3 reasons why the OKC Thunder look like NBA's weakest team for the 2021-22 NBA season
Going into the 2021-22 NBA season, roughly six teams could understandably be labeled as focused on developing talent rather than winning every possible basketball game. Those teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Of that group, the Cavaliers and Pistons seem to roster a notable number of talented basketball players, even if those players are not currently producing at a high-level. It feels undeniable to state that the Thunder have the least talented roster in the NBA heading into the regular season.
Their first two games back up that sentiment. They faced the Utah Jazz in the opener, where Oklahoma City were massive underdogs, and proceeded to get blown out from very early on with a final tally of 86-107.
More surprisingly, their next game came against the underwhelming Rockets and the Thunder were again blown out of the water, 91-124.
Losing to a team of that caliber by a hefty margin draws attention. Here are three reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder are showing they might be the worst team in the NBA throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 The OKC Thunder seem quick to wave the white flag
The best teams will put up a fight until the final buzzer, always believing there is a chance to overcome the deficit and succeed in securing a comeback victory. It's far too early to say for certain, but the trend two games in when it comes to resistance is concerning.
Losing hope against the Utah Jazz is somewhat forgivable. One of the league's best regular season teams for years now jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and the game was never close again.
For their second showdown, which came against the Rockets, a ten-point deficit grew to 13 before reaching the first intermission. As I stated earlier, the Rockets are far from a supremely talented NBA roster and Oklahoma City should have been competitive at the very least.
Not a single one of their players logged upwards of 30 minutes on the night since the coaching staff was practically forced to phone it in by the start of the fourth quarter.
#2 The Thunder face a lack of self-creation
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander projects to be a future All-Star in the NBA, and the Oklahoma City Thunder probably don't think that time is far away. The 23-year-old guard averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds last season while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three, and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line.
That level of production could have landed SGA on the All-Star roster last season if the Thunder had won a few more than 22 games in the year. Shai accomplished that while being the only player on the roster capable of creating for himself.
That issue remains true for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. Josh Giddey, their most recent lottery selection, has significant upside in that aspect of the game but the newly turned 19-year-old certainly has some time before it comes to fruition.
After that, the Oklahoma City Thunder would have to look towards Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski and Lugentz Dort - none of whom possess that skillset. Not only is this a fatal roster construction flaw if the goal is to win games, but it restricts Gilegous-Alexander's impact when defenses can comfortably sag far off his teammates.
#1 OKC needs to focus on development
With where the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise currently lies, an emphasis on understanding their young talent and giving them every chance to grow makes sense. Sam Presti is hoarding a treasure chest of assets that may be consolidated at some point in the future but are contributing nothing to the franchise in the immediate.
Calling the Oklahoma City Thunder young almost seems like an understatement of sorts. Of the 10 players who averaged at least 15 minutes over the first two games of the season, only two are over the age of 24.
Roughly half of those ten, if not more, will not be given minutes on teams with playoff aspirations. Josh Giddey, Theo Maledon, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Tre Mann all can't even legally have an alcoholic beverage in the United States.
The logic of allowing young, raw talents to play through their mistakes in NBA action to fast-track and optimize their development is far from foreign. It just comes with the understanding off struggling to win basketball games, but it doesn't seem like the Oklahoma City Thunder are taking issue with that - not much of a surprise.
Rolling over and dying after the fellow bottom-feeding Houston Rockets jumped to a first-half lead was. The Oklahoma City Thunder very well may be the worst team of the 2021-22 NBA season.