Thunder in Dire Need of Shooting Boost
After finishing dead last in the NBA in 3-point shooting last season, it’s clear the Thunder are looking to bolster their outside shooting for the future.
Since the inception of the Warriors dynasty, shooting has become a vital part of the general league-wide offensive framework. It’s turned losing squads into winners, and winners into contenders.
In order for Sam Presti and the Thunder to contend in the distant future, they’ll need to bolster their shooting in a major way in the coming years.
Enter shooting coach Chip Engellend, who spend 17 years helping San Antonio’s premier players with their outside shot.
Oklahoma City’s top selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, will certainly be an added floor-spacer. Holmgren shot just over 40 percent from beyond the arc on a projectable amount of attempts, but even he will benefit from OKC’s newest coaching add.
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Former NBL guard Josh Giddey stands to gain the most from Engelland’s talents, as he shot just 26.3 percent from beyond the arc in his debut NBA season.
Giddey has been working on his shot all offseason, as seen through glimpses of coaches and trainers short social media clips.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and a variety of more long-time Thunder’s could also stand to use a bump in outside percentage. Both shoot sub-40 percent from three, despite Gilgeous-Alexander's strong sophomore year.
Engelland's timing is interesting, as the Thunder's shooting will assuredly need to be bolstered before putting finishing touches on the rebuild.
OKC is likely a year or so away from fully committing to winning basketball games, and Engelland now has plenty of time to work with the team's core for the foreseeable future.
The Thunder's next move will likely be roster cuts, before moving onto the 2022-23 preseason in early October.
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