A month ago, Isaiah Joe was a far cry from a key figure within the on-court rotation of the OKC Thunder. On many occasions, he was even argued as one of their more expendable pieces, with many NBA pundits around the league suggesting he be moved to clear cap space.
Fast forward to late February, and the Thunder shooting guard has played the role of hero in more ways than coach Mark Daigneault can count.
While Joe was struggling to earn minutes on the court early in the season, seeing less than 20 a night, recent extended absences by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell have cleared the way for Thunder role players to step up.
Joe, in particular, has done just that.
Since SGA's last game on February 3rd, the sharpshooter has been the Thunder's leading scorer, averaging 16.9 points on 48.1 percent shooting. He has been the best three-point shooter in the league among players averaging at least seven threes per game during that span.
His mark of 53.6 percent is 1.5 percent higher than the next closest.
Isaiah Joe is forcing the Thunder to rethink their evaluation of him
As solid as Joe has been in his extended offensive role, his defense may be the most impressive element of his game.
Through the first three months of the season, he was considered to be a defensive liability. Excluding two-way players, he had the second-highest defensive field goal percentage on the team, and his defensive rating of 106.9 was dead last.
Since February 4th, however, he ranks first on the team in defensive field goal percentage and second in defensive rating. He has had four separate games in which he has recorded two or more steals, including a five-steal masterpiece against Cleveland on Sunday.
Only Cason Wallace has more steals on the team during that span.
The sixth-year man has truly turned around his season and his career in orange and blue. He has contributed as much as any other player in keeping the Thunder afloat while their stars attempt to get healthy.
When they come back, Isaiah Joe's floor time will be a storyline to watch.
With Gilgeous-Alexander, J-Dub, and Mitchell soaking up minutes, someone's playing time will have to give. It will be up to coach Daigneault to decide whether the guard has proven himself indispensable enough to maintain a significant role in the rotation.
Until that happens, Joe should continue seeing generous minutes, which he has certainly taken full advantage of up to this point.