Bleacher Report Lists Thunder's Biggest Postseason Weakness
As the playoffs loom, Oklahoma City has established itself as a serious contender. Although questions surround the team’s youth and inexperience, every metric and stat shows that the Thunder are a top team in the NBA.
After beating the Grizzlies on Saturday night, Oklahoma City is in first place in the Western Conference and has a back-and-forth going on with the Denver Nuggets.
There are a handful of rock solid players on the roster that Mark Daigneault won’t have to worry about come playoff time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should continue on in the postseason business as usual. He has been an MVP candidate all season long and has something to prove over the next few months. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren feel like surefire complimentary stars, and should be viewed as such in the playoffs.
Obviously, you know what you’re getting in Lu Dort night in and night out. He has been an unbelievable 3-point marksman this season and has continued playing top notch defense. He’s going to play with high intensity every night.
The Thunder's most inconsistent starter this season has been Josh Giddey, and that's no secret. Giddey's numbers have been down across the board and hasn't made the leap the rest of the roster has. His last handful of games have been promising, but he still hurts the Thunder's defense and is a liability from long range.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley listed every playoff team's biggest weakness in the starting lineup, and Giddey was Oklahoma City's.
"Despite being a double-digit scorer, defenses don't have to worry about that part of his game," Buckley wrote. "His 106 points per 100 shot attempts is an anemic 19th percentile mark. Opponents will leave him completely unattended away from the basket, forcing Oklahoma City to play four-on-five. He could get all the open shots he wanted, he just can't convert them. He's hit just 39.6% percent on all jumpers—inside and outside the arc."
He goes onto list Giddey's short comings on the defensive end, and the overall argument is hard to disagree with. Oklahoma City has been trying to make it worth with Giddey all season, and only time will tell if that process pays off.
From a team aspect, rebounding is likely the biggest weakness the Thunder has, and facing a team that packs it in could be troublesome. The flip side, though, is OKC can sometimes run big teams off the floor in transition and cause turnovers.
Individually, Giddey is the biggest question mark come playoff time, and his minute distribution will be fascinating to see unfold.
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