PROGRESS REPORT
With the Thunder at midseason, we hand out awards and grades
Chris Paul didn't know the Thunder had reached the halfway point in the season until he stepped into the practice facility Thursday.
It has been a wild ride, as OKC integrated nine new players onto the team in the aftermath of losing two superstars. But on
Wednesday night, the Thunder did in fact play its 41st game of an 82- game regular season.
“The thing that always encouraged me and always had me feeling good,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said, “was their competitiveness, in terms of wanting to work and get better and try to improve and get to know each other. I think where it becomes really challenging is if you have guys that just are not invested. These guys have been invested. They've been in it.”
The Thunder is on pace to win 46 regular- season games. If the season ended today, OKC would be in the playoffs with a fourgame cushion between No. 7 seeded OKC and No. 8 Memphis.
“People may be saying we exceeded expectations,” Paul said, “but whose expectations? I think we've just got to keep building and keep
enjoying the ride.”
But first, let's take a moment to reflect on the first 41 games and give out midseason awards.
Best win:
Jan. 9 vs. Rockets
The Thunder has won 17 clutch- time games. It has come back from 24- and 26-point deficits. OKC upset Utah on the Jazz's home court. But nothing quite compared to the Thunder's 113- 92 smackdown of Houston last week.
The crowd was energized by Russell Westbrook's return to Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder debuted its City Edition uniforms honoring the victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. And OKC absolutely dominated Houston.
The Thunder snapped the three- game winning streak of a top-five Western Conference team. OKC held James Harden to 17 points, his season low up to that point.
Worst loss: Jan. 11 vs. Lakers
Like the Thunder's best win, there are several contenders for worst loss. There's the time when the Thunder scored just 85 points against the Wizards, who now have the worst defensive rating in the league ( 115.4 points per 100 possessions). Or the time the Thunder allowed a season-high 136 points at Portland.
Those, however, both came in the first quarter of the season. The Thunder was still surprising some teams, but it wasn't consistently good yet.
Last week, the NBA had learned how good this OKC team can be. Then it played a Lakers team that was missing both its superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Instead of taking care of business, the Thunder lost 125-110 in a game that didn't even feel that close.
Best individual performance: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jan. 13 at Minnesota
Gilgeous-Alexander's 20- 20- 10 night was notable for a long list of reasons. First, by tallying 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded the first tripledouble of his young career.
He became the youngest player to record a 20-rebound triple double in NBA history and the fourth second-year player to record a 20- point, 20- rebound triple double.
Best play: The Throw
The game should have been over. The Timberwolves led 122-120 with 1.1 seconds on the clock. But on Dec. 6, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder pulled off what could only be described as a magic trick to send the game into overtime.
Adams dropped back on the baseline, like a quarterback in the pocket, and let the pass fly. Schroder had anticipated the play and was sprinting down the court. He reeled in the pass with one hand as he stepped into the paint on the opposite side. As his momentum carried him out of bounds, Schroder tossed up a bank shot. And it went in.
The Thunder beat Minnesota 139- 127 in overtime.
Most valuable player: Chris Paul
Paul leads the Thunder in assists, averaging 6.5 per game. He's only the Thunder's fourth-leading scorer, but that changes in clutch time. According to NBA.com, Paul leads all scorers in clutch time — when the game is within five points in the last five minutes— with 103 points.
He also has become an invaluable mentor to the Thunder's young players, especially GilgeousAlexander and rookie Darius Bazley.
Most improved player: Dennis Schroder
Schroder's play took a sharp turn in the third game of the season. He went from scoring three and nine points in the first two games to scoring 22 in each of the next two games. Schroder has scored in double figures for 28 straight games and is averaging 20.3 points per game in that span.
But his scoring isn't the only thing that's put him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation. Schroder's defense had taken a jump since last season, and his on- ball defense has been particularly impressive.
Biggest surprise: The success of the PG3 lineup
Even Donovan said Thursday that he didn't know what to expect when he put three point guards — all of whom had started on other teams — together on the floor at the same time.
“They've done a great job sacrificing,” Donovan said.
Those three have done more than just make up for their lack of size on defense. The three point guards, paired with forward Danilo Gallinari and center Steven Adams, have the best net rating ( 31.4) of any NBA lineup that's played at least 100 minutes together this season.