Isaiah Joe is in the midst of his best stretch of basketball of his career, midway through the season.
It’s well documented how many injuries the Oklahoma City Thunder has had to endure this season, facing immense adversity, currently without its top three creators in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell, all injured at relatively similar times — opening the door for someone to step up. The Thunder have found consistent offense in their fellow sharp-shooter: Joe, who is playing the best basketball of his career.
A Breakdown of Isaiah Joe’s Season
Evolution
Joe has taken the initiative, asserting himself during this stretch to look for his shot more, providing much-needed spacing, which has absolutely unlocked him. In his last eight games, he is averaging 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 assists per game, while SGA has missed the last seven games due to an abdominal injury. Mitchell has also missed this entire stretch with an abdominal injury. And Williams has missed six of the last eight games due to a hamstring strain.
In that span, Joe is shooting 53.6% (30-for-56) from three on seven attempts per game. Bolstering his efficiency numbers to an insane 71.1% true shooting percentage.
Continuing this level of shooting activity when the Thunder gets its full squad back healthy would be game-changing for the Thunder moving forward. Plus, the addition of another elite floor spacer and movement shooter in Jared McCain and the return of an elite screen setter and playmaker in Isaiah Hartenstein have alleviated pressure as a shooter and have opened up Joe’s game.
The Joe-McCain Duo
Since the addition of McCain, Joe has been leading the Thunder in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 55.5% from three. In the duo’s 58 minutes together, the Thunder have an 117.1 ORTG and are a +20.7 in NET Rating. The Thunder also has a DRTG of 96.4 in the Joe-McCain lineups.
If you want to know what positive impact looks like, when the duo is on the floor together, the Thunder are shooting 40.4% from three, compared to 35.2% when both are off the floor. When only Joe is on the floor, OKC is shooting 37.4% from deep and have an 119.2 ORTG in 757 minutes played.
Career Year
This season has been a career year for Joe in points per game and three-point percentage, averaging 10.8 points per game and knocking down a career-best 42.2% from deep on 5.9 attempts per game.
Who was once a throwaway by the Philadelphia 76ers has become a key staple for the reigning champs since arriving in 2022. Joe has shot over 40% from deep on high volume in all four seasons with OKC, shooting 41.4% from deep on 5.5 attempts a game in his 274 games with the Thunder.
Being an afterthought for one organization can become another organization’s blessing, as Joe has done wonders for this Thunder team that desperately needed his shooting. If he continues on this trajectory, then he could be the piece that brings this team back-to-back titles.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
