoma City had five different players tally at least 20 points, led by a season-high 25 from Josh Giddey. — Lopez"

For the full ESPN preseason listing, click here.

Bleacher Report

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report serves up his rankings for week 12 and just like his cohorts drop the team three spots from a prior 22nd rank to the new 25th seeding.

As a reminder, Bailey’s power rankings are based on a differently timed schedule hence the Celtics and Magic games are referenced in his excerpt while those teams won’t even be part of the conversation for Schuhmann and the ESPN panel until next week.

Bailey’s Thunder excerpt follows and you can view the entire article by clicking here.

"The Oklahoma City Thunder had the kind of random, unpredictable week one might expect from a team in a rebuild-adjacent phase.On Tuesday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of action, they dropped 150 points in an upset win over the Boston Celtics. The next night, with SGA back, they lost to the Orlando Magic.Inconsistency is sort of par for a young team’s course, though. In seasons like this, it’s all about finding sources of hope from the young core. And while Gilgeous-Alexander has provided plenty throughout the season, the last couple of weeks may be about Josh Giddey joining him.In his last 10 games, Giddey is averaging 16.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 threes, while shooting 41.9 percent from three."

CBS Sports

Colin Ward Henninger must be on an extended holiday as once again there is no submission for week 12. If CWH drops his new rankings this weekend, we’ll add it to the post.

Weekly Power Rankings:

For those that want to see how the OKC Thunder have progressed this season or to look back at a specific week, the following offers the links breaking down where the OKC Thunder ranked each week…

Week one: click here 

Week two: click here

Week three: click here

Week four: click here

Week five: click here

Week six: click here

Week seven: click here

Week eight: click here

Week nine: click here 

Week 10: click here

Week 11: click here

Up next…

The coming week’s power rankings will look at how the OKC Thunder performed against the Celtics, in Orlando and versus the Wizards and Mavericks to close out the week.

Moving forward the OKC Thunder hits the road in week 13 action running through four stops in the East featuring matches versus the Heat, 76ers, Bulls, and Nets.