When it comes to the first round of this upcoming NBA playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder are about as difficult of an out as any contender could face.
Parity in the first round of the NBA playoffs rarely presents itself. Upsets are possible but they aren’t exactly commonplace. However, that’s not to claim that four rounds of playoff basketball aren’t grueling—they are. It does mean that if you’re a contender, smooth sailing in the first round is ideal. That won’t happen if you match up with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
You know their story, the summer they had, the players that left and the players that came to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Preseason expectations weren’t high, but they’ve more than earned their respect in the NBA’s hierarchy 53 games into the season with a 32-21 record.
They’re tough, they play as a collective unit, they roll out a three-headed monster with three guards to close games, and they’re not exactly who you want to see come April.
The Western Conference is still a bit of a crapshoot. With only eight games between the 1st and 7th seeds, that can be the case; seedings change seemingly every day. But if the playoffs were to start right now, the Thunder would match up with Chris Paul‘s former team (feel likes a lifetime ago), the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clips and the Thunder have played two games this season, victories were split with both games being competitive. Though Los Angeles appears like a franchise destined to play in the Western Conference Finals or beyond, a first-round series against our pals from Chesapeake won’t be easy.
The Thunder have the 14th-best offense (per NBA Stats) and 12th-best defense in the league. Not exactly an eye-opening statistic that screams “flee in terror” but it also doesn’t encompass what type of the team they are.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
They have a dangerous combination of savvy, experienced veterans that know the demands of playoff basketball and youthful talent that have elevated their play to complement the former.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appears primed for stardom; Chris Paul is still Chris Paul; Danilo Gallinari can get a bucket any which way he wants; Steven Adams numbers might be down but he’s still a very capable anchor and roll man in the pick-and-roll; Dennis Schroder is scoring in volume while enjoying career-bests in efficiency, and they have nice complementary pieces down the depth chart.
They’re deep — shown by their 39.6 bench points per game (10th in the NBA). Though depth is often deemed overrated when playoff basketball rounds and rotations tighten, it’s still a benefit to have capable defenders and players that won’t necessarily hurt you offensively when they enter the game stowed away deep on your rotation.
In tight games, they have their pick of closers. No one in the NBA has been better in clutch time this year than Paul, who has scored 130 points in the final five minutes of regulation or OT with the score within five points. If he doesn’t have the hot hand on a given night, SGA has 79 points in clutch time, Schroder has 59. That versatility in end-game settings for Billy Donovan‘s squad has made them as dangerous as they’ve been.
Their offense isn’t exactly spectacular in any concentrated statistic, but they can beat you multiple ways. There aren’t many teams that shoot as many mid-range jump shots as they do or as efficiently as they do. Which, even in an analytics-driven league that says to score at the rim or beyond the perimeter, still has visible worth come playoff time. Chris Paul unsurprisingly leads the charge there.
They score 46.4 points per game in the paint and shoot 35.2 percent on 29.7 three-point attempts per game. Again, not exactly fantastic in either category, but they have proven to have a versatile offensive dynamic. Also, they don’t turn the ball over often (7th in the NBA) and are fourth in the league in free-throw shooting percentage (80.4). They don’t give up too many easy points.
On the other end of the court, their defensive intensity has ramped up since the beginning of the calendar year. Since Jan. 1, the Thunder are holding opposing teams to a shooting percentage of 45.7 percent—good for ninth in the NBA. Their perimeter defense has been consistent all season, however. They’re fourth in the NBA in opposing three-point percentage (34.3 percent) for the season.
They have some solid individual defenders down the depth chart; as mentioned, they’re just a tough outing. Hence why no contender would want to see them in the first round of the playoffs.
There’s still a ways to go, but barring some major disaster in these last 29 contests — no one wants to see the Oklahoma City Thunder.