The Thunder wrapped up a successful road trip, going 3-0. They are now just one to two wins away from clinching the number-one seed for the second consecutive year. The Thunder are five wins away from having the most wins in franchise history. In addition, as we mentioned last week, they only need to go 4-1 against Eastern Conference teams to beat the NBA record for wins against another conference. However, the Thunder wrapped up their last big test before the playoffs and the recent stretch shows a lot of promise for this team heading into the playoffs.
The Thunder had a seven-game stretch in which they played six playoff teams and the last two NBA Champions. This stretch was going to tell us a lot about this team, whether or not they were ready to be taken seriously despite their youth and inexperience. It is safe to say they answered that test with an impressive 6-1 record, with the lone loss coming in a back-to-back matchup with the Nuggets. Since the Thunder only have 14 games remaining, this was their last test before the playoffs. Let’s dive into what this stretch told us about this year’s Thunder team.
The Thunder’s Recent Stretch Shows A Lot Of Promise
The Double-Big Lineup Will Work
The Thunder wanted to get data on the strengths and weaknesses of the double-big lineup. Since unfortunate circumstances with injuries, the Thunder have utilized this lineup in every game they could, even if the matchup didn’t require it. This stretch was significant since it had three matchups where the Thunder would need this double-big lineup if they crossed paths in the playoffs. Those teams were against the Nuggets, Celtics, and Bucks.
The Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren duo held Nikola Jokic to only 24 points in their first matchup. However, Jokic got his revenge and scored 35 points on them in the second matchup. However, This duo made life difficult for Jokic, and against a player like that, that is all you can ask for. Then, against the Celtics, this duo forced the Celtics to take 63 threes as their presence in the paint made it difficult for the Celtics to score in the paint. Then, finally, against the Bucks, they held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 21 points. These four games showed the potential of this duo not only on defense but also on offense and it should give the Thunder confidence to use this lineup when needed.
The Thunder’s Depth is Their Biggest Advantage
The Thunder season has been riddled with injuries. During this stretch, it was no different as Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, and Lu Dort sustained injuries. In addition, most of their top rotational pieces missed at least one game during this seven-game stretch. However, even under all those circumstances, this team still managed to win and go 6-1. The reason for that is the depth of this team and having that next-man-up mentality.
The opposing team knows a majority of the scoring will come from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams. However, what makes this team so scary is what players four through nine can do on any given night in addition to what the other three bring. In the Memphis game, Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams combined for 29 points, shooting 7-8 from three. In the Detriot game, Cason Wallace scored a season-high 20 points, and Hartenstein scored a season-high 24 points against the Bucks. This team doesn’t need to rely on one or two guys off the bench to score, like most teams do, it can be anybody’s night for the Thunder. Ultimately, the Thunder’s depth will be a huge advantage in the playoffs.
Shai Might Have Wrapped up The MVP in This Stretch
This year’s MVP race is coming down to the wire once again, as it did last year. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic both have incredible cases for the MVP, and both are well deserved for the award. However, what Shai has done all year and, most importantly, during this stretch should have sealed his case for the MVP. In the two matchups against Jokic and the Nuggets, both players had a great game and a mediocre game, meaning this was a draw for the two cases for MVP.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander, without his second-best option, went to Boston and beat the defending champs for the second time this year, dropping 34 points on great efficiency. Then he followed that up with 48 points, scoring nine of the last 15 points for the Thunder in Detriot. This was also without the team’s second, third, fourth, and sixth leading scorer, notably, Lu Dort left that game with an injury. Shai averaged 36.5 points and 6.8 assists during this seven-game stretch. This is exactly what an MVP is supposed to do: being able to will your team to win in hostile environments and win when your team is extremely short-handed with injuries.
The Last Word on The Thunder’s Recent Stretch
Going into this stretch, the Thunder were going to get a big answer on who this team is and can be this year. It is safe to say they got the answers that they expected and more. In addition, this stretch should have proved to the world that this Thunder team is for real. With only 14 games left for the Thunder, their focus should be on getting healthy and improving themselves each day so they can prove the doubters wrong in the playoffs.
Photo credit: © David Butler II-Imagn Images
