Evaluating the OKC Thunder Season up to All-Star Break
Following a 127-113 drubbing of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are officially on 2024 All-Star break.
It won’t be a full break for some, as players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace will be participating in All-Star festivities. But a vast majority of the NBA is going to get a well-deserved break.
To this point, the Thunder have been one of the biggest stories in the NBA. Led by a now-serious MVP candidate in Gilgeous-Alexander, they’ve surged to a 37-17 record, despite being one of the youngest teams in the NBA.
Jalen Williams has emerged as one of the better and most efficient No. 2 options in the league, and has primed himself for a run at the Most Improved award. So far, he’s averaged 19.2 points on 55% shooting, and only seems to be getting better.
Another surprise has been rookie Chet Holmgren, who was always set to galvanize the starting lineup with shot-blocking and 3-point shooting, but has done so even quicker than expected. So far, he’s averaging 16.7 points and 2.7 blocks, both of which have been pivotal to OKC’s success.
OKC’s reserves — made up of Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams, Jaylin Williams, Aaron Wiggins and more, have all played their part in rolling out an unselfish, efficient Thunder system, headed by Mark Daigneault.
All of this and more has OKC sitting at No. 2 in the Western Conference heading into break, with plenty of gritty wins in their belt, too.
Things haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Third-year guard Josh Giddey’s had a hard time assimilating to the new roster construction, and the team has had some low points on both sides of the ball. Rebounding has been an issue, and the squad is a bit reliant on 3-point shooting variance, some nights.
Even still, the team is so far ahead of schedule it may have re-defined what the possibilities even are. A grade feels redundant for our purposes today, but an A-plus seems to be in order for a team not expected to make this push, this fast.
Even better news is that once the team finally does return, they’ll be looking at two shiny new toys to include in their lineups in Gordon Hayward and Bismack Biyombo.
OKC returns from break with a matchup against the white-hot Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, Feb. 22.
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