OKC Thunder: Is Rebounding Still a Concern this Postseason?

Oklahoma City's championship dreams were smashed a year ago by the Dallas Mavericks.

They weren't outclassed, it wasn't a talent discrepancy, it was a skill and physicality issue in one area—the boards.

The Thunder could not catch a break in that second-round series last season, as Dallas averaged five more boards on average in the six-game series and dominated Oklahoma City in the paint as a result between Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, among others. The Thunder sat 10th in rebounding among all 16 teams in that playoff run, leaving a lot to be desired as the top seed in the West who aspired to reach the title series.

But general manager Sam Presti made sure to go after someone in the offseason who could directly address their interior physicality issues. That acquisition came in the form of Isaiah Hartenstein, a 7-foot big who can scrap and aid a young Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt.

What we saw in the regular season was a direct beneficial effect from that pick up, as the Thunder catapulted itself from a bottom-five rebounding team in the league to nearly cracking the top 10. Hartenstein led Oklahoma City in rebounding with 10.7 boards in 57 games and Holmgren trailed with 8 rebounds on average in 32 games.

It seemed to be very fruitful as evidenced in the regular season, but after a first-round sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies leading into a Game 1 loss at home against the Denver Nuggets in Round 2, could the Thunder still have an issue?

Oklahoma City grabbed just 43 rebounds to Denver's 63 in the two-point loss. Hartenstein and Holmgren combined for just 15 rebounds, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way in that category with 10 of his own.

When asked what Oklahoma City could improve on in order to perform better on the glass, a very valid question, Jalen Williams had a snarky response as he mimicked an old press conference from then-Baylor forward Taurean Prince.

"Box out," Williams said. "Go up with two hands and grab that. Don't stand and watch."

Williams, who shot just 5-of-20 from the field and 2-for-9 from three in the game, did not take the question serious despite the Thunder having some serious woes in that area—while this team may pride itself on camaraderie and lack of egos, the nonchalant mentality may not be very beneficial in the long run.

Of course, it's just a press conference. It doesn't reflect the work Williams does or any of the Thunder players do—but a response of that nature can be a bit distasteful.

Either way, Williams and Oklahoma City will be scheming and working to ensure this lapse in rebounding doesn't happen again in Game 2.