OKC Thunder are falling down the defensive ranks
The OKC Thunder were once second in the league in defensive rating but have not dropped all the way to 10th.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, 122-112. The Rockets are one of the best teams in making 3-pointers as they lead the league in that category. For the OKC Thunder and their struggling defense, meeting a team like that was not what the doctor ordered.
Carmelo Anthony talked about how the 3s from the Rockets affected the game.
"”When a team like that is making 3s, it’s tough out there because you’re always in a scramble situation,” Anthony said. ”But you know, those guys beat us tonight, and we have to accept that and move on and learn from it.”"
In the beginning of the season, the Thunder were one the best teams in defensive rating, which measures how good a team is from preventing a team to score per 100 possessions.
In the first 20 games of the season they prevented the other team from scoring over 100 points 11 times, but in the last 20 games the Thunder prevented a team from scoring over 100 points just one time.
Their defensive rating ranking has dropped from second down to 10th. Since Andre Roberson was lost for the season on Jan. 28, OKC has ranked 21st in defensive rating.
Defense was one of the best things about the Thunder. They are still ranked No. 1 in steals.
Paul George and Russell Westbrook are some of the league’s best players in terms of racking up steals. George is second in the league in steals with 2.1 per game and Westbrook is seventh in the league with 1.9 per game.
The Thunder’s offense has not been good all year, but now what has been their strength is failing.
Not to mention that they are losing to the best teams now after losses to the Golden State Warriors and the Rockets. That was also another thing the Thunder could say to calm the doubters, which is now looking like a weaker claim.
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The problem is turnovers. In the game against Houston, the Rockets forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. The Thunder are 15th in the league in this category, committing 14.2 turnovers per game.
Westbrook is second in the league when it comes to turnovers. When your point guard turns over the ball at a high rate, your offense never gets a chance to flow.
The Thunder as a team has to be better when it comes to turning over the ball because the turnovers give the other team more possessions and help them get into a flow.
Also, when there is bad shot selection, which the Thunder are also having a problem with, along with turnovers, that helps the transition game for the other team.
The Thunder were one of the best teams defensively, but their offensive woes have now seeped into their defense and it is causing it to slip. The absence of Andre Roberson is proving to be a difficult one for this team to overcome.
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The Thunder will have to improve their offense by taking good shots and limiting turnovers and that will help the defense to go back to where it once was.