Oklahoma City's Looming Home Stretch Will Help Determine Season's Direction

Even amidst a two-losing skid, it’s still fair to say Oklahoma City has succeeded expectations through 26 games this season. The Thunder sit at No. 12 in a bunched up Western conference with a record of 11-15.

Granted, it’s taken Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing like an MVP candidate for the Thunder to pull off a majority of its wins. But there’s still clearly pieces in place and potential on the floor, and it seems like Oklahoma City shows something new every game. There are the wow-moments from OKC’s youthful core, coming from both the starting lineup and the bench. With those moments, though, there are some big time growing pains and a steep learning curve. It’s hard to tell exactly what this Thunder team is at this point, outside of a fun squad to watch.

At 11-15, Oklahoma City’s is escaping the bottom pack of NBA teams with five squads sitting at eight wins or fewer. This young Thunder team has the same record as teams like the Bulls and the Lakers, and there are plenty of teams within striking distance in both conferences. It’s clear that management isn’t dying to make the play-in, and some nights clearly show the roster isn’t fully ready. Oklahoma City routinely gets dominated on the boards, and there’s not many options when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inevitably has to rest during games.

The random wins certainly add up, though. Despite two straight losses, two unexpected road wins still leave the Thunder in an interesting spot heading into the Holiday season. Oklahoma City has an unusual seven-game stretch of home games starting Wednesday and spanning until December 27. Returning to play in front of the home fans should be big momentum for the players in a defining stretch of the season.

If the Thunder were to go on a home win streak, stacking together a few victories before Christmas and enhancing Gilgeous-Alexander’s All-NBA campaign, it would be really difficult to switch gears towards development and the draft. Too much excitement would build surrounding both SGA and the Thunder’s full competence for two full months, not pulling any gears or levers.

If Oklahoma City were to add a few more deflating losses to the total, either by way of blowout or games that felt winnable, the Thunder could be right near the bottom once again, though. Running out of gas down the stretch and simply not having enough depth has been a real issue. There’s nothing bad about the youngest team in the NBA losing close games… yet.

The Thunder’s young core is honestly capable of either path. We’ve seen Oklahoma City’s fair share of impressive victories, like a pair of road wins three days apart against the Knicks and the Wizards, raising expectations much higher for some. There’s been the inevitable duds though, too, like the Thunder’s no-show in a double digit loss to Houston a few weeks ago.

From Dec. 14 to Dec. 27, Oklahoma City will square off against the likes of Miami, Minnesota, Memphis, Portland twice, New Orleans and San Antonio.

Either way, the seven-game home stretch on deck could go a long way in determining Oklahoma City’s direction for the rest of the season. If the Thunder find a home groove and a long win streak, it would be hard to pull the plug on this young, talented team. The competition is stiff though, and if the Thunder start to fall behind, the lottery sweepstakes are still at an arms reach.

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