Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season
By Nick Crain
2. Live or die by the 3
The Oklahoma City Thunder as a whole were not a great 3-point shooting team. When they were cold from deep, their offense struggled. When they went on hot streaks from the 3-point line, they were tough to beat.
In the first 36 games of the season, Oklahoma City was the worst 3-point shooting team in the entire league at 32.2 percent. These struggles resulted in them having the 10th-worst offensive rating in the NBA during this span. Even though they struggled from 3 to start the season, they still were able to pull off a 23-13 record over that span.
In the next 21 games, from Jan. 1 through the NBA All-Star break, the narrative was very different as the Thunder went on a hot shooting streak. Over this stretch, Oklahoma City had the seventh-best offensive rating in the league. This was a direct result of them having the second-best 3-point percentage in the league at 40 percent. Over this 21-game stretch, the team went 14-7.
Right after the All-Star break, the Thunder offense collapsed once again. In their 20 games after the break, they had the third-worst offensive rating in the NBA. They shot a league-worst 42.6 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from 3. This poor shooting resulted in a 7-13 record.
With five games remaining, Oklahoma City needed to finish strong in order to move up in the Western Conference standings. Over its final five games, the team did just that, going 5-0 thanks to excellent 3-point shooting (38.6 percent).
In the playoffs, these inconsistencies were even worse. the Thunder shot an abysmal16.4 percent from deep the first two games of the series. In Game 3, Oklahoma City got hot and shot 51.7 percent from the 3-point line, winning its only game of the series. In Games 4 and 5, the Thunder shot 37.5 percent and 37.1 percent, respectively, in losses.
The Oklahoma City Thunder learned what it was like to live and die by the 3 this season. Acquiring shooters in the offseason will be key for a comeback next season.