Lack Of a True Center Hurting Oklahoma City Early On

Over the past two seasons, Oklahoma City’s frontcourt has been severely outmanned. They’ve tried plenty of rotations and players, and still have young, talented forwards with potential, but Oklahoma City’s lack of a true big man is clearly something holding the team back.

Of course, the Thunder was supposed to have one of the most intriguing bigs in the league with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren in the lineup. You can never prepare for an injury like that, so OKC definitely deserves some grace there. But as we’ve seen time and time again, the recipe to losing basketball in the NBA is simply not having a center. The Thunder have fielded competitive teams and played in exciting games, but lack of depth in the frontcourt and a desire to land lottery positioning have hampered the group.

On one hand, it makes sense. The Thunder want to add another top talent via the NBA Draft. This will likely be Oklahoma City’s last chance to land in the lottery, and the only reason it’s possible is because of Holmgren’s injury. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is that good, and he’s already winning games by himself.

On the other hand, though, it’s tough for Oklahoma City’s creators to play without a big man. Josh Giddey would benefit greatly from having a lob threat on the roster, as the paint gets clogged up often. Developing different passes and chemistry with your frontcourt is always big in a young guard’s career, and Giddey is about to go two seasons without that.

With the way Oklahoma City has shot the ball from outside to start the season, more depth in the frontcourt would surely add a few extra possessions. The Thunder constantly have empty trips down the floor with little-to-no ball movement, especially when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench.

This team is fun to watch simply because of the competitive nature. But until Oklahoma City adds a big man to the roster, the team is eventually set up to lose. When Holmgren returns next season, though, he should be able to answer plenty of those questions.

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