OKC Thunder Must Build Off First-Round Shooting Performance

The Thunder have been a streaky outside shooting team all season, but they showed some positive signs in Round 1.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City showed off its shooting range in the first round, and it might be unbeatable if it continues to hit from outside.

After a Monday night win in Phoenix clinched the Thunder’s spot in the second round of the playoffs, the defending champions are one step closer to their goal of repeating. While there are a number of things to take away from the Thunder’s success in that series, the outside shooting was certainly one of the most encouraging developments.

Throughout the four games against Phoenix, the Thunder shot 36.3% from deep on just under 40 attempts per game. Those sorts of numbers, if they hold for the rest of the playoffs, could make the Thunder nearly unbeatable.

Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren all shot better than the Thunder’s team percentage of 36.3, which is an encouraging sign, given that all but one of those players are typically defense-first players. After the Thunder’s outside shooting wavered in the 2025 title run, shooting only 33.8%, getting some consistent shooting from some top defenders could be critical.

While the Thunder have some sharpshooters in Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain, who can light teams up from beyond the arc, it would be ideal for Oklahoma City to find some consistency from that range without relying on specialists. Most importantly, the Thunder don’t want to begin relying on one of those players for their outside shooting, then have to deal with one of those guys getting played off the floor on the other end. 

Last season, Joe was a crucial part of the Thunder’s regular season, but his defensive shortcomings limited his effectiveness in the postseason. While Joe has been solid all season defensively, any cold stretch could suddenly make his minutes less worthwhile, considering he’s still a worse defender on the perimeter than his All-Defensive caliber teammates.

Still, just because the Thunder shot well in the first round doesn’t mean those numbers will hold up for an entire postseason run. However, it is a far more encouraging sign for the rest of the run than the 31.3% the Thunder shot from outside against the Memphis Grizzlies in their opening round in 2025.

Ultimately, there’s no guarantee that the Thunder’s solid shooting numbers will remain around league average for the entire postseason, but finding ways to generate clean looks as the playoffs continue will give them the best shot at not dropping off from deep in May and June this time around.