Here’s a New Year’s resolution for the Thunder: Keep doing what you’re doing.
OKC (27-5) is off to the best start in team history. It already has a commanding lead in the Western Conference. And its net rating (11.9) is better than that of last season’s NBA champion Boston Celtics (11.7).
Winning the West, making the NBA Finals and planning a water taxi parade down the Bricktown Canal are all reasonable resolutions for the Thunder.
But what about individual player resolutions? We went through the Thunder’s top 12 players and assigned goals for the new year.
(Please don’t take these too seriously. We’re trying to have fun here).
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Win 2024-25 NBA MVP: The 26-year-old finished second to Nikola Jokic last season and fifth in 2022-23. SGA is putting up virtually the same numbers as he did a season ago, and the Thunder looks like a lock to repeat as the No. 1 seed. As of Monday, the Thunder had an 8.5-game lead on Jokic’s Nuggets. The Thunder is 9.5 games better than Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. With Mavericks star Luka Doncic out of the MVP race due to injury, SGA, Jokic and Giannis have separated themselves as the top-three contenders. This might be SGA’s year if the Thunder is that much better than the Nuggets and Bucks.
Learn how to draw fouls: Nineteen players, as of Monday, have attempted at least 500 shots this season. Of those 19, Jalen Williams has attempted the fewest free throws (101). Gilegous-Alexander, by contrast, is third in free throw attempts behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. J-Dub and the Thunder have bemoaned the lack of fouls Williams has drawn this season, but this is not an officiating issue. It’s a Jalen Williams issue. Williams is an excellent player, but he needs to learn how to draw fouls. You’d think he’d get a few more whistles given the force he plays with, but around the rim you need craft to get calls.
Eliminate pull-up 3-pointers from shot diet: It feels wrong to ask Lu Dort to refine his shot selection even more than he already has, but if you eliminate Dort’s pull-up 3-pointers (4 of 20), his 3-point percentage this season would jump from a good 38.6% to a great 41.1%. Granted, Dort is already on the right track. Fifty-nine percent of all his field goal attempts this season have been catch-and-shoot 3s, which he’s making at that aforementioned 41.1%. Side note: Dort continues to have dreadful numbers around the rim. He’s shooting 53.1% from the restricted area, the lowest among Thunder regulars. Nothing new on that front.
Feel like yourself by the playoffs: The Thunder is going to cruise to the No. 1 seed with or without Chet Holmgren (hip fracture). But OKC needs Holmgren back in time for the playoffs if it’s to make an NBA Finals run. Ideally, OKC will have a regular season ramp-up period for Holmgren to get his feel and conditioning back. And Mark Daigneault would probably like to see what a double-big pairing of Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein looks like before busting it out in the playoffs.
More:Why OKC’s 3-point efficiency drop is not concerning for a Thunder team built on defense
Finish top-five in rebounds per game: Isaiah Hartenstein is averaging a career-high 12.6 rebounds per game. If he qualified for the NBA leaderboard, that would rank him third in the NBA behind New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns (13.5) and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (13.5). Players have to play in at least 58 of 82 games (70%) to qualify as a league leader. Hartenstein, sidelined early in the season with a hand injury, has only played in 52% of the Thunder’s games. OKC’s prized free agent addition has been worth every penny.
Shoot at least 40% from 3-point range from here on out: Isaiah Joe shot 41% and 42% from 3-point range in his first two seasons with the Thunder. Joe is down to 35.1% from 3 this season, and his overall field goal percentage is 39%. Joe is shooting more 3s than ever (5.9 per game), and he’s generally getting clean looks. He and Hartenstein have developed quite the two-man chemistry. Joe’s shot will start falling. Finishing above 40% from January on isn’t too much to ask.
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Prove that you’re a capable 3-point shooter: Who is real Cason Wallace, the 42% 3-point shooter of a season ago, or the 30% shooter this season? Wallace is so elite on the defensive end that you’re going to live with the occasional clank, but it would do wonders for the Thunder’s spacing if Wallace started to hit 3s again. He’s shooting 24% on corner 3s. Last season he shot 45% from the corners.
Play a full game: This one’s admittedly a reach, but the numbers are stark. In first halves this season, Wiggins is shooting 50% from the field, including 47% from 3-point range. In second halves, 39% from the field and 21% from 3-point range. Wiggins shot just fine in second halves last season. This is probably just a small-sample blip.
Shoot league-average from 3-point range rest of season: That’s 36%, which is lower than Caruso’s career average (37%) and way lower than what he shot last season (41%). Of the 246 players who have attempted at least 50 3s this season, Caruso ranks 241st in percentage (26.2%). He feels like the ultimate luxury piece for OKC. Even when he’s not making 3s. He’s been a terror defensively.
Keep up the good free throw shooting: Don’t look now, but Kenrich Williams is shooting 100% (10 of 10) from the foul line! Not bad for a 54% career foul shooter. It’s never made sense why Williams is such a bad free-throw shooter, but perhaps he’s figured something out. Williams still barely gets to the line, but he’s already made more free throws this season in 21 games than he did last season in 69 games.
Make All-Rookie first-team: This is both an indictment of a poor rookie class and an acknowledgment of how good Ajay Mitchell has been. With no rookie putting up huge numbers, Mitchell should be recognized for his contributions to a contending team. Picked 38th and signed to a two-way contract, Mitchell is averaging 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting 51% from the field, 47% from 3-point range and 81% from the free-throw line.
Take lessons from Isaiah Hartenstein: With Holmgren sidelined, Jaylin Williams is the Thunder’s backup center behind Hartenstein. What an opportunity for J-Will to learn some of Hartenstein’s tricks. Williams has good vision for a big, but Hartenstein is an elite passer at the position. Williams doesn’t have Hartenstein’s size, but he could develop a similar skill set as Hartenstein.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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Thunder vs. Clippers
TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Thursday at Paycom Center (FanDuel Sports Network)
As we ring in the new year, it’s time for the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Jalen Williams, and the rest of the team, to set some resolutions for 2022. Here are a few goals they could strive to achieve:
1. Improve communication on the court: The Thunder have a young roster with plenty of talent, but they need to work on their communication to ensure they are all on the same page during games.
2. Develop chemistry: As the season progresses, SGA, Williams, and the rest of the team need to build trust and understanding with each other to create a cohesive unit on the court.
3. Focus on defense: Defense wins games, and the Thunder need to prioritize their defensive efforts to shut down opponents and secure more victories.
4. Stay healthy: Injuries have plagued the Thunder in recent seasons, so prioritizing health and wellness will be key to their success in 2022.
5. Continue to grow and develop: SGA and Williams have shown flashes of brilliance, but they need to continue to work on their skills and improve their game to reach their full potential.
By setting these resolutions and working together as a team, the Oklahoma City Thunder can make strides in 2022 and show the rest of the league what they are capable of. Cheers to a successful new year! #ThunderUp
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