OKC Thunder Needs Help From Isaiah Joe Moving Forward

Oklahoma City escaped Utah on Wednesday night, but not without a scare. The Thunder still didn’t look like its usual self, and trailed with minutes remaining. The best record in the NBA needed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s heroics and overtime to overtake the Jazz in Oklahoma City.

Over the last month of basketball, this Thunder team has hit arguably its biggest lull over the last two or three seasons. It’s odd to see this ever-consistent, dominant team ever look pedestrian, but they’re trying desperately to get back on track. Everyone across the roster has had great performances sprinkled in, but it seems like nobody has been able to share those performances on the same name. It’s inconsistent who shows up, and who struggles to hit shots.

There are a handful of identifiable areas that the Thunder could clean up for fixes — one being returning to dominance on the defensive end. But right now, Oklahoma City could really use a consistent 3-point sniper — not just to add points to the scoreboard by way of triples, but also to open up the floor for driving lanes and other scoring opportunities. That’s where this Thunder team really needs Isaiah Joe to step up.

Against Utah, Oklahoma City shot a shocking 7-of-38 from 3-point range. On Monday night against Charlotte, it wasn’t much better as the Thunder went 11-of-39. Oklahoma City has gone from one of the top shooting teams in the NBA to the middle of the pack, sitting at No. 14 now — and much of that has to do with the recent slump. The Thunder needs its sharpshooter to step up and knock down triples.

Joe had a hot start to the season, but he has since cooled off a bit. For the first time all season, he’s under double-figures, averaging 9.9 points per game. He’s still shooting 40.9% from 3-point range, but the last 10 games have been inconsistent.

Over the last four games — which equaled two Thunder losses — Joe really struggled to make an impact. He has averaged just 3.7 points over the stretch, and shot 3-for-13 from 3-point range. In two of those contests, he played just 10 minutes. For consistent, long stretches of playing time, Joe needs to show once again how dynamic he is and how he can change the game.

In the Thunder's 29-point win against Portland on New Year's Eve — a game the Thunder looked like its normal, dominant self — Joe had 15 points in 5-of-10 from deep. When he plays well, the Thunder are a better team, it's as simple as that. He gives Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams another scoring threat and a player to space the floor.

If Joe can find a rhythm and get back to the level of play he put on display at the beginning of the year, it would be huge for this team. Struggling mightily from the outside, Oklahoma City really needs its best shooter to step up.