Isaiah Joe Making Tough Decision Easy for OKC Thunder

The Thunder know they can trust their sharpshooter when things get tough.

Mar 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) advances the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The postseason is just around the corner, and Oklahoma City’s rotation is beginning to get a bit clearer.

On Friday night, the Thunder got back in the win column with a 131-113 win over the Chicago Bulls, sparked by a 22-0 run in the second half. Still up two games in the loss column over the San Antonio Spurs for the top seed in the West, the Thunder are trying to find their rhythm for the playoffs while fending off the league’s hottest team.

While there have been no shortage of contributors for the Thunder throughout the season, Isaiah Joe has played a huge role in Oklahoma City’s success. Dropping nine points in the fourth quarter to help put the Bulls away on Friday, Joe’s contributions have also been timely throughout the year, averaging a career-high 10.9 points and shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc.

Mar 27, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) gestures after scoring against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

With several members of the Thunder bench unit still vying for roles in the postseason, Joe’s spot in the playoff rotation appears safe. Although it’s difficult to predict whether Joe can maintain a spot in the rotation throughout the postseason after seeing his role diminished as the Thunder moved on in 2025, his consistency has made Joe the best version of himself this season.

As of now, it appears Joe may effectively take over the minutes Aaron Wiggins had last season, given his struggles in the latter parts of the year. Maybe most notably, Joe appears to have the clear trust of Mark Daigneault and the Thunder staff, which should lead to him being in the regular postseason rotation over Jared McCain as the team’s sharpshooter.

McCain has been a great deadline addition for the Thunder and was key in helping keep Oklahoma City in the win column during an injury-riddled February. Although he may still be able to win the Thunder a quarter at some point in the playoffs, there are too many factors that favor Joe.

For starters, Joe is a more engaged and better defender. Sure, no one is going to use an All-Defensive vote on Joe at any point in the near future, but his ability to not be a liability on that end this season has been a significant development for the Thunder.

Along with his defense, Joe simply has the familiarity and the chemistry with the rest of the group. In his fourth season in Oklahoma City, every other important player on the floor knows exactly how and where Joe wants to operate and vice versa. 

While McCain and Joe are still splitting minutes in the regular season to give the Thunder some extra shooting and offensive gravity, it seems likely that when Daigneault’s rotations shorten, Joe will be the one to make the cut.