Three-Point Shooting Has Tranquilized OKC Thunder in January Losses

It's been a season of regression in two primary spots for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lead the NBA in wins.

The first, roster health. The second, three-point shooting.

Roster sanctity and ensuring a consistently healthy lineup for the regular season is something that is never a given, clearly. A team is at the basketball God's mercy in that regard.

But three-point shooting, that's something you work on in the offseason. That's something you leverage when carving out an offensive scheme, especially when you're the team who were one of the front runners in the league a year ago in terms of outside shooting efficiency.

And when you're getting all of the same guys back who helped shape that three-point shooting identity, you could only think that, just like in every other facet, that this team would evolve and improve. So far in the team's 2025-26 campaign, and specifically in its losses throughout the month of January that has not been the case.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has skyrocketed up the team's charts in this regard, though, shooting nearly the best he's shot from distance throughout his entire career at 39.4% in 45 games this season. His previous best came back in his second year with OKC, where he shot 41.8% on nearly five tries per game, similar to this season.

While your MVP guard and offensive savior is able to mount a solid three-point shooting percentage, the team's 35.8% performance from beyond the arc this season has shown inconsistency, and its hurt this team when it matters.

In January, the Thunder's dropped five out of its 13 games. In those five games, Oklahoma City has shot a whopping 31.4% from beyond the three-point line, a 4% drop from its average on the year.

In the Thunder's last two games, consecutive losses at home, the team shot 27% and 26% from three, losing those two contests by a combined five points in front of the fans of Paycom Center.

That stings. And while this team has dealt with injuries to some of its well-known three-point shooters, the shooting consistency as a whole has just not been the same as a year ago. To get out of this January rut, the Thunder has to take the lid off the rim and hit some from deep heading into February.