The preseason is almost over, tip-off to the regular season is just 11 days away, and we can hardly contain ourselves. Today, we take a look at the Thunder’s offense last season, which ranked 11th in the league in points per game with 106.6 (from stats.nba.com).
Oklahoma City’s offense was essentially a one-man show a year ago. When Russell Westbrook was on the floor, points were a possibility, but as soon as he took a seat, scoring was a rare commodity, not a common occurrence. A few days ago, we talked about the Thunder’s poor offensive and net ratings, and even though the numbers look okay as far as points per game go, there is more to an offense than simply the numbers. You have to take into consideration what a team does to get those points.
Through three preseason games, the Thunder is averaging just 95 points per game, but this is no cause for concern. Preseason games are handy for trying out different lineups, developing rotations, and establishing roles, while also giving younger guys some opportunity for play time.
For the first time ever, Oklahoma City has three players who should average more than 20 points per game. Last season, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, George averaged 23.7 points, and Anthony averaged 22.4 points. Some critics think that three ball-dominant stars will struggle to play together, but the opportunity look promising.
Depending upon how well the three stars play together and move the ball, this Thunder squad could compete with some of the league’s best offenses. They have all shown some signs of rust in these early games, but hopefully it won’t take very long for them to work out some chemistry and get a feel for what works best for the team.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.