Defensive Rebounding Could be a Strength for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense has struggled to finish possessions in recent years, but that may no longer be a problem.

The Thunder has spent the past couple of seasons playing without a big man, which has made rebounding a difficult task. After the preseason, it is clear that Chet Holmgren will have an immediate impact on the Thunder in that category.

Last season, Oklahoma City ranked in the bottom half of the league in defensive rebounds per game. Given the circumstances, OKC was solid in that respect, but opponents crashing the offensive glass was a killer.

The Thunder finished ahead of only the Indiana Pacers in offensive rebounds allowed per game and defensive rebounding percentage. Those ranks held the Thunder back from reaching their full potential last season, even with their surprising run into the play-in.

Oklahoma City’s offense is focused on getting out in transition, so when it fails to secure rebounds, that strategy becomes challenging to execute. As great as Oklahoma City’s ability to force turnovers was last season, it sometimes masked its rebounding woes.

As a 7-footer, Holmgren will address those woes. Whether grabbing the rebounds or boxing out for his teammates, Holmgren will be at the forefront of the Thunder’s transition opportunities after forcing misses.

When Holmgren sits, the Thunder may still have those issues from last season. In 2022-23, the Thunder gave up a league-worst 15.5 second-chance points per game.

While the Thunder was a scrappy group on the offensive glass and fell in the middle of the pack in second-chance points, they still struggled mightily on the other end. As opposing bigs had the opportunity to fight for rebounds against shorter players, their extra efforts often paid off.

But in the preseason, the Thunder limited the number of offensive rebounds they allowed. In their five games, the Thunder allowed an average of 9.4 offensive rebounds.

That mark would have been in the top three in the league last season. While jumping almost the entire league is unlikely, making a substantial jump is possible.

Although the preseason will not necessarily give a reliable projection of what will come this season, Oklahoma City gave up less than 10 offensive rebounds in three of its five games. Last season, it allowed less than 10 offensive rebounds in only 20 games, doing so about once every four games.

The numbers from the preseason are an encouraging sign for the upcoming regular season and the long-term future of the Thunder. As long as the Thunder can make a marginal improvement on the boards, they will take another important step toward contention.

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