OKC Thunder Looking for Consistent Shooting to Finish Regular Season

The Thunder's shooting has been all over the place this season, and finding some consistency ahead of the playoffs could be huge.

Jan 25, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots a three point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s shooting has been erratic all season, and finding a sweet spot over the next few weeks could be key to a deep postseason run.

On Friday night, the Thunder will be back in action for the first time since the All-Star break when they host the Brooklyn Nets. Narrowly clinging onto the lead for the No. 1 seed in the West, the Thunder have little margin for error to secure home-court in the postseason.

Of course, in today’s NBA, the 3-point shot can drastically change games on its own, and the Thunder have been on the wrong side of several shooting variance matchups throughout this season. Going into the final few weeks of the regular season, the Thunder need to find some consistency in that area offensively to ensure 3-point barrages from the opposition can’t singlehandedly turn games.

This season, the Thunder have been a solid shooting team on paper, knocking down 36.2% of their shots from beyond the arc, good for 12th in the league. Also shooting a roughly league average 37.2 outside attempts per game, the Thunder have seemingly been a solid shooting team throughout the year; not great, not bad.

However, the opposite has certainly seemed true for Oklahoma City for most of the season, with it often feeling like the Thunder’s 36.2% mark from deep comes as a result of incredibly hot and cold shooting nights. While the Thunder are nailing 36.2% from beyond the arc, they’ve only finished 22 games shooting in the 30-39% range. 

Oklahoma City has 19 games where it’s shot 40% or better from deep, and it also has 15 games of shooting worse than 30% from outside. While the Thunder would love to continue having games of 40% or better shooting,  those highs are almost entirely offset by the Thunder’s nearly as frequent bad shooting nights.

Sure, Oklahoma City’s chances of winning will increase dramatically when it gets hot from deep, but finding more consistent shooting to avoid those games of under-30% shooting could be even more valuable than the occasional 45% night from downtown. Whether that means a larger role for proven shooters like Isaiah Joe or Jared McCain, or more consistent shooting performances from guys like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, the Thunder need to find a way to improve on their already solid shooting numbers.

Consistency will be key to the Thunder’s hopes of going back-to-back, and that consistency might need to start from beyond the arc.