Rebuilding Thunder: On Pace For 30 Wins This Season
Oklahoma City has played 36 games in the 2021-22 season, and with 46 games left are in position to, once again, finish high inside the lottery.
Last season, the Thunder ended with the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft and finished 14th in the Western Conference.
After selecting Josh Giddey in the 2021 NBA Draft and bringing in several other new faces, the Thunder are once again in a familiar boat. OKC currently sits at 13th in the Western Conference with a 13-26 record.
With nearly 50 games remaining this season, the Oklahoma City has won 36.1% of its games, putting the Thunder on pace for a 30-52 record at the end of the season. The 30 wins would be just the second time since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City that it would finish with 30 or less wins.
The only other time was in the Thunder’s first season in OKC during the 2008-09 season when they won 23 games. The 30 wins is also down 13 wins from the last time OKC played a full 82 game season.
The record is fueled by having the youngest roster in the entire NBA and being in the middle of a rebuild.
The selection of Giddey, which at the time was widely questioned, has paid dividends. Giddey has been a bright spot in the lineup and recently became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. He is also the first player in 50 years to record a double-double with zero points in a game.
Fellow rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has also helped OKC down low with limited center depth.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort have continued to be leaders in the OKC lineup, carrying much of the offensive load each night.
However, the Thunder’s 3-point shooting ability has been abysmal throughout the season, and the lack of depth and veteran pieces have hindered the lineup late in games. As a team, the Thunder are shooting just 31% from beyond the arc. In the modern NBA, it's tough to have success if you can't knock down perimeter shots.
OKC is also averaging just 99.8 points per game while averaging nearly 13 turnovers. At the end of the day, having a poor record will end up being a good thing for the Thunder, as they're looking to land a top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
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