OKC Thunder: Isaiah Joe Jump Started His Career With Breakout Season

Isaiah Joe used his 3-point success this season to make a mark on the Thunder's overall shooting improvement.

Isaiah Joe entered the season in an unknown part of his career.

Joe joined the Oklahoma City Thunder not knowing what his role would be, or if he’d even have one with the team. The Thunder have been in a constant rebuild over the past few seasons, but Joe did have a chance to prove himself in a new situation on a young team.

For Joe, his strength has been his shooting ability , especially from 3-point range. Joe entered into a situation in desperate need of a breakout shooter. The Thunder were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams prior to this season, but they pushed shooting development, which was capped by the acquisition of Joe.

While fighting for a role early on in a roster stacked with young bench players also looking to make a name for themselves. Joe immediately proved effective for the OKC offense, which saw an immediate boost throughout the roster from beyond the arc.

Joe’s season didn’t see much downside except for a rare cold stretch near the end of the season, but his season was overall a major success. He finished the season averaging 9.5 points per game, but the best part of his stats came from his 40.9% 3-point percentage, which was near the top of the league. He received a push from fans around the league to participate in the 3-point contest during the All-Star Break, but wasn’t chosen.

Playing in 73 of OKC’s games, Joe became a staple off of the bench, and even started in 10 games when injuries hampered the starting lineup.

With OKC making more strides to competing for a title after a rebuild, Joe rejuvenated his career in OKC and gave himself a chance to find himself a possible spot in the future plans of the Thunder’s rotations.

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