Don’t look now, but here come
the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They might get overlooked for
their age, but make no mistake: these young Thunder are for
real.
Since the 1970-1971 season, the
Thunder are the youngest team to finish with the best record in
their conference, with a weighted average age of 23.92. This was
one of the best surprises of the season after they finished just
the 10th seed last year, and this incredible jump left people
impressed by their feat.
Throughout the season, OKC
finished:
- 2nd in Net Rating: +7.3
- 3rd in Offensive Rating: 118.3
- 4th in Defensive Rating 111.0
- 1st in 3P%: 38.9%
- 1st in steals: 8.5
- 1st in blocks: 6.6
- 1st in Turnovers Forced: 15.7
- 1st in Contested FG: 47.4
- 1st in Points off Turnovers: 20.5
- 1st in Bench 3P%: 40.3%
These are phenomenal numbers for
a team as young as them and the level of maturity and discipline
within their youth is off the charts.
The Thunder are led by their
young superstar and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous Alexander,
averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists at age 25; has
50+ games of 30 points or more, leading the second youngest team in
the league atop the West. Gilgeous-Alexander is also the only
Thunder player ever to average back-to-back 30-point seasons, an
impressive feat for a franchise that once had Kevin Durant, Russell
Westbrook, and James Harden on one team.
Jalen Williams has ascended to a
star in just his sophomore season, being a true No.2 option behind
SGA’s MVP act. Williams has all you want for an ideal ‘Robin’:
three-level scoring, playmaking chops, and tenacious defense – the
23-year-old just exudes two-way level all-star potential. And he’s
insanely clutch too, with the Thunder trusting him having the ball
on his hands a lot of times in the 4th quarter and he has more
often than not delivered for them.
Chet Holmgren has had one of the
most impressive rookie seasons in recent memory, and if not for a
superhuman year by Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren would have been
clearly the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award. The
7-foot-1 beanpole has lifted the Thunder to newer heights this
season by improving their defense and being the final piece to
complete the puzzle. Last season OKC struggled without a legitimate
big man who could protect the rim. With Holmgren in the fold, it
has been an entirely different story for the team. What’s more, is
that Holmgren can space the floor and knock down threes when needed
and it is something the Thunder have that makes them even more
dangerous and hard to guard.
OKC is a team built on insane
chemistry, which goes to show the bond these guys play with each
other. This has translated to joy and confidence on the court led
to them playing high-level basketball, and each win and loss they
faced throughout the regular season has only strengthened them as a
group. This has helped them battle through adversity and they hope
they could bring it in during the playoffs.
2024 Thunder regular season basketball was a
MOVIE ⛈️ 🎥 🍿Playoffs are next and @NickAGallo
WITH THE BARK 👀
#ThunderUp | @okcthunder
| @BallySports
📺 pic.twitter.com/dpSlNKjAVK— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK)
April 14, 2024
When the dust settled, it was
clear to everyone: the Thunder had one of the best seasons they’ve
had in years. They secured the No.1 overall seed in the West for
the first time since 2012, the year when they went all the way to
the NBA Finals. And they certainly hope they can replicate that
this year with this group.
“We have to go do it now. We are
0-0 entering the playoffs,” head coach Mark Daigneault stressed
what happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now.
Teams might think that going
through them might be an easy task, but the Thunder are going to be
ready for battle. For a team that’s ‘overachieved’ during the
regular season, they are out to prove they are not to be messed
with and they intend to go on a deep playoff run.
