Over the past few weeks, the OKC Thunder have been absolutely ravaged by injury-induced absences. Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that the NBA has officially opened an investigation into the lack of players they had available during their February 4 face-off against the San Antonio Spurs.
Shockingly, with these recent chomps from the injury bug, the door has seemingly swung wide open for the unexpected breakout of Isaiah Joe.
With key guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell both being sidelined with abdominal strains through the All-Star break, one may have expected that someone like Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren would step up their level of play to make up for their missing production, particularly on the offensive end.
However, while both have certainly managed to hold their own and continue to play at levels that fans have grown used to throughout their careers, it's been Joe, in particular, who has somehow found a way to shine blindingly bright.
Isaiah Joe stepping up for Thunder amid widespread injury woes
Since the shelving of the reigning MVP, I-Joe has found himself on an absolute tear when it comes to his scoring output.
Over this four-game span, he's seen multiple outings in which he's dropped over 20 points and has averaged 15.8 points on an absurd 52.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. During OKC's latest matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, he notched a whopping 21 points on six made triples while coming off the pine.
On top of all this, among those who have logged 30 or more points during this week-long stretch, the 26-year-old ranks first on the Thunder in second-chance points (14), and on/off net rating (15.2) and plus-minus (plus-31).
Since his arrival in the Sooner State back in the summer of 2022, Joe has established himself as a fan-favorite second-unit spark plug who can come into the game at a moment's notice and provide instant offense thanks to his effective isolation game and steady shooting stroke.
These attributes are why the Thunder were so eager to re-up with his services to a new four-year deal just two years ago.
Now, amid the club's recent injury woes, the wing has proven himself capable of being much more than a mere tertiary option.
Quite frankly, as of late, Joe has made a case for himself as being the most lethal inside-out scoring weapon the Thunder currently have at their disposal.