Oklahoma City Thunder Preseason Play Reveals Improvements
In this story:
The Oklahoma City Thunder just ended their preseason campaign on a high note following a hard-fought victory over the scrappy San Antonio Spurs. And the rigors of the NBA regular season are just a few days away.
Looking back on preseason in its entirety, things haven’t quite looked like one might expect. The team enjoyed success despite injuries to the starting backcourt. Certain players have already surpassed expectations while others haven’t appeared to be what fans might have envisioned.
The Thunder, without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, showed positive signs on their very first outing. The team’s offense made an unexpected offensive splash against the Denver Nuggets, recording a 39-point third quarter and going 48.8% from the field and 37.7% from 3-point territory.
Rookies teased the Thunder faithful with a glimpse into the future, making plays and flashing their various skill sets throughout the game. Sophomores Josh Giddey and Tre Mann performed notably well.
The team’s defense was no slouch, either. Against the Nuggets, they allowed just 101 points and limited Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, to only two points in 15 minutes. And despite giving up a fair amount of size in the post, the Thunder’s frontcourt rotation held its own with the help of some stellar teamwork.
The Thunder’s game against Denver would set the tone for the rest of the preseason and the next five games would follow suit in terms of energy, effort, and competitiveness. Whether it was a fourth-year veteran or a prospect on a two-way contract, everyone was putting their best foot forward.
After a 2-point loss to the Mavericks which featured some poor shooting, the Thunder were able to really open things up against their next two opponents, the Adelaide 36ers and Maccabi Ra’anana.
Over the course of those two games, the Thunder scored a combined 275 points while holding both teams under 100.
Although these were lesser opponents, it was encouraging to see Mark Daigneault’s squad execute the offense and capitalize on advantages. The Thunder were so deeply in sync that they were able to produce multiple 30-point quarters and even scored 48 in the third quarter versus Ra’anana.
After catching fire versus two international squads, the Thunder once again faced off against two of their NBA counterparts: the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. They emerged as the winners in both of those contests and closed out their preseason campaign with five wins to one loss.
Pouring over the numbers reveals that the Thunder’s incredible preseason was a step in the right direction for the rebuilding franchise.
After finishing dead last in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and points per game in 2021-22, the Thunder finished the preseason top ten in all of those categories. The most encouraging statistic is the 118 points scored per 100 possessions, which is the best amongst all NBA teams.
Not only did the Thunder shoot it extremely well, but they also moved the ball like never before. In fact, the team recorded 26.8 assists per 100 possessions in their six preseason games, the fifth-best mark in preseason play.
With the Thunder’s first regular season game approaching, the team appears to be as prepared as they can be. On the court, the defense looks tuned up and ready to roll and is brimming with a ton of potential. Offensively, the ball is moving well and the guys are ready to compete and let it fly.
Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, and Aleksej Pokusevski appear poised to make a huge leap. Rookies Jalen Williams and Ousmane Dieng seem primed to contribute much sooner rather than later. Veterans Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams will strive to match their production up with their newly-inked contracts.
And with the inevitable return of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the horizon, Head Coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder are ready to attack 2022-23 head-on.
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.
