Rebounding an Area of Concern for OKC Thunder as Trade Season Looms

As the Oklahoma City Thunder looks ahead to trade season, one of their weaknesses needs to be addressed.

That weakness is one that Oklahoma City has managed to overcome throughout the season but has made winning much more complicated than it should be, considering the talent on the roster. Rebounding has been Oklahoma City’s Achilles’ heel throughout the first few weeks of the season, and it does not look like any relief is coming from within.

With the unofficial start of trade season coming on Friday, it may be time for the Thunder to beef up their inside presence, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN noted in his recent article about the roster holes on each contender. While the Thunder’s per-game defensive rebounding numbers put them near the middle of the league, their percentages paint a different picture.

The Thunder is at the bottom of the league in defensive and offensive rebounding percentage, ranking ahead of only the 3-19 Washington Wizards in both stats. Those issues rebounding on both ends have been a significant factor in the Thunder’s first 22 games.

Oklahoma City has lost the rebounding battle in all but seven games. In the seven games where Oklahoma City matched or surpassed its opponent in total rebounds, it went 7-0.

The Thunder has struggled most to keep their opponent off the offensive glass. Thunder opponents average 14.1 offensive rebounds per game, the most in the league.

Oklahoma City has also given up 20 offensive rebounds in a game four times this season, with the rest of the league combining to do so only 13 times. Eight times this season, Oklahoma City has lost the rebounding battle by at least 10, winning only three of those games.

That makes the addition of a rebounding-focused backup big man much more intriguing, but with the Thunder’s defensive strategy of playing small and forcing turnovers, a trade may not be imminent. Still, this is an issue the Thunder needs to address if they want to make a deep postseason run.

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