The 3 most underrated players on the OKC Thunder who could make a big leap
By Alex Mcewen
Isaiah Joe
Due to his poise during his first season with the team, Thunder Nation somewhat overlooked Isaiah Joe’s youth; he is only 24 years old, which is young across the league, but pretty much a vet on a OKC Thunder squad filled with youth.
Joe may be the best pure sharpshooter in OKC Thunder history, which is both impressive and frustrating at the same time. His role on the team will be a pivotal one, as he will likely be involved in many blinded lineups, where he will likely see his playing time split with starters and bench players equally.
Mark Daigneault on Isaiah Joe “he is not a one dimensional player. I give him a lot of credit, he is a complete player” praised him as a “positional defender” and how physical he is.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 16, 2023
One pairing I am particularly looking forward to seeing is Josh Giddey and Isaiah Joe together. Last year, the duo shared the floor for nearly 600 minutes; impressively, the OKC Thunder were plus-61 when they shared the floor.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Giddey had 883 potential assists; that number ranked 14 in the association among 539 qualified players. Perhaps if Giddey and Joe get more court time at once, some of those potential assists will translate to actual assists.
Additionally, Giddey is average at best defensively, and Joe began making strides on the defensive end last year, adding to the reasons this duo complements one another nicely.