Oklahoma City's offense has been fine as of late, but it could be elite with a 3-point threat. Isaiah Joe was that threat through the first half of the season, but his recent slump has left the Thunder with questions in regard to outside shooting.
With Lu Dort's drop off and Josh Giddey's struggles from outside, the Thunder haven't had an answer for Joe's struggles. The 3-point shooting shouldn't rely solely on Joe, but for the Thunder, that's how it is.
Mark Daigneault has tried Davis Bertans over the last few weeks at random times, but it hasn't completely worked. Oklahoma City needs Joe to revert back to his form over the first few weeks of the season.
Joe is still averaging 9.8 points per game on 43.2% from 3-point range, which should show how good he was to start the season. For a few weeks, he was even shooting over 50% from deep. His confidence was clear, and he let it fly with an inch of space. It was a big boost to Oklahoma City’s offense and give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a perfect safety valve.
Over the last eight games, however, Joe has struggled to find his groove in the offense. He’s shooting just 13-of-47 from deep, which equals out to 27.6%. In the Thunder's last two losses, the team couldn't convert anything from long range. Against Houston, Oklahoma City shot just 8-of-29 from deep, and against Sacramento the team went 11-of-36.
In addition to struggling from deep, Joe’s playing time has started to dwindle. He’s still one of the first off the bench, but his minutes have been pretty inconsistent. He hasn’t played more than 15 minutes in three of the last four games.
For the Thunder's offense to reach its potential, Joe's shooting is a critical piece. Once he's back in a rhythm, the team will benefit in a big way.
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