NBA power rankings roundup: Thunder are a ‘proverbial box of chocolates’
The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame injuries to split two series against the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves over the past week.
Even with that 2-2 record, they dropped in almost every national ranking that is part of this roundup. For the most part, they held rather stagnant, dropping just one spot in two of them, but they were unable to repeat last week’s positive reception from analysts around league.
The Thunder are 10-12 on the season going into the Monday game against the Los Angeles Lakers. They have played .500 basketball over the last eight games.
Here’s a rundown of OKC’s placement in power rankings released by major outlets on Monday:
ESPN: 25th (down 1)
ESPN clearly still isn't sold on the Thunder despite the 10-12 record. Analyst Royce Young noted that even though they're almost .500, their net rating is one of the worst in the league. But they've been good in close games, and it's because of guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently learned a thing or two from Chris Paul on how to close, ranking in the top 15 of most clutch-time categories this season."
This includes the Saturday night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he scored nine of the final 11 Thunder points and assisted the game-winning bucket when he got double-teamed. Even with that, the Thunder dropped a spot to No. 25 on ESPN's ranking.
The Athletic: 25th (down 1)
Another outlet has the Thunder dropping one spot to No. 24. Zach Harper of The Athletic moved them down one in part because they almost blew that big halftime lead against Minnesota. Harper's most recent power ranking featured an overview and analysis of his preseason prediction. He was actually high on the Thunder compared to most others, writing that they'd stay in playoff contention for most of the season. Well, we're more than a quarter of the way through, and they're just a game and a half back of the eighth seed.
"For the Thunder, the key is going to be figuring out how to remain competitive defensively but find a way to score some points. Their bench needs to really provide some help."
NBA.com: 24th (down 4)
The Thunder dropped four spots and lost all the gain they made last week on John Schuhmann's ranking on NBA.com. They went from 24 to 20 last edition and are now back down to where they were two weeks ago. Schuhmann called Oklahoma City a "proverbial box of chocolates." You don't know what you'll get from them, as evidenced by them bouncing back from that bad Houston Rockets loss and that differential between the first and second halves against the Timberwolves on Saturday. That apparently doesn't bode well for their ranking. Schuhmann did compliment Al Horford, though:
"He’s one of 10 players who have played at least 350 minutes, with their teams having been at least 5.0 points per 100 possessions better on both ends of the floor with them in the game."
The Rookie Wire: 23rd (down 3)
The Thunder dropped a few spots in the Rookie Wire's ranking, but analyst Cody Taylor thinks they can continue to play ball around this level for the rest of the season.
"Oklahoma City will likely continue to be around .500 this season, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, they will be entertaining to watch."
The Thunder had been ranked 20th by the Rookie Wire last season. They are one spot above the Cleveland Cavaliers and two ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.
Bleacher Report: 21st (no change)
Bleacher Report is impressed with the Thunder, particularly Horford and wing Lu Dort. But the outlet and analyst Mo Dakhil aren't quite sold on Oklahoma City yet. This coming week, starting with Monday night's game, will give the league a look at how they compete against actual contenders.
"This week will be a true test for the Thunder as they go on the road for a miniseries against the Los Angeles Lakers, face the Denver Nuggets away from home and then host the Milwaukee Bucks. Those four games will be a true litmus test."
CBS Sports: 22nd (down 6)
CBS Sports moved the Thunder up eight whole spots last week. Analyst Colin Ward-Henninger took back most of those spots in this week's rankings. Oklahoma City dropped six spots to No. 22. Ward-Henninger spoke positively about Horford and also mentioned the success of Hamidou Diallo. With all the injuries, the Thunder have had to get creative with their lineups.
"Some of the lineups might have been unrecognizable to casual fans, but the Thunder went 2-2 this week, splitting series with the Rockets and Timberwolves."
Overall, not bad for a team with a rotation full of athletes who are relatively unknown to many fans of other teams.
