Once thought to be a shoo-in to break the all-time NBA wins record, the OKC Thunder have plummeted back to Earth in recent weeks, going 6-6 over their last 12 games and losing two straight for just the second time all season.
Even worse, notorious NBA villain, Dillon Brooks, claims to have figured out the Thunder after his Suns squad squashed them Sunday on an improbable buzzer-beater.
“You’ve gotta make their supporting cast beat you -- the Lu Dorts, the Carusos. The other players on their team, make them beat you. Not Shai, Jalen Williams, and Chet,” Brooks said.
The Suns' forward may have a point.
In Thunder wins this season, their stars have dominated. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.3 points a game on 57.9 percent shooting, Chet Holmgren is averaging 19.1 points on 59.0 percent shooting, and Jalen Williams is averaging 17.3 points.
In losses, however, Shai's shooting percentage drops 15.9 percentage points as he averages fewer field goals on more attempts. Chet's points drop down to 13.5 per game, and Jalen Williams shoots just 43.3 percent.
Meanwhile, Brooks' words ring true, as both Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are much more involved in the offense, with the former's field goal attempts rising from 7.2 in wins to 8.8 in losses, and the latter's attempts going from 4.8 to 7.2.
Thunder killers have found success picking out the weak links
It's clear from the numbers that the teams that are having success against the Thunder have hyper-focused on not letting the stars beat them. Shai averaging less production on more volume in losses could indicate that he is trying to do too much in the wake of getting focused on and double-teamed.
Holmgren seemingly disappears in losses, which is concerning since he has been acting as the second option while J-Dub continues to find his touch on his way back from injury.
It's an alarming trend for a team the league assumed had no weaknesses. Now it appears they may have a glaring one that opposing clubs will happily exploit.
Thunder may need to face the facts about its supporting cast
The Thunder may have to learn a harsh truth from this barrage of losses: their supporting cast may not be enough to get the job done this year.
It's true that defense has been this team's cornerstone since day one, but teams are finding ways to beat them at their own game. Those who have toppled the OKC juggernaut have done so by taking away its most lethal offensive weapons, leaving it completely exposed.
This begs an important question that needs to be answered if the Thunder wish to defend their title: If Shai doesn't score, who does?