Stiles Points: Not All Rebounds Are Created Equally

Size matters in basketball, and throughout the 2023-24 season, it has been a highly debated topic around Bricktown. The Oklahoma City Thunder, despite their 35-16 record, have routinely been out-rebounded and letting up easy second-chance points to, at times, doom them down the stretch of games.

That was amplified in Tuesday's game against the Jazz, in which the Thunder were outworked 48-32 on the glass, giving up 19 second-chance points and watching back-breaking sequences unravel down the stretch of this game. However, not all rebounds are created equally.

This game was less about direct size and more about effort. The Thunder gave up countless rebounds by simply not putting a body on guys down low, being alert to the long caroms off the tin, or out-efforting the Jazz to the floor for boards.

Multiple rebounds were collected by the Jazz while they were planted on the ground. Size was no issue there; effort was.

What becomes the problem is the constant ask of that effort. The way the Thunder are currently constructed, they have to be engaged, locked in, and giving all-out effort each possession because they can not afford to give up the give me rebounds. That is an impossible ask for a team to bring that level of energy 82 times a year, though Oklahoma City does it most nights.

The truth is often in the middle. The Thunder do not need to bog themselves down with traditional big men, but having the tool in their toolbox would be good. Oklahoma City still creates a ton of its advantages by playing smaller, more versatile basketball than most teams can match. That will never go away; it is the identity the entire organization is built on and bought into. The threat of a boxing out big man is good enough for the Thunder to throw out in a pinch and something that could be addressed at Thursday's deadline.

But do not condemn the Thunder's makeup after each loss, especially when the rebounding woes in Utah had way more to do with chutzpah than height.

Stiles Points:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is unguardable. His unique ability to knock down off-balance shots, relentlessly get to his spots, craft his way through traffic, and finish through contact forces the defense to always be wrong. Even when they are able to double-team him without fouling (which is extremely hard to do), his improved playmaking makes the opposition pay the price more often than not, generating quality shots.
Since Jan. 1., Gilgeous-Alexander has been shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc, making him one of the best three-level scorers in the association during that stretch (20 games). Boosting his 3-point percentage while maintaining his elite efficiency in the mid-range and at the rim continues to add to his MVP case.
Matchups like Utah, Boston, and Minnesota make it challenging to play Josh Giddey down the stretch of games. Any team with an elite shot blocker who can roam off of Giddey and protect the rim while not letting the former sixth-overall pick drive into that space is set up for success in stalling out the Thunder's offense enough to win a back-and-forth game. Regardless of how well Giddey shoots the ball from 3, he never has the high-volume attempts to truly make teams pay. Teams will give away nine points (just three made triples) to clog the lane and disrupt spacing for 48 minutes. There are other matchups, like teams without a threatening rim presence, where Giddey can make an impact utilizing that space to get to the rim, as we have seen during his best games this season. However, the chances are few and far between, especially in the postseason.
Jalen Williams' return from injury was a welcomed sign for the Thunder offense. He scored 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 3-for-6 from distance and 55 percent from the floor. Williams hit a pair of massive step-back triples to keep the Thunder in this game while providing his typical energy-giving plays with a coast-to-coast slam.
Chet Holmgren looked more aggressive on the offensive end, ready to get up shots from the opening tip. Holmgren finished with 22 points in this game. This is his sixth game where he logs at least three blocks and as many made triples this season, the most ever by a rookie.
This was one of the best games of the season for Ousmane Dieng, who was able to make quick decisions on the offensive end while showing his willing physicality defensively. Dieng launched a pair of triples, hitting both without second-guessing himself. That will be the swing skill moving forward for Dieng, who has already unlocked his offensive force at the rim in the G League but still lacks confidence and production in his shot to this point. However, from top to bottom, the organization preaches that he is right where they expected him to be. The former No. 11 overall pick was never supposed to be an overnight sensation and has continued to improve at every level year-over-year. It had to be good for his confidence to have a night like this in Utah.
The NBA trade deadline looms on Thursday, and the Thunder might use an old trick. According to Yahoo!'s Jake Fischer, there is a belief around the NBA that teams are checking in with Oklahoma City to grab 2024 first-round picks in exchange for future NBA Draft picks. This is a move Sam Presti has made each of the last two summers with the Denver Nuggets to elongate their asset window into when their core group of players are paid. In more valuable financial seasons and drafts, frankly. That will be interesting to monitor as the deadline progresses.
Speaking of the deadline, do not fall victim to preemptive anger. Let the situation play out before reacting. This is commonplace in the NBA; look around the league; has any team made a trade this week? Each season the flurry of activity comes on Thursday, and each year the Thunder improve their roster as they did last season. Now, the Thunder have three days off before their next game to regroup.

Song of the Day: Beer for My Horses by Toby Keith.

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