Four key issues OKC faces
Staff Writers
Twenty-three games to go. How will it turn out for the Thunder?
The Thunder is 33-26 entering the final quarter of the season, with as many questions as any team vying for one of the Western Conference’s six playoff seeds below Golden State and Houston.
With the postseason two months away, The Oklahoman presents some pressing questions for the Thunder entering the stretch run:
How will they get the most out of Melo?
Carmelo Anthony was brought into Oklahoma City with the idea that he could flourish off catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunities, while playing tolerable defense at power forward. The results on both ends have been as expected, particularly for the $26.2 million the Thunder is on the hook for this season (and the $27.9 million Anthony can make if he opts into the final season of his current deal).
Anthony is shooting 41.2 percent from the field, a career low. While Paul George and Russell Westbrook have seen their field goal percent-
ages gradually increase to levels closer to their career bests, Anthony’s 3-point percentage has dropped every month since November.
Meanwhile, since Andre Roberson’s injury Jan. 28, Anthony has had the second-lowest net rating (point differential per 100 possessions when in the game) on the Thunder. Aside from rookie Terrance Ferguson extreme struggles (minus-23.4 net rating since Jan. 28), Anthony is the only Thunder regular who’s been a net negative (minus-1).
It’s not just Anthony. The Thunder’s defense as a whole has taken a beating in the last month (16th in the NBA since Jan. 28). But while Westbrook and George have offset the defensive slip with better offensive efficiency, Anthony’s offense has taken a dip in only two fewer minutes per game.
How will the bench shooters respond?
The Thunder has shown the ability stretch the floor from 3-point range, but can it do it consistently? Two monster 3-point performances against Memphis in a week are promising, but have been an outlier in a spotty season from deep.
Twenty teams this season have longer consecutive games streaks of shooting 36 percent or better than the Thunder’s four games.
Alex Abrines seemed to be settling in on defense before his left hip contusion last week. Patrick Patterson is 5-of-8 in his last two games against Memphis, but was 2-of21 in his previous nine games from three. Josh Huestis has made four
3-pointers in the last month (4-of-22) on several open looks. Jerami Grant is correctly being dispatched as an interior threat with an everincreasing free throw rate. Raymond Felton is shooting a respectable 34.6 percent from deep. At 19, Ferguson goes weeks in between shooting flashes.
With the Thunder not making a play via trades or the buyout market (yet) for additional shooting, the internal options must improve. When rotations shorten in the playoffs, Abrines’s health and defense will be big factors in determining his playing time.
If Abrines can’t stay on the floor, Patterson, Felton and Huestis have to find consistency.
Where will the Thunder be seeded in the playoffs?
It’s much too soon to know.
It seems unlikely the Thunder will miss the playoffs, but OKC holds the No. 5 seed in the postseason and is closer to ninth place in a bunchedup Western Conference than it is to fourth.
The Thunder is two games back of fourthseeded Minnesota (3625), which is in a virtual tie with No. 3 seed San Antonio (35-24).
But OKC is tied in the loss column with the Nuggets, Blazers (both 32-26), Pelicans (31-26) and Clippers (30-26). If the playoffs started on Wednesday, the Clippers wouldn’t make the field, but they’re only 1 ½ games behind the Thunder.
Twelve of Oklahoma City’s remaining 23 games are on the road, beginning with Thursday’s game at Sacramento. It has 15 games remaining against teams with winning records.
The Clippers play 19, San Antonio 18, New Orleans 17, Denver and Portland 16 each and Minnesota 13.
Will OKC add a player on the buyout market?
It doesn’t seem like a given. OKC could add a player bought out by another team, call up a G League player or sign players to a series of 10-day contracts. Some of the most-desired buyout players available — shooters Marco Belinelli and Joe Johnson, for example — are off the market.
If the Thunder is going to add a piece, there are important factors to consider.
First, is there a gamechanging player available? There might be players bought out who aren’t on the market yet, but it likely will be challenging to find an impactful player — one who bolsters the Thunder on the wing, maybe, or a backup center — among players who part ways with their current teams.
Second, what’s the cost of adding a player? The Thunder is more than $13 million above the NBA’s tax threshold. Assuming it remains there at the end of the season, it would owe a penalty of $2.50 for every dollar it spends to sign a free agent now.