Which Players Need to Step Up for OKC Thunder to Get Back on Track?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have fallen on a difficult stretch.

After tying an NBA best 24-1 start to the season, OKC has gone 6-6 over its last 12 games, with multiple lackluster performances along the way.

The Thunder fell in close games at the hands of solid teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, but were also beaten handly by San Antonio and the Charlotte Hornets.

Part of the team's struggles have come from a collectively less intense effort on defense, as well as struggles on offense from different members of the team's regular rotation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn't had his typical showing over the past two games, but has still topped 20 points in each outing.

In addition to the team getting back into a rythym on defense, the Thunder need a few role players to step up to help OKC get back to form. In the last 12 contests, Aaron Wiggins has appeared in 10 contests and scored in double figures three times.

Wiggins tallied 15 points in wins against Philadelphia and Golden State, as well as 11 points against Charlotte after being inserted into the Thunder's starting lineup. Coming into the Thunder's contest against the Hornets, Wiggins notched a combined 13 points across four recent losses, shooting 4-of-15 from the field against in three games against the Spurs and a recent game against the Suns.

Similar to Wiggins, sharpshooter Isaiah Joe has had a lackluster stretch during the Thunder's last 12 games. Joe has appeared in OKC's last 11 contests and scored in double figures only twice during that span.

Joe tallied 14 points in a win against the LA Clippers and 15 points in a victory against Portland, but has struggled in Oklahoma City's recent losses. In OKC's last five losses, the fifth-year veteran has tallied a combined 24 points while shooting 7-of-21 from the field.

With Joe and Wiggins not being as talented on defense as some of the other players on Mark Daigneault's squad, the duo needs to contribute on offense to be valuable additions to the Thunder's rotation. With the lack of offensive contributions from both players, though, Oklahoma City's rotation has suffered.

Additionally, the team doesn't have many reliable perimeter shooters or offensive creators in the second unit, making Joe and Wiggins' skill sets even more valuable.

The team has struggled to get good looks on offense and knock down 3-pointers during its recent stretch, and needs the duo to provide their usual scoring punch off the bench to help OKC's offense right the ship.

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