OKC Thunder Flaunt Refined Outside Shooting in Season Opener

Throughout Oklahoma City's win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, the Thunder were efficiently hitting from deep.

Oklahoma City was firing on all cylinders in each offensive facet in the team's season debut on Wednesday night, but its most noticeable improvement came from 3-point range.

Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace and Ousmane Dieng led the team in threes off the bench, helping extend the Thunder's lead to as much as 21 en route to its 20-point win over the Chicago Bulls, 124-104. 

Each sank three 3-pointers, of which Wallace went perfect from the field while Joe and Dieng respectively shot five and six times from beyond the arc. Joe and Wallace were excellent off the catch, while Dieng was too but was able to create those 3-point opportunities for himself as expected.

This trio were the leading factors in helping the Thunder secure a 48.7% 3-point percentage on the night. While certainly not sustainable over the course of the season, to shoot 13% over the team's previous year's average in an opening contest is a great feat regardless.

Could it have simply been a great shooting night, or does it possibly foreshadow a theme we might see with Oklahoma City throughout this season?

Each starter knocked down two threes apiece with nobody taking more than Jalen Williams' six attempts. Intelligent shot selection was shown from the starting lineup, and it seemingly seeped into the second unit. 

Lu Dort displayed a much more relaxed approach to easing into his 3-point tries than years past. Wallace, the rookie guard from Kentucky, exhibited his smart 3-point shot selection and ability to sink the trey.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is finding his true rhythm from distance too, as seen in FIBA play and now as his patience continues to grow — his drop cross to get his defender on edge as he snatches back looked more fluid than ever on Wednesday night, and it's proving to be efficient as well.

Chet Holmgren's NBA debut saw him with his own pair of triples, looking well prepared as a catch-and-shoot trailer like he did at Gonzaga. Josh Giddey looks to again improve upon his 6% jump in 3-point shooting from a season ago, as his shot looked confident as he went 66.7% from distance.

There are so many weapons from outside the 3-point line for this team suddenly, something that had not quite been established a year ago — and that's without mentioning Vasilije Micic and Davis Bertans who sat against Chicago. While not a horrible shooting team from three last season as No. 18 in the league in 3-point percentage, it was an area that was unreliable for the Thunder.

Now, with an arsenal of outside shooters alongside dynamic offensive playmakers like Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, Oklahoma City is well equipped to be a lethal shooting team.

Should they continue their approach of smart shot selection and efficiency, this first game could project a long season of knockdown Thunder moneyballs.

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