2 Thunder players who deserve more playing time, and who needs to play less

Isaiah Joe deserves more playing time

On the flipside, if you wanted to sacrifice some defensive acumen for a turbocharged offense, look no further than Isaiah Joe. Joe is the skeleton key that unlocks opposing defenses for the Thunder. His shooting, on its own, is a clear threat. When you mix that sure-handed sniping with OKC’s relentless drive-and-kick style, you’ve created a combination that rivals peanut butter and jelly. 

When you look at the leaders in net rating over the past two seasons, only one player was among the Thunder's top three for both years. Not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not Jalen Williams. That player is Isaiah Joe. Thanks to his elite shooting, Joe is able to have an impact on the game we would expect from a much more heralded player.

Isaiah Joe is playing 18.8 minutes per game. I think that his level of play would justify nudging that closer to 24 minutes. There is always a chance that a boost in minutes could result in diminishing returns. With Joe specifically, though, I am confident he would retain the positive impact because of the way in which his skills make basketball easier for his teammates. 

I would like to see OKC’s coaching staff be willing to try varying the starting lineup in key matchups down the stretch. While there is still time to experiment in the playoffs, it may be for the best to answer lineup questions while the stakes are still low.

Maybe these adjustments won’t be for the best, but there’s no reason not to try and search for the best combination of players.