When it comes to this 2024-25 iteration of the OKC Thunder, at least on the surface, there really isn't much to complain about.
From their top-seeded 48-11 record and historically high Net rating trajectory to their league-leading title odds, this season truly has the makings of becoming a special one for Oklahoma City.
However, when digging a bit deeper into how this team has fared throughout the year, it's evident that, though somewhat under the radar, several aspects of their on-court execution could instill a bit of trepidation when talking about favorites in a potential championship push.
With roughly two months and 23 games to go before the start of the playoffs, the Thunder have time to try and address their limited, albeit noteable, weaknesses.
Specifically, they must strongly consider running three rotational and schematic experiments during this final stretch run of the regular season to help iron out the wrinkles that exist in their current game plan.
Jalen Williams as a number one scoring option
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the hardwood, the Thunder boast an elite 121.6 offensive rating. Without him, however, their efficiency plummets to a putrid rating of just 106.6.
What's most surprising about this metric is the fact that OKC is far from void of competent scoring options outside of their cornerstone point guard, as his own running mate in first-time All-Star Jalen Williams is amid a career-best campaign where he's posting 21.0 points on 47.6 percent shooting himself.
Yet, despite his excellence as a sidekick weapon, he's yet to prove capable of serving as a reliable number one while Gilgeous-Alexander is either swarmed by an opposing defense or catching a breather on the sidelines.
When J-Dub and SGA are both on the court together, Oklahoma City posts 118.2 points per 100 possessions and holds a point differential of +10.9. With just the former, they fall to a mere 108.5 points per 100 possessions (fourth-worst rate in the association) and see their point differential shrink to +2.4.
As we've seen throughout the regular season, opposing teams have regularly tried to make it a priority to take Gilgeous-Alexander out of the equation on offense and dare others to try and beat them.
Though slowing down the 26-year-old is far from an easy task to accomplish, when successfully executed, teams have seen quite a bit of success.
Come playoff time, this strategy is only bound to be the top priority for rival clubs. This, in turn, should encourage coach Mark Daigneault to roll with Jalen Williams as a focal point on offense with SGA sidelined during this final stretch of the campaign.
Upping his repetitions in such sets could help him become familiar with the best practices for operating as a go-to option on offense and, hopefully, help build his confidence serving in such a role before the high-pressure postseason.
Sporadically run the offense through Isaiah Hartenstein
Isaiah Hartenstein may project as a traditional old-school big man, given his brute-force interior presence, brick wall screen-setting abilities, and rather nonexistent floor spacing skills, but what separates him from such a distinction is his awe-inspiring talents as a dime-dropper.
Coming into his debut season with the Thunder, the veteran boldly declared himself to be "one of the best passers in the NBA."
While such a proclamation was initially viewed as a sign of overconfidence, through 38 games played, I-Hart has only added credence to his claims.
From his no-look kickouts to his precise bounce passes to off-ball cutters, Hartenstein has really made a difference for Oklahoma City's ball movement. On top of this, his 6.6 assists per 100 possessions rank fourth on the team out of those who have seen 35 or more games played this year.
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In fact, he's been so impressive in the facilitation game that the Thunder may even want to try and utilize him more often as an option to help run and set up the offense.
His 7-foot frame allows him to see over virtually everyone else on the floor at all times, which only helps when examining spacing and play formations.
Putting the rock in his hands at around the free throw line or even at the top of the key and having players in motion around him could lead to some clean looks at scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Dropping a pass to him down low, thus drawing a double team due to his size, and then having someone like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Joe, or Lu Dort motion themselves into open space beyond the arc for a catch-and-shoot opportunity (all splash home on over 40 percent of their attempts in such situations) could translate into some easy points for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder have used this approach at times throughout the 2024-25 season. During these final few months heading into the playoffs, they may want to ramp it up a bit more.
Keep pushing the double-big lineups
Due to injuries to both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder have only managed to play six games and have seen a total of just 192 possessions with this big man tandem together.
That said, despite their limited time together, Oklahoma City has proven to be electrifyingly productive with this duo on the floor.
With them together, the ball club is posting a ridiculous 122.4 points per 100 possessions (ranks higher than the top-ranked Cavaliers' 122.2) and is registering in with an impressive +9.9 point differential.
Despite these tremendous advanced statistics, however, often coach Daigneault has pulled back on the double-big lineups throughout the game and has leaned more into his familiar small-ball units.
Perhaps this has been more due to load management with Holmgren just coming off a three-month, injury induced absence, or a desire to try and stagger their minutes to have a 7-footer on the floor at all times (which is also a smart approach), but the Thunder must look to up the reps with both bigs on the court during this final stretch run of the regular season to see how legitimate this seemingly elite lineup configuration truly is.