As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti seems well-versed in this sentiment. During a recent talk at his alma mater, Emerson College, the storied executive highlighted how his former collegiate coach, Hank Smith, instilled in him the mantra of "taking limitations and turning them into strengths."
Throughout his tenure in Oklahoma City, Presti has certainly adhered to this ideology. A recent example of this is perfectly highlighted by him recognizing the team's lack of size during the 2024 playoffs, specifically against the Dallas Mavericks, and signing 7-foot big man Isaiah Hartenstein to address such a weakness.
However, even with his efforts throughout the years, 42 games into 2024-25 the Thunder still have some serious limitations to their game that they must look to address before they can possibly be considered a serious championship favorite.
Thunder 'limitations' that need to be addressed before title push
Three-point shooting
The three-point shooting has been something the Thunder have severely struggled with this season, though, to be fair, this narrative may be flipping the other way. Recent games have shown Oklahoma City sporting an improved shooting rate, and some players have had some stellar performances along the way.
Even in the loss to the Mavericks, the Thunder shot 43.5 percent from deep. The overall field goal numbers were not so good, however, as the team shot a mere 38.5 percent. Still, the three-ball looked drastically better.
A way this limitation could be fixed is by using the attention Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws, allowing shooters to have more space when operating on the perimeter. This could also be fixed with the return of 2022 number two overall pick Chet Holmgren, as the team would have their core scoring option healthy.
It was hoped that the Thunder could have fixed this with a Cameron Johnson trade, but recent mumblings show this is likely not happening.
Staying consistent on offense
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appears to be the only consistent player on the Thunder this season, averaging over 30 points per game on 53.2/35.0/90 shooting splits. Everyone else, unfortunately, has not been putting up anywhere near this level of consistency.
Jalen Williams was supposed to be the other consistent player, though since the return of Isaiah Hartenstein he has frequently looked more like a third or fourth scoring option. It also looked this way in the game against Dallas on January 17th, as he finished with 19 points and shot 7-for-22 from the field.
This fix can be done the same way as the three-point shooting dilemma -- all the team needs to do is get Chet back on the floor. He is a 20+ point-per-game player who also has the potential to have 50/40/90 splits.
Foul discrepancy
Oklahoma City has had an ongoing battle with the NBA regarding their free throw numbers, which needs to be solved. This is not the only problem for them, as they also commit the 26th most fouls per game in the league, sitting at 20.4.
The majority of the small markets sit at the bottom with OKC. Larger markets sit at the top, with the Lakers in fourth at 16.2 and Boston in third at 16.1 per game.
This is not meant to be a conspiracy, but it feeds into the narrative that the league rewards large markets and punishes smaller ones. It is tough to turn this limitation into a strength, but there is one way to do that.
Continuously drive into the paint to draw more fouls. This is the only way to draw more fouls and get the refs on the Thunder’s side. On the other end, the team is just too aggressive at times. They need to sit back and wait to pounce at times, instead of being so physical when playing defense.
The current philosophy is working, but there is no telling if it can hold up when the playoffs start.