Oklahoma City will need one of its greatest strengths: its depth, to continue its reign over the league.
The postseason begins for Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon. The Thunder has home-court advantage outright for the second consecutive year. Here are a few key X-Factors for continued dominance.
Defining Factors in the Playoffs for OKC
Cason Wallace’s Defense
Cason Wallace has had an outstanding defensive season, and OKC hopes he can continue this in the playoffs.
The Thunder once again had a dominant season led by their defense. Oklahoma City had the best defensive rating at 106.5, allowing opponents to score only 107.9 points per game, the second-best in the league. The Thunder defense also forces the second-most turnovers per game with 15.9.
These are team statistics, but Wallace has been one of the main driving forces behind this historical defense. He’s caused chaos on the perimeter, putting him among the top in multiple defensive categories.
The third-year guard finished the regular season first in total steals with 150 and third in steals per game, averaging 1.9 a game, only 0.1 steals behind the league leader. Wallace also ranked fifth in the league in player defensive rating, posting a 103.8 this season.
In his third season, Wallace’s role has elevated, and the Thunder will be looking for elevated production. If that’s the case, this will allow the Thunder to play more to its strengths: turning defense into offense.
Isaiah Joe’s Shooting
One player in particular who has broken out as an overall shooter is none other than the Thunder’s sharpshooter, Isaiah Joe.
Joe has had the best season of his career and has played a huge part in OKC’s improved half-court offense.
Joe averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game. The main area of excitement came from his improvement as a movement shooter, as he shot 42.3% on six attempts from beyond the arc this season, ranking him 10th in the league.
This level of confidence and improvement from Joe is hopefully a good sign to come during the playoffs, as he didn’t make much of an impact in last year’s championship run, as he only played 10 minutes a game, averaging 5.1 points per game, but did shot 41.1% on 2.7 attempts from beyond the arc.
Based on Joe’s production this season, the Thunder will be looking for him to play a bigger role this postseason. Especially since Oklahoma City struggled shooting from the perimeter in the previous postseason, in which they shot 33.8% from beyond the arc, ranking 13th out of 16 playoff teams.
Joe’s ability to be a spark plug and provide shooting gravity for the rest of the team could go a long way for the Thunder this postseason.
Ajay Mitchell’s Creation
Ajay Mitchell has been the breakout player for Oklahoma City, averaging 13.6 points on 48.5% shooting from the floor, 34.7% from beyond the arc, and 87% from the free-throw line, to go with 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season.
Backtracking to last year’s playoffs, the inconsistencies in secondary creation and lack of a third ball-handler were evident. Now, Mitchell has emerged as the third ball-handler, as he can generate a paint touch at will, forces contact, utilizes the midrange, can play off the ball, and can be a table-setter in secondary or primary units.
Mitchell alleviates a lot of the Thunder’s concerns with their half-court offense, lack of ball-handling + creator — to go with being an underrated defender.
With Mitchell’s ascension, he will undeniably play a crucial role for the Thunder this postseason. If he can provide the same level of consistency in the regular season as the third ball-handler and secondary creator in the playoffs — to alleviate pressure off of SGA and Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City will be even tougher, this time around.
Isaiah Hartenstein’s Versatility
Isaiah Hartenstein’s value tends to go under the radar, as his importance in so many areas is irreplaceable.
It will be crucial for Hartenstein to have his imprint during this postseason, particularly in certain matchups, given what he does to control the glass (leading the team with 9.4 rebounds), ending defensive possessions with his ability to secure rebounds, and providing second-chance opportunities for the offense.
His playmaking (3.5 assists per game) adds another element to the Thunder’s offense, especially when SGA is off the court, getting them easy looks offensively, his screen-setting — creating ample spacing + maximizes OKC’s creators in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell, and their sharpshooters in Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain.
Hartenstein is the ultimate connector for this Thunder team on both ends: his defense, rebounding, playmaking, screen-setting, vertical spacing, and ability to play the double-big lineup, all of which help this system flow.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
