OKC Thunder’s Bench Continues to Change Games

Most of the buzz surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder lately has been the team’s return to full health. A handful of key contributors and starters have missed significant time due to injury this season, but most everyone has returned. There’s plenty of other storylines, too, like clinching two All-Star bids, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP campaign. One thing that’s not being talked about enough, though, is how productive OKC’s bench has been.

The Thunder’s bench was a hot topic of conversation after they lost to the Mavericks in the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander showed up, but Oklahoma City’s role players were outplayed. Recently, the Thunder’s bench — and depth in general — has given the fanbase reason to believe that won’t happen again.

Wednesday night was another example of the bench’s maturation from a season ago. Kenrich Williams provided a massive spark in just 20 minutes, adding 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four rebounds. He was a +14. Isaiah Joe started slow but knocked down three triples, contributing 10 points in 27 minutes as a +20 on the court. Jaylin Williams didn’t impact the scoring category much, but grabbed five rebounds and finished as a +18.

In a game where the Thunder trailed by 20 points and needed a big fourth quarter to pull off an improbable comeback, their top three bench players led the team in plus-minus behind only Gilgeous-Alexander. Without the bench production, Oklahoma City loses to Miami on Wednesday night. 

It hasn’t just been Wednesday night, either. On Monday against the Pelicans, the Thunder had three players off the bench in double figures and seven total players off the bench that scored. In total, the second unit contributed 66 points.

When Oklahoma City’s reserves are on, it’s a game changing unit. There aren’t many, if any, teams in the NBA with depth like the Thunder. Mark Daigneault can sub in anyone off the bench and will expect the level of play to stay consistent. The second unit could be Oklahoma City’s super power — not weakness — this season.