When looking at the Western Conference standings, no team is more of a wild card than the Thunder. Their roller-coaster season and the up-and-down performance of their stars make them an unpredictable force in the West.
At one point, they looked poised to make a serious postseason run. Now, nobody has expectations for them to do much of anything.
To start the 2018/19 campaign, Oklahoma City had the 10th worst offensive rating in the NBA, shooting a league-worst 32.2 percent from deep and a league-third-worst 70.3 percent from the charity stripe. They entered 2019 with a measly 23-13 record. Following the new year, however, their turn-around convinced many they were a serious threat. They were the 7th best offense in the league during January and held the 2nd best 3-point percentage in the league at 40 percent.
But, after the All-Star break, the Thunder have collapsed completely once again. After being an early MVP candidate, Paul George is on his annual late-season slump, their bench has failed to step up, and Russ is struggling o get his teammates in a groove as springtime settles in.
All in all, it has been quite a collapse for the Thunder this season. Come playoff time, nobody seems to know what version of them to expect: the team we saw in January, or the team we’re seeing now.
Either way, this cannot be what the Thunder had in mind for this season, or what Paul George signed up for when he committed to the team long-term in 2018.
Nonetheless, we will see what they are made of in a few weeks, especially if they have to face Golden State in the first round.
