Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Jazz

3. OKC puts on a terrible offensive showing

Against Utah’s elite defense, the Thunder struggled in Game 4, shooting only 5-of-26 from distance while registering just 10 assists, with five of those coming in the first quarter alone.

While it’s fairly obvious that those numbers need to improve, they actually both go hand-in-hand with each other.

OKC is a team that likes to play iso-basketball, but against the Jazz that simply won’t cut it, as one-on-one basketball makes things easier for Utah’s defenders by allowing them to zero in on whoever has the basketball instead of taking into account the other four players on the court.

The Thunder would be amazed at what only a couple extra passes could do for their offense, as it would create open looks from beyond the arc, which would almost certainly lead to an increase in efficiency from that distance.

Heading into Game 5, OKC would do well to play like its opponent, as without a clear-cut leader on offense, Utah simply finds the open man no matter who it may be at any given moment, making it difficult for defenses to plan for, as any one player can score 20 on a given night.

The Thunder may have more star-power, but judging from their offense in Game 4, maybe they should stop playing like it.