After Winless Stretch, Thunder Are No. 8 in Reverse Standings

After an exciting start to the New Year, Oklahoma City is now 0-3 since the All Star break and slipping in the Western Conference standings.

Granted, the Thunder’s losses have been close, hard fought battles — and two came without MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Oklahoma City is a completely different team without its star.

OKC has dropped three straight games to the Jazz, Suns and Kings all by single digits. Gilgeous-Alexander is still listed as day-to-day, sidelined with an abdominal strain. He could return at any point over the next week or so, but the Thunder's tendency over the years has been to approach injuries with great caution. SGA likely won't go until he's fully ready and comfortable.

After flirting with the playoff standings and occupying a play-in spot on All Star weekend, Oklahoma City is four games below .500 and has slipped into the 13th spot in the conference. Both the Trail Blazers and the Lakers recorded big momentum wins this week, leapfrogging the Thunder and sliding into the postseason projections.

With Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined, Isaiah Joe has been one of Oklahoma City's only consistent positives on the floor. He followed up his career-high 28-point outing with 24 points against Sacramento. Josh Giddey has struggled mightily over the last few weeks, but responded with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting Monday night. Oklahoma City simply hasn't been able to play a complimentary game since the break. When the 3-pointers are falling, the defense is lacking - and vice versa.

At 28-32, Oklahoma City is now in an interesting spot. The Thunder sits at No. 8 in the reverse standings, meaning the team has the eighth best odds in the NBA lottery. OKC has been extremely active in the lottery over the past two seasons, and it seems like Sam Presti might be able to get in on the action once again this summer.

In a loaded draft class, it's important that Oklahoma City adds another piece to this core. If the team can't sustain Gilgeous-Alexander missing a week-long stretch with a minor injury, they simply aren't fully ready for the playoffs.

It'll be interesting to see how the Thunder operates the remainder of the season, especially if Gilgeous-Alexander returns to the lineup soon. It looks like Oklahoma City will have options at the very least now, though.

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.