NBA Cup loss could be exact reality check Thunder needed

The Oklahoma City Thunder (20-5) have a nearly flawless roster from top to bottom, but their Achilles heel is defensive rebounding and getting overwhelmed by size. 

They filled that hole with Isaiah Hartenstein's acquisition, but even the 7-foot German couldn't help them front getting "big boy'ed" by the Bucks' front court of Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Tuesday's NBA Cup final. While they were out-rebounded 52-43, it felt like a lot more, as Hartenstein, Jalen Williams and Co. couldn't match the physicality of the Bucks and were overwhelmed in the paint on both ends of the floor. 

The Bucks recognized the size mismatch and kept throwing the ball to Antetokounmpo in the post rather than trying to attack OKC's league-best perimeter defense led by Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso. As such, Damian Lillard limited his dribble penetration and shot only 12 times, most of them off the bounce or coming off screens.

Analyst Tim Legler felt the Bucks looked like men among boys in the NBA Cup final, highlighting that Antetokounmpo (19) and Lopez (nine) nearly outrebounded Thunder's entire starting five (31). 

"Sometimes, Oklahoma City just looked outmanned in terms of what they can provide in the paint defensively," Legler said on "SportsCenter" on ESPN. 

The Thunder's issue with size first reared its ugly head during last year's Western Conference semifinals when they gave up 73 offensive rebounds to the Mavericks and were outrebounded by nearly 30 across the six-game series. 

One wonders if it would make sense for OKC to start both Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren when the latter returns from injury, rather than playing the undersized Williams at the four spot. OKC could run into similar issues against the Mavericks or a Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets team in the playoffs. 

Despite leading the league in most defensive metrics, the Thunder rank No. 29 in defensive rebound percentage, No. 20 overall in rebounds and, most worryingly, No. 29 in opponent rebounds. 

The loss to Milwaukee could be the wake-up call for Oklahoma City to revisit the issue with size and rebounding.