The Sky Is Falling on OKC Thunder, Just as Sam Presti Warned

Only three good things happened for Oklahoma City on Monday. The first, Ajay Mitchell had a great first quarter, scoring ten points on 4-for-4 shooting. The second, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, continued his 20-point streak as he chases Wilt Chamberlain for the top spot in NBA history. The third? The game mercifully ended.

The Thunder were taken behind the woodshed on Monday night by the now 12-23 Charlotte Hornets, falling 124-97, which pushed Oklahoma City's record to 30-7. This marks a horrific stretch for the Bricktown Ballers that sees the Thunder turning in a 6-6 record in their last 12 games.

Nearing the halfway point, Oklahoma City has already gone on as many two-game skids as last year's 68-win club suffered through in the entire season.

With two losses to sub .500 squads on the second night of a back to back, three loses to the Spurs and a loss to the Timberwolves and Suns it has caused plenty of panic around Bricktown despite the fact the Thunder have not only the best record in the league but have beaten, nay blown out, every team they have lost to besides San Antonio.

However, the reason for the angst in this Thunder fanbase coming off a championship is in the uniqueness of this season. Oklahoma City has never seen their team be the hunted, or start 24-1 to swell the target on their back while dealing with a shortened offseason. They have never seen the Thunder get everyone's best shot. They have also never seen the Thunder look this out of character.

Since Mark Daigneault took over the reins in 2020, no matter if he was pacing the sidelines for a lottery team or an eventual champion, you could count on two things each night: Effort and Defense.

That identity has been lost for the Thunder over the span of a month now. Even in wins, such as their 129-104 victory of the 76ers or 140-129 defeat of the Hawks, they didn't play 48 minutes of defense as defined by their standard.

The cherry on top of this stretch was Monday in the Paycom Center. Oklahoma City was dead on arrival against the Charlotte Hornets –– who were playing their third game in four nights just as the Thunder were –– failing to even show up and being down 21-9 in a blink of an eye, never getting any better or appearing to give any effort. The Buzz City crew didn't roll over for the defending Champions, perhaps a wake-up call to this young Thunder team.

While people around this team may be tired of hearing about how young they are, that exhaustion doesn't make it untrue. Oklahoma City is still learning how to win with expectations laid at their feet and a target painted on their back. No longer being the hunters but rather the prey.

Sure, this stretch has been atypical of the Thunder and perhaps you can scrunch up some excuses for why that is. A condensed schedule on top of a shortened offseason, injuries piling up on top of an average cold stretch, but those within the organization almost predicted it to happen.

"The circumstances are always changing year to year and even within the season. The challenges are always changing year to year and in the season. We try to have a very consistent and stable approach to that. And we try to have things that are pretty timeless and that can transcend circumstances. And we emphasize those in all circumstances. We rely on those in all circumstances and in the face of every challenge. This year is no different. The unpredictable circumstances and challenges that will come up through the season, that's how we'll navigate them as we always have," Daigneault said at media day in September.

Welcome to this year's challenge. Learning how to throw your best punch every night and bob and weave your way around everyone else's.

There is no question this is a disappointing stretch for Oklahoma City; you could even say the sky is falling, as General Manager Sam Presti's philosophy would put it.

“The sky falls on every NBA team at least two times a year… You may play horrible for weeks, it may be a month. You don’t want to have several months… The teams that have a sophisticated competitiveness to them understand that while you’re going through that, that’s the solution. The regression is, okay you have to keep pounding through this and working through it. I think if you have the right principles, right mentality, and right temperament you can work through that and become a better player and a better team,” Presti said during his 2023 exit interview.

Well, it has been a month. The Thunder have to correct this cold spill before that becomes plural. Their principles, mentality, and temperament will be tested, especially in the next ten days.

Oklahoma City sees a stretch starting on Sunday of battling the Miami Heat twice, the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This will either be a get-right stretch with steadying statement wins, or be the start of a free fall when it comes to the narratives around this club.

There is no question this past month will be either one the NBA world looks back on for a quick chuckle when the season ends or a foreshadowing stretch. Time will tell.