3 Things OKC Needs in the Final 5 Games
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Oklahoma City is in a position where it controls its own destiny for the remainder of the season.
The Thunder have five games remaining this season and currently sit in tenth and in position to currently make it into the play-in, and have a chance to move even further in the stacked Western Conference standings. With the most important stretch of games upcoming for the Thunder here are three things they must do to end the season on a positive note.
Find consistency off of the bench
OKC won't have an easy stretch in the final five games facing some of the top contenders in the league. The stretch also contains two away games, one at Golden State and another in Utah.
In order for Oklahoma City to stay in postseason contention, the Thunder will need to find a little more consistency off of their bench. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does miss more games with his left ankle injury, the bench will be even more crucial in the Thunder’s offensive endeavors.
In their one-point win over Detroit this week, the Thunder saw just 23 points from their bench, but 19 of them were from Aaron Wiggins alone. OKC’s best success comes when the team’s offense clicks on all levels, and for it to reach that level the bench must continue to fill in holes left from injuries or down games from starters.
Find a way to win on the road.
It has been a tough season to be a road team in the NBA, especially in the Western Conference, where only three teams have winning records on the road.
The Thunder are 15-23 away from Paycom Center, but if they hope to continue to climb in the standings and play extra games after the regular season, road wins will be important. There's three games remaining on the schedule away from home.
The two final games, against the Warriors and the Jazz, are setting up to be extra important for both seeding and even potential extra games. OKC’s numbers drop off when they play road games, and it shows in the overall record.
Success on the road in the final five games will surely be a main factor in determining if Oklahoma City's season continues.
Find a middle ground between winning and developing.
The Thunder are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild and the staff has the decision to make between developing some younger players, and seeing what they can do or to play to win and see how far the team can go.
With Gilgeous-Alexander out, the Thunder have more chances for younger bench players to earn more minutes, but they can also continue to play while in a lineup built to compete with other teams best lineups.
The Thunder are already out of the running to earn top five lottery odds, and are likely to be in position to play in the postseason, barring a big losing streak to end the season. With more draft picks coming up, the Thunder must continue to see development in the young bench players to determine the roster moving forward, but can also win games with the current roster.
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