The Thunder Will Be Looking To Fix One Specific Defensive Area Next Season

The Thunder is a great defensive team, but they allow a lot of three-point shots.

May 22, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) reacts against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half during game three of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

OKC has to tighten up the perimeter just a bit next season. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short this past season in the conference championship and now have their sights set on what they could improve for next season. A lot of it just comes down to executing game by game, as for the most part, the Thunder’s overall stats back up that they are one of the best teams in the world. 

However, the stats do show that there is an area where Oklahoma City could be better, and it all comes down to defending the perimeter. In today’s NBA, the three-point shot has become a staple, where everyone on the court can shoot the ball. The Thunder themselves even have a 7-foot-1 center in Chet Holmgren who can shoot the ball from deep. 

It isn’t an issue that the Thunder take advantage of this; it’s an issue that the Thunder’s opponents take advantage of their ability to slow down shots from deep. Oklahoma City prided itself on its defense this past year, but allowing opponents to score from deep was a flaw. OKC allowed opponents to average a 36.9% shooting rate from three this season, the sixth highest in the league. 

It wasn’t just that opponents could hit shots from beyond the arc, either; it's that they kept firing. Opponents shot 38.9 threes against OKC per game, the seventh highest in the NBA, and to rub salt on the wound, opponents made an average of 14.3 three-point shots against the Thunder per game, the third-highest in the entire league. 

Ultimately, these regular-season stats didn’t affect OKC too much, as it ended the year with the best record in the NBA, but it’s something the Thunder will have to look out for. The Thunder will sometimes have a response for these big three-point shots, as Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe have both had great deep-range shooting performances in the past, but at other times, OKC can’t seem to buy a basket from deep. 

OKC isn’t at the place where it can only rely on its deep range shooting to get it out of these situations, which is why they need to take care of the problem at the source. With more pressure on the perimeter, it makes opponents drive where they will come face-to-face with Chet Holmgren, who was voted second for Defensive Player of the Year. 

This gives OKC a much better shot at limiting the other team from scoring, and could be the thing to get them back on the mountain top next postseason. Opponents three point shooting against the Thunder might not be the biggest issue the team has, but it is one they will definitely be looking to fix this offseason.