‘Uncommon’ Thunder Take Aim at Perception of Inexperience

After losing to the Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs as a No. 1 seed, the Thunder have to prove they learned from those losses. Though the Thunder have assembled a nearly perfect roster to address every positional need, Oklahoma City has to show it can counteract any opponent’s in-series adjustments.

“We have a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The goal is to win. However you get it done, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s going to look ugly at times. It’s going to look pretty at times. We want to be a team that gets it done, regardless.”

That mindset partly reveals the Thunder’s dueling and complementary identity.

The Thunder convey their youthful spirit with their celebratory group postgame interviews and their fashion choices. The Thunder also showcase their mature attitude with their preparation. Most of their postgame locker-room talk centers around the game itself, opponent tendencies and play calls.

After every game, OKC forward Lu Dort writes out detailed notes on his iPad about his defensive assignment. After every game, Gilgeous-Alexander meditates to reflect both on his highlights and his mistakes.

“I’ve understood the game inside the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve understood the mental aspect of the game and how to approach every day. The skill is what everyone is after. It’s fun and pretty in the summertime. You work on new things and try to put them in the game. But the mental part is what I found really sets you apart and helps you take leaps.”

OKC also has taken leaps because of how it surrounded Gilgeous-Alexander with the right talent.

After becoming overwhelmed on the glass last year in their playoff series against Dallas, the Thunder signed forward Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal. Though Hartenstein missed the first 15 games of the season with a fractured left hand, the Thunder managed his absence just fine with second-year forward Chet Holmgren exerting his two-way dominance. Shortly after Holmgren fractured his pelvis in an injury that ultimately sidelined him for 39 games, Hartenstein returned the favor.

Not only did Hartenstein average a team-leading 10.7 rebounds per game this season. He became an effective pick-and-roll partner with Gilgeous-Alexander and a dependable rim protector. Since Holmgren returned on Feb. 7, the Thunder have paired Holmgren and Hartenstein in a combined 167 minutes through 14 games. That five-man lineup, a unit that could become an effective option against any opponent’s elite centers, has yielded both an effective offensive rating (126.2) and defensive rating (111.2).

OKC has relied more on other lineups partly to account for the injuries to Holmgren and Hartenstein. Even with both players at full strength, however, the Thunder have mostly used small-ball lineups to take advantage of their wing depth. The Thunder have various contenders to make one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams.

They have a physical defender who often thrives by guarding the opponent’s best scorer (Dort). They have two athletic defenders who excel at disrupting passing lanes (Jaylen Williams, Cason Wallace). They have a scrappy defender who has won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers (2020) because of his hustle and communication (Alex Caruso).

“That’s probably the most important thing for us as a team — that everybody is stepping into their own whenever the time calls for them.” Caruso said. “That’s one of the luxuries of this team. We have so many guys who are skilled, versatile and can play. So a lot of that for me is trying to keep guys to be aggressive, even myself.”

The Thunder believe their elite defense will mostly determine their NBA title chances. Makes sense. OKC led the NBA this season in steals (10.3), deflections (21.0), opponent turnovers (17.1) and points off turnovers (21.8). The Thunder also rank second in blocks (5.7). The Thunder also have three players who rank among the top 10 in steals per game: Wallace (third, 1.8), Gilgeous-Alexander (fifth, 1.7) and Williams (seventh, 1.6).

“That’s what helps you win games on the biggest of stages,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s always our main focus. If we can stop you from scoring a certain amount, we can figure out the rest. Usually when we have bad nights and end up on the losing side of the column, it’s because our defense wasn’t there.”

Nonetheless, the Thunder have a reliable fall-back plan with their prolific offense.

Gilgeous-Alexander has mostly dominated as an isolation player with finishes at the rim and trips to the free-throw line (second-best in the NBA at 8.8 attempts per game). He has also improved as a playmaker (career-high 6.4 assists) and 3-point shooter (37.5%). Partly because of Gilgeous-Alexander’s gravity and skills, Williams (21.6 points per game), Holmgren (15), Aaron Wiggins (12), Hartenstein (11.2), Isaiah Joe (10.2) and Dort (10.1) have fueled a balanced offense.

The Thunder believe they can fine-tune some things offensively, too. After Williams made his first All-Star appearance this season, he’s expected to rectify last season’s playoff struggles against Dallas, when he shot only 42.4% from the field. They also expressed optimism about adapting to the postseason officiating after ranking 26^th in the regular season in free-throw attempts per game (20.4).

“That’s what you need in the playoffs,” Daigneault said. “You have to have a great competitive presence and not get distracted by anything outside of the possession that is in front of you.”

Despite their youth, the Thunder appear talented and mature enough to fulfill that job description. They will soon find out if they actually can.