As the recent weeks have shown, the OKC Thunder are in desperate need of an offensive boost. Going 6-7 over their last 13 games and shooting under 32.0 percent from deep on average along the way has left Mark Daigneault and company searching for answers.
The answer to their offensive struggles might already be on the roster, though.
Veteran guard Isaiah Joe has been the lone bright spot from beyond the arc. With this, one might think he would be seeing more run time amidst a team-wide shooting slump, but Daigneault has refused to give him extended minutes.
Isaiah Joe could be the answer to recent Thunder slump... if he can play D
Joe's shooting ability serves as the saving grace for the Thunder. With OKC's supporting cast struggling to pick up the slack as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sees more and more defensive attention, Joe represents an effective counterattack to the recent opposing playbook.
The guard leads all Thunder players who average over 20 minutes per game in shooting, boasting a 40.9 percent rate. He has especially excelled in catch-and-shoot sets, where he has shot at a 42.3 percent clip.
Joe is the perfect kick-out option for the Thunder stars who are notorious for their driving ability. With more double teams from opposing teams, someone on the perimeter is going to be open. Joe has been punishing double teams, as he has hit three pointers at a 50.0 percent clip when he is wide open.
Isaiah Joe is shooting himself in the foot while on the floor
With all that being said, Joe has struggled mightily to earn minutes in recent weeks. In his 13 games played since the start of December, he has seen under 20 minutes of playing time in nine of them, four of which have resulted in losses.
On the surface, Joe's mysterious disappearance from the rotation seems perplexing, but it becomes apparent when you look at the opposite side of the basketball.
His defense has been a borderline liability.
He ranks second-to-last on the Thunder in both defensive rating and defensive field goal percentage. His defensive field goal percentage of 47.9 percent is a far cry from the team average of 43.4 percent.
However, it hasn't been defending the long range that has been haunting Joe -- It's been the easy buckets.
At 61.6 percent, the shooting guard has the highest defensive field goal percentage on the team when defending shots inside the three-point line. For a team that prides itself on being the toughest to score on in the paint, this type of effort is simply inexcusable.
As a result, Joe is proving himself incapable of playing Thunder basketball. Unless Daigneault sees a mindset shift from the three-point specialist, he could continue to see his minutes dwindle, as the Thunder looks elsewhere for answers on offense.