The BIG Problem With The OKC Thunder
OKC has been one of the best teams by far this season, but the one weakness is their size which got exposed by the much bigger Milwaukee Bucks. We talk about how they shut them down with their big men and why this might be a sign moving forward.
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44 Comments
Okc gotta run some plays instead of isolation for the stars
A Cam Johnson trade would be good for them, and especially since it is very realistic. SInce the Nets are rebuilding and given that OKC still has multiple picks, it could really work. Cam adds space and size perfect for OKC. And since JWill gon be back, they can experiment on some better lineups against bigger teams ig.
Doc Rivers cooking
He talked more about them finally executing all the defensive adjustments they made over the summer successfully, in today’s post game interview vs bulls
Without Chet OKC basically runs a lineup of 6’6 6’4 6’4 6’6 6’11
Versatile but still on the small side. Only one team has a Giannis but that is still something they should address…
OKC are first in the west by a wide margin. They're fine.
15% from 3 is also handy 😂
Here's what I've noticed about SGA.
There's no point trying to stay square in front of him. He's too shifty, has too quick a first step, and if you manage to stay with the initial drive he's got counter after counter after counter to screw with you. Step backs, spins, euros, you name it.
What Jackson did in this game is a much better approach. Play him aggressively, stay attached to his hip, force him to speed up and funnel him away from the basket or into help. Yes, you're conceding the drive, but at least you have some control over where he goes, and you don't give him the luxury of taking his time and choosing his spots. Much like his mentor CP3, Shai doesn't like executing quickly.
its a different story when chet plays they can play 2 bigs at the same time
The BIG problem with the thunder is AJAX lol
Shai without free throws is just Lance Stephenson
While its obvious that these defensive(and somewhat offensive) problems for OKC are due to Chet's absence, i think that OKC really does need to diversify their approach as opposed to relying on Shai's and J Dub's plays
GAMES LIKE THIS MAKE IT VERY CLEAR JUST HOW MUCH THEY NEED CHET💯LOWKEY I HOPE WE GET A BUCKS VS NUGGETS FINALS
So they basically have chet to fix all their problems
So only difference was bucks shooters shot the 3 point shot whereas Okc didn't. It's a make or miss league that's it. No elaborate analysis needed.
what the thunder really need is a 7 foot DPOY candidate who can average like 20 points shooting 40% from 3 and finishing strong around the rim, while being able to handle the ball and playmake. but that’s kind of unrealistic, that would never happen.
number 1 in the west – generally OKC covers their weaknesses/ they are willing to give something up for return somewhere else.
The game against bucks was an outlier. Nothing to see here
The biggest problem w OKC be that they is a bunch of cornballs that do cringe aźz shìte. Yeah keep that same energy in April when yall get bounced out the 1st round beach
Showing Dort and Caruso missing wide open threes while GTJ and AJ Green are making highly contested threes and then saying it’s not due to shooting variance ain’t it
OKC went 5-34 on 3s in that game and that's why they lost. It isn't really because of anything Milwaukee did…they just shot it like shit and that happens sometimes. Let's remember OKC doesn't have their 2nd best player Chet Holmgren and also was without 6'9" power forward Jalen Williams. Both players would clearly make a huge difference against Milwaukee who had a big height advantage. In a 7 game series Milwaukee would have zero chance against OKC….ZERO.
The big problem? They shot the 3's like shit. That's it.
No Chet + Terrible matchup + 15% from 3 will do that
Knicks video next 👀
OKC has to be more consistent from 3, and not be so reliant on it. Especially since you never know if Dort will go 4/6 from 3 or 0-7
OKC is just a cute regular season team. They always fold under pressure.
Their only choices are to trade Hartenstein for a bigger big, Have HArtenstein play like a big(lol good luck with that) or Wait for the trade deadline and rely on Harten l, Holmgren and their new big(s) to be their bigs
In my opinion I see them choosing options 1 or 3 …
Isn't this solved once Chet is back? Him being in the lineup means that SGA/JW can easily dump to an elite player if the big shades/doubles. Chet can also shoot the three.
These comments are full of nonsense. All of these problems that OKC has, they have had for the past 3 years. They made the play in, lost to Minnesota, then got Chet. After that they were first in the West, lost to Dallas, and added Caruso and IHart. Only reason why these problems still exist is because Chet is out for the near future. Once he comes back, and OKC is fully healthy, they will have nothing to worry about.
people wanna blame the three-point shooting alone, but the books are leaving them open for a reason people; plus they know when they close out against those players they can't create their shot out of a close out so there's nothing to worry about; this was the same issue they dealt with last year
0:36 – enough with these lame fouls. calls. SGA jumped into him.
Shai plays like an unintelligent Gen Z player. He's not a true point guard and floor general. He just want to 'get in his bag'. Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.
Really liking your videos. If you could enunciate a little more on the mic, I think it would improve the overall production quality.
The Bucks have several good perimeter defenders. They have AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr, Ryan Rollins, Delon Wright. That's all the excellent guys. Everyone else in the rotation outside of Bobby Portis is solid to well above average on the perimeter defensively.
The "Bucks don't have perimeter defense" narrative, is just that, a narrative and nothing more
We don't have Chet thats it…..tf is this dk munching video….
Yall expect OKC to have everything to stop these monsters in the NBA😂😂
Jalen Williams isn't as good as people say and the OKC offense overall often looks stagnant. They are kind of similar to the Celtics in that they have great records but aren't a sure thing when we think about the playoffs. They're the favorites but both have weaknesses on offense that can be exploited.
What a pointless overreaction of a video. Okc beats the Bucks 9 times out of 10. Fluke game that made people believe the Thunder aren’t contenders and that the Bucks are the best team in the league 😂
It’s just one game. And they didn’t have Chet.
If OKC shoots from 3 how they normally do, they win that game. Maybe Milwaukee is better equipped to stop SGA than most teams. But other players usually step up. But every 5th game, OKC has a night off their usual standards. Which means they are a 64 win team most likely. Which is elite!
Hey, video guy. Jackson Jr. is not the best Bucks perimeter defender, it is AJ Green by a decent margin. Some of the best defensive fundamentals in the game, do a deep dive into his defense and be amazed. Jackson Jr. has bad discipline on defense and is susceptible to being unplayable due to that lack of discipline, which is admittedly getting better as his experience grows.
Free 100k view video…"How does this 6'3" white boy dominate defensively"….then just breakdown him locking down guys with his great fundamentals and lateral quickness. Ez money baby. You're welcome, Merry Christmas
Side note: Is this Emirates Cup part of the problem with the ballyhooed NBA ratings decline, and can you talk about that whole brouhaha, @DanielLi7? Side note to this side note: 100K subscribers before 2025, let's gooooo!
I honestly dont think okc going to the finals
OKC still wins easily against Bucks in a 7 game series.
Bro this is way too many words for: the Bucks locked in defensively, which is positive for them, but the OKC will never shoot 12.5% from 3 again, so the Bucks also got kinda lucky.
Let's not forget, the bucks scored 91 points and giannis 'only' made 26. J-dubs and dort guarded him well, he just hit some insane middies (which has been a thing this year).
Hey, I’m a bucks fan. I think Giannis should be the MVP. The reason he isn’t ranked 1 over Joker is because they are ignoring 50% of playing basketball which is defense where it’s just not contest. I want them to win but I’m still not convinced they could. With that said, I think the reason okc didn’t shoot so well is because they are a young team that was in Vegas. I would wager they were living it up and didn’t have it for that game. During an interview, a reporter asked Dame about Vegas being a distraction to where he replied that he’s not young and it’s nothing new. He’s just focused on the game. Can the same be said about one of the youngest team in the league? We will never know for sure but imo I think that was a deciding factor.