All of Oklahoma City's deficiencies were on display against a healthy Mavericks team on Saturday afternoon. The Thunder couldn't guard a pick-and-roll at all and allowed wide open 3-point shots all over the floor. The defense was lacking in a big way, and the team certainly couldn't score enough to hang around with Dallas.
There have been multiple issues with the Thunder's full lineup, and rebounding is certainly one of them. Daniel Gafford bullied OKC inside and lit up the stat sheet. Most nights, though, the Thunder's offense is able to combat that and the team forces enough turnovers to help out down low. The main problem offensively, though, is it's becoming crystal clear that Josh Giddey and Lu Dort struggle in lineups together.
When Giddey and Dort share the floor, there's hardly any way for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to combat the way defenses are guarding them. The duo is elite in isolation, but it's like playing 3-on-1 in the half-court. Teams are allowing Giddey and Dort to fire away from long distance and living with the results, and it's starting to become a real problem.
Nearly every possession against Dallas came down to if two players in Oklahoma City's lineup could make a wide open 3-point attempt. With an MVP candidate and a rising star on the floor, that should never be the case.
That's where Gordon Hayward comes into play. He's not OKC's savior by any means, and won't be expected to carry the bulk of the scoring load. But replacing one of Giddey or Dort with Hayward will likely give the Thunder much more room to work on the offensive end.
Hayward has never been a volume outside shooter, but he has always been rock solid. Teams simply can't leave him wide open, and he has never been just another role player at any point in his career. His 36.1% average from 3-point range this year is even more impressive considering the floor spacing he was dealing with in Charlotte and the losing basketball.
Both Giddey and Dort obviously have positive traits they bring to the floor, but replacing just one of them with Hayward could open up so much for this Thunder team. Any time a possession ends in a shot not taken by Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams or Chet Holmgren it feels like a win for the opposing team. And that's a serious problem.
Haywards craftiness inside the arc is much better than both Dort and Giddey, and his outside shot making is on another planet. After the All Star break, the floor could open up in a big way for this Thunder squad.
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