Three Realistic Improvements for the Thunder Next Season

Oklahoma City was among the league’s worst in many statistical categories last season because, well, they they finished in the top five lottery odds.

It wasn’t a lost season, though, as the Thunder experienced progression and little successes across the board. Oklahoma City saw steady improvement out of young players, and sets lot of prospects up to make a year two jump.

The Thunder kept games competitive last season with effort on the defensive end. On a few occasions, that effort was enough to win games alone. The Thunder registered the NBA’s No. 9 defensive rating, also recording the No. 6 defensive rebounding ranking.

The defensive rating is certainly a positive thing to build off of, and the rebounding will only get better with the addition of Chet Holmgren. There are still, many, many areas Oklahoma City could improve in the fall, and here are a few realistic jumps fans could look for.

3-Point Shooting

The Thunder will have to improve its outside shooting to increase any wins. The Thunder ranked dead last in 3-point shooting, which, honestly isn’t too surprising. What is surprising, however, is that Oklahoma City hoisted the seventh-most 3-point attempts in the NBA.

Something has to give. Either the Thunder have to stop taking 3-pointers in bulk or the team has to improve outside shooting. With the off-season additions of Holmgren and Jalen Williams, plus extended court time and progression for young prospects this summer, the Thunder could have quite a few new points to go around. Holmgren will immediately become one of the most consistent long range shooters on the team, and it’s safe to expect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will convert at a higher rate, too.

Assists

Another big reason Oklahoma City struggled to find success was because of the inability to share the wealth. Or, in Josh Giddey’s case, the team’s abilities to finish his passes. The Thunder rookie left so many assists on the floor last season simply because of misses. OKC ranked No. 28 in the NBA in assists a year ago.

With Jalen Williams running the two’s and rotating in, Oklahoma City will have another ball handler on the floor. Not to mention, Holmgren sees the floor well too. NBA teams will have to respect more players on this Thunder team, which should do wonders for the all around spacing. The assist department is one that Oklahoma City might not even have to do much to improve, they simply got better.

Blocks

The Thunder didn’t necessarily struggle in the block category a season ago, slotting in at No. 16 in the NBA. Not great, not bad. It would be surprising if Oklahoma City didn’t land in the top ten solely with the addition of Holmgren.

Not only could the young star end up blocking two-to-three shots a game on his own, but he will open up so much space for Thunder defenders to get backside blocks and easy contests. Darius Bazley was starting to come into his own as a shot blocker last season, and pairing him with a rim protector like Holmgren could do wonders for Oklahoma City’s defense.

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