There\u2019s no doubt that if OKC puts time into these issues, they will slowly start to resolve themselves, but that\u2019s always easier said than done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are three areas where OKC must improve before next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1. Offensive Rebounding<\/p>\n
Grabbing and allowing offensive rebounds is no doubt Oklahoma City\u2019s worst flaw. The Thunder were one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league last year, only grabbing 9.6 per game. Additionally, they let opponents grab an average of 11.9 offensive rebounds per game on them. This differential of -2.3 ranked OKC dead last in the entire league, and is something that can\u2019t happen again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isaiah Hartenstein does all he can, but other players like Chet Holmgren<\/a> and Jaylin Williams have to step up and lend a hand. Luckily, rookie Aday Mara could be a big help in the paint this coming season and could start to turn this weakness into more of a strength for Oklahoma City.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Deep-Range Defense<\/p>\n The Thunder play aggressively; there is no doubt about that, but sometimes they can play a little too aggressively. The squad’s aggressive play has paid off as they cause more turnovers per game than almost every other team, but this sometimes leaves them out of position. When they do get put out of position, teams take advantage of this and let the three-ball fly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oklahoma City allows the third-most three-point shots made per game at 14.3. Because of the volume of deep shots the team allowed, OKC was always trying to match their opponent. This put the team in some rough situations down the line, and sometimes cost the Thunder games because of terrible shooting performances. If Oklahoma City can limit the three-ball and play its game, it won\u2019t have to worry about bad three-point shooting nights as bad.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. Attacking elite defenders<\/p>\n This is a more specific area, but the Thunder can\u2019t try to change their game because of one defender. We saw this in the conference finals this past year, where the squad was timid about going at Spurs big Victor Wembanyama. This hindered the squad a ton until they finally started going at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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