The Oklahoma City Thunder secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the third consecutive season. This should allow plenty of opportunities for the reserves to gain one last confidence booster before the postseason.
Oklahoma City secured the top seed at the right time, with the postseason just around the corner. With only two games remaining, the Thunder find themselves in a perfect situation as we enter the final days of the regular season.
Thunder ranks since the All-Star break:• 22-2 Record (1st)– 116.2 ORTG (11th)• 48.1% FG% (10th)– 37.2% 3P% (8th)• 104.9 DRTG (1st)– 43.4% OPP FG% (1st)Despite having the toughest schedule down the stretch. OKC maintained the No. 1 seed in the West all year long, overcoming the injury bug
With the Thunder taking care of business in its final back-to-back stint on Tuesday and Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers. Those two matchups were the final meaningful games of the regular season for the Thunder.
Let’s rewind the clock for a moment. The Thunder have dealt with injuries all season, ranking second in the league in that category. Their depth has played a major factor in maintaining the top seed all year. Most importantly, their star trio is hitting its stride at the perfect time.
Thunder Clinch N0. 1 Seed in the West
Star Trio Finding Stride at the Right Time
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has once again been the most consistent player all season long and is on the verge of winning back-to-back MVPs.
Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren is peaking in terms of two-way impact, who would most likely finish second in Defensive Player of the Year. His latest performance was his most dominant one, finishing with 30 points, 14 boards, five assists, four blocks, and two steals in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers.
Now we get to Jalen Williams, who was a question mark from the start due to being derailed with injuries for the majority of the season. Since returning from injury, Williams seems to be finding his rhythm, averaging 15.4 points and 5.7 assists in seven games, and has looked more comfortable offensively as he ramps back up to full speed. The silver lining for him is that he should have fresh legs come playoff time in just over a week.
Isaiah Joe’s Team Uniqueness
And finally, let’s talk about the players who are currently on fire for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe. At the same time, Oklahoma City’s identity isn’t overly reliant on the three-ball when Joe’s in the zone. It opens everything up for the whole team.
During this final stretch (8games), Joe’s averaging 12.1 points on 53% from deep on 6.1 attempts. He’s averaging career-highs in points at 11.1 points per game and three-point percentage at 42.3% on six attempts a game. His consistency from deep will be one of the X-factors in the postseason.
Reserves Final Tune-up Opportunity
Now back to the Thunder’s reserves: by clinching home-court advantage outright, Oklahoma City will likely rest its top players in the final two games, creating a prime opportunity for the reserves to have one final tune-up with two full games of action.
The final two games of the season are against the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. The Denver Nuggets will likely have the opportunity to secure the third seed on Friday night against the Thunder. Denver will bring playoff-level focus and intensity, providing real opportunities for players like Jared McCain, Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, and Kenrich Williams to gain playoff-like experience in primary reps and minutes before the playoffs.
Given the depth of this Thunder’s roster, and Mark Daigneault’s philosophy + willingness to switch up the rotation, experiment on various lineups, and give extended opportunities for a good amount of players on this roster. Preaches the importance not only of the reserves’ involvement but also of finding a rhythm for postseason play.
The playoffs are about a week away, and the Thunder are rounding back into form at the right time.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Image
