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(Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder)


GROWING AN OFFENSIVE STYLE

okcthunder.com
May 12, 202211:21 AM CDT

By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter and Digital Editor | okcthunder.com



The Thunder lost by two on the road down in Dallas. It was a mid-January date
with the Mavericks, one in which the young Thunder trailed by over 20 points at
one point before rallying back. But the final score and result in the standings
weren’t what mattered. It was a six-minute stretch in the third quarter where
the Thunder played some of its best basketball of the season. 



Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started a 24-5 Thunder run with a step-back 3-pointer,
but from there on out OKC registered assists on all six of its made field goals
and got to the free throw line for more easy points in a barrage of smooth
offensive execution. That game wasn’t an inflection point, but rather a shining
example of the underlying offensive improvement that had been percolating for
weeks.  



“We were much more functional,” said Thunder General Manager and Executive Vice
President Sam Presti of the team’s offensive development midway through the
year. “The style of play was much better.”

(Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder)



“The thing that was exceeding the individual development was the development of
the team itself,” Presti added. “We started to play more efficiently. We were
playing less patterns, more rhythm. Guys were stepping into shots, not just
getting shots. The speed of the decisions was enhanced. We were just playing in
a more continuous fashion and quicker minded.”



Players like Gilgeous-Alexander had already spent some time inside the Thunder’s
system, but the 2021-22 campaign was a crucial starting point for a class of
rookies that included four draft picks and a handful of two-way and 10-day
contract players that saw significant time for the team. Thunder rookies
averaged nearly 50 points per game after the All-Star Break, the most in the
NBA. Throughout the season, five different Thunder rookies scored at least 25
points in a game.



The reason for that offensive production was a commitment to the balanced,
ball-sharing style that was on display that January night in Dallas, regardless
of the results on the scoreboard. Cultivating that identity in the early stages
of these young players’ careers is vital not only for their long-term growth,
but also the evolution of the team moving forward. 



“We might come up on the short end of a game because we're working really hard
to not take the bait and sacrifice our commitment to that style of play,” said
Presti. “We’re holding someone accountable to that style of play. That might not
have the best influence on the outcome of the game, but it's going to really
carry forward because if you start making those concessions now, you can't get
those back.”



Playing in the Paint

There were some key elements to the Thunder’s offensive growth throughout the
year, and even when the gains weren’t necessarily in production, they were on
display in shot distribution. From the very outset of the season, Thunder head
coach Mark Daigneault pointed out that the team’s primary goal was to play in
the paint, attacking relentlessly downhill towards the rim to put pressure on
the defense. 



“As a team that is trying to build a style that can scale forward,” said
Daigneault. “We want to make sure that what we're doing is efficient and can
scale towards efficiency.”



The Thunder led the league in drives per game, with over 61 each night, ranking
in the top 5 in points, free throw attempts, passes, pass percentage and assists
on drives. Living in the lane allowed the Thunder to take over 50 percent of its
field goal attempts in the paint, ranking third in that category. The Thunder
also notched 32 games with 50-or-more points in the paint thanks to making
nearly 15 layups per night. All that action towards the rim created gashes in
opposing defenses, doubling as wide open angles for kickouts to the perimeter. 



“When you're down there, a lot of attention goes to the ball,” said Thunder
rookie Tre Mann, who scored 25-plus points on four occasions last year. “When
you're in the paint, everybody's looking and that gives guys like me
opportunities to find space and to get shots.” 



From Behind the Line

As Presti mentioned, as the season went along Thunder players were more often
stepping into clean shots that were created for them rather than having to
manufacture something out of nothing. Getting catch and shoot 3s is a vital
piece of any modern NBA offense. Last year the Thunder took 3-pointers on 42.2
percent of its possessions, the highest in Oklahoma City history and 10th in the
NBA this year, as the league’s three-point arms race continues to escalate. 



The Thunder launched over 37 3s per night, seventh most in the NBA, and even put
together a streak of 14-straight games with at least 10 made 3-pointers. Once
again, the Thunder’s rookie class of Mann, Josh Giddey, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
and Aaron Wiggins, along with two-way sharpshooter Lindy Waters, did some heavy
lifting in this category. Thunder rookies made 362 3-pointers last year, the
second most all-time by a team’s rookies in one season behind only the 2019
Atlanta Hawks, who made 368. 

(Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder)



Within the rookie class, seven different players had a game with four-or-more
made 3s, the most unique rookies on the same team to achieve that in NBA
history. That list included Giddey, whose shot continued to improve throughout
the year like so many of his teammates. Giddey, Mann, Wiggins and Robinson-Earl
all play different positions, but just like some of their elder teammates, each
had confidence from behind the 3-point line. To compete in this new age of the
NBA, the Thunder will have to get shooting from all five positions on the floor
in the years to come. 



“It means the defense has to play multiple coverages,” said Giddey. “If we've
got pick-and-pop guys like Mike (Muscala), (Isaiah) Roby, J-Rob (Robinson-Earl),
it stretches the defense out.”



Scoring Balance

Continual downhill attacks and kickouts meant that Thunder players were faced
with thousands of closeouts by defenders throughout the season. As opponents
raced out to the perimeter to guard them, young Thunder players were faced with
critical pass-shoot-drive decisions that must be made, instinctually, in the
blink of an eye as the other eight players on the floor rotate into different
positions. To combat the amount of thinking required in those situations, the
Thunder was less focused on getting the ball into specific scorer’s hands and
more on simply moving it to the open man – making the right play.  



“The energy, it always will come back to you,” said veteran wing Kenrich
Williams. 



The results were some incredibly balanced offensive nights, including 29 games
in which every player that entered got into the scoring column. The Thunder had
two games with at least 7 players in double figures and 14 games with at least 6
players with 10-or-more points. By honing those pass-shoot-drive situations, the
Thunder was able to elevate its assist numbers as the year went on without
allowing turnovers to go wild. In fact, the team had 20 games last season with
at least 25 assists. 



The selflessness on offense started with on-court leaders and ball-handlers like
Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and Lu Dort, but that style became contagious with
the entire group as the team racked up 40-or-more bench points on 25 occasions,
including 7 games with 50-or-more points from reserves. On top of that, the
Thunder compiled one of the incredible multi-season streaks in the NBA: 211
consecutive games with at least 20 points from bench players, the longest streak
in the last 40 years. 



“Guys are better making decisions on and off the ball,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I can see the progress offensively for sure from day one to now.”






TAGS

Kenrich WilliamsLu DortMark DaigneaultMike MuscalaSam PrestiShai
Gilgeous-AlexanderTre Mann





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