During their first three postseason games, the versatility of this OKC Thunder roster has been on full display. They have flexed their rotational muscles in a way only they can, a direct result of the culture that coach Mark Daigneault has instilled in his players.
Daigneault has been on record encouraging players up and down the roster to take shots. Most recently, he spoke about Ajay Mitchell taking 20 attempts in Saturday's Game 3 win in Phoenix.
"I give him credit... He didn't play a full rotation in the playoffs last year. He's starting his first playoff game on the road. That's a tough situation… We want guys to err on the side of confidence… He goes out there. He's ripping shots. I'd much rather that than him hiding," Daigneault said.
He also spoke on Jared McCain's eight shot attempts after being virtually left out of the primary rotation in the first two games, saying, "If you fail passively, there's no upside to that. If you fail aggressively, there's upside."
Daigneault's words of affirmation highlight one simple fact: OKC encourages aggression from all of its players, not just its superstars.
Thunder don't have the most depth in the league by chance
As a result of this philosophy, ten different Thunder players have taken at least eight shots in a game in their series against the Suns.
In comparison, the San Antonio Spurs, even without their superstar Victor Wembanyama for a game, have only six such players across their four matches against the Blazers.
Such a stat does not come about by accident.
It requires an uncompromising commitment to a team-first culture and player development.
Thunder fans need to look no further than the former Sixer Jared McCain to see the effects of this culture.
McCain was shipped from a Philly team marred by Joel Embiid injury drama and team mediocrity to a Thunder team that already boasted the best roster in the league.
Despite the increased competition on the roster, McCain's volume increased, and as a result, his field goal percentage went from 38.5 percent in Philadelphia to 46.2 percent in OKC, his three-point shooting rose by 1.3 percent, and his scoring increased from 6.6 points to 10.4.
Thunder stars are completely on board with this philosophy
Fortunately for Mark Daigneault, star players have no problem with reinforcing this philosophy.
As a result of Mitchell's recent 20-shot performance, big man Chet Holmgren only took six attempts, good for the eighth most on the team.
He has also been cited as showing his support for Mitchell's role with the team, explaining that "some jobs should be lost" for letting the sophomore fall to OKC in the second round.
Isaiah Hartenstein has also sacrificed legitimate scoring volume with the increase in offensive depth throughout the roster.
Last postseason, he scored 8.1 points on nearly six attempts per game. This year, he has only shot more than four times in one of their three games.
The Thunder's commitment to offensive proficiency across their roster has added a healthy wrinkle of unpredictability to their game. Last playoff run, it was difficult at times to find points outside of OKC's Big Three.
Three games into this year's title defense, there's already a different feel.
The Thunder take this superpower with them into Game 4 on Monday night, where they look to close out an inferior Suns team to complete the series sweep.
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