Isaiah Joe Proving to be Critical to Oklahoma City's Success

Oklahoma City found a hidden gem in Isaiah Joe, and he's only getting better.

Isaiah Joe was the surprise of the season in Oklahoma City last year. It wasn't just a feel-good story, though, as the sharpshooter could now be a legitimate part of the Thunder's core moving forward. He's more than just a shooter, and Oklahoma City is better when he's on the floor.

A season ago, Joe averaged 9.5 points per game on 40.9% from 3-point range. It felt like the entire season, Oklahoma City was waiting for him to come back down to earth and mellow out from a distance. While he hit a late-season slump, he still had a terrific season shooting the basketball and showed what he was capable of.

Eight games into the 2023-24 campaign, Joe is proving his success from a season ago was no fluke. He has picked up right where he left off and is an impact player for the Thunder.

He's still averaging 9.5 points per contest and there has been no fall of in his outside shooting. Joe is shooting an impressive 39.6% from 3-point range and offering versatility on both ends of the floor.

Obviously, Oklahoma City falters without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor and it has been a consistent theme for a while now. But outside of Gilgeous-Alexander, Joe is the only other player who causes the Thunder's level of play to stoop when he's on the bench. Oklahoma City is a net minus-2.1 when Joe isn't on the floor, trailing only SGA who sits at -4.0.

When everyone else on the roster sits, the Thunder manage to maintain a positive plus-minus.

It shows how important Joe's floor spacing is in every lineup and how much the Thunder truly benefit from having a player like him on the court.

Oklahoma City has other floor spacers on the roster, but nobody else does as much as Joe does in terms of impacting the overall game. He's a sniper from deep but adds so much more to this Thunder team. He's proving to be crucial to Oklahoma City's success.

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