Last week, the OKC Thunder officially punched their ticket to the 2025 NBA Playoffs. This past Thursday, they secured their second-consecutive top-seeded finish in the Western Conference standings.
Add all this to the fact that they boast the best record in the league at 58-12, and it should come as no surprise that Oklahoma City is currently considered this year's favorite to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Of course, even with all of these impressive accomplishments, it's hard to say that the Thunder are a team void of weaknesses.
While they may be led by reigning Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault, spearheaded by the arguable favorite to win league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and sport one of the deepest and most well-rounded rotations in the game today, OKC still has a few sore spots within their game that could use some tending to before the start of the playoffs.
These final few weeks of regular season play provide the Thunder with an opportunity to focus in on addressing some of their more glaring issues, and there are a few key questions, in particular, they should be looking for answers to along the way.
Will Jalen Williams' hip injury have residual effects?
The Thunder have been hobbled by health-related ailments all season long, and the most recent recipient of an injury bug bite is All-Star Jalen Williams.
Enduring a hip injury following an awkward tumble against the Denver Nuggets back on March 10, initial hopes were that the forward would only be sidelined for their next three outings, all of which were on the road.
Unfortunately, it has been nearly two weeks and five games since his fateful fall and, still, we have yet to get so much as an update on when Williams may be able to make his way back to the lineup.
Considering there's roughly a month separating now and the start of the playoffs, the 23-year-old has plenty of time to be reintroduced into the rotation.
However, when exactly will this happen? More importantly, how will he look following his return to action?
Amid a career-best campaign where he's dropping impressive per-game averages of 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 47.8 percent shooting from the floor and 36.2 percent shooting from deep, J-Dub has unequivocally established himself as the number two option behind superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the club's pecking order.
Having such a key figure within Oklahoma City's top-seeded scheme be hobbled heading into the playoffs could prove to be a major blow to their championship aspirations.
Will Ajay Mitchell reclaim his role within Thunder rotation upon return?
Another Thunder player currently sidelined due to injury is first-year guard, Ajay Mitchell.
Before going down and undergoing surgery for a right great toe sprain back in early November, the 22-year-old had managed to play himself into quite an important role within coach Daigneault's rotation.
Through 34 games played, Mitchell saw himself logging 16.5 minutes per night while averaging 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds on a highly efficient 50.6 percent shooting from the floor.
Along with this, he finds himself ranked third on the team in defensive rating (100.0) and fourth in true shooting percentage (60.4) while ranking first among his rookie peers league-wide who have seen a minimum of 30 games played in defensive rating, net rating (9.1) and three-point percentage (43.1).
Leading up to his injury, it was evident that Mitchell had become yet another diamond in the rough, second-round surprise pick who provided much-needed offensive stability to Oklahoma City's bench unit.
However, since being shelved, guys like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe have both exploded onto the scene with their own high-end production on the more glamorous side of the ball.
On the surface, the idea of adding the rookie standout back to this rotation certainly sounds like nothing but a luxury for the Thunder, especially as they gear up for the playoffs. That said, considering Wiggins and Joe's recent surges, it now begs the question as to whether or not Mitchell's services will be needed in the same way as they were prior to going under the knife.
If it proves to be the case that his role is diminished, how will that factor into his play and overall impact on the team?
Can Thunder improve upon non Shai Gilgeous-Alexander offense?
Considering he's their best player and arguably the best scoring weapon the game currently has to offer, it's not surprising that the Thunder are heavily reliant on the contributions of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on offense.
That said, there's a case to be made that they may be too dependent on his services.
With the superstar on the floor, Oklahoma City registers in with an elite offensive rating of 122.0, a mark that slots even higher than the league's top-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers (121.6). Without him, however, their production plummets drastically, as they fall to just a 109.3 rating, the fifth-worst in the NBA.
When SGA is on the bench the team finds itself scoring an abysmal 113.2 points per 100 possessions (10.2 points worse compared to when he's on the court). Even in times when co-star Jalen Williams is leading the charge without the MVP-favorite, the Thunder are averaging a putrid 110.6 points per 100 possessions.
Now, granted, these metrics have largely been recorded with budding stud big man Chet Holmgren rehabbing from a right iliac wing fracture for three months. With him now back in the fold, they've already seen some noticeable improvements in their offensive rating without Gilgeous-Alexander on the court (120.7).
Of course, this has come in a rather small sample size of just 13 games where he's played. These final few weeks of the regular season should provide the team with a better understanding of whether this uptick is real or if Oklahoma City still needs someone else to step up in this department heading into the postseason.