Stiles Points: Arkansas Products Making Impact on OKC Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in the NBA consistently this season. While it is easy to point to headliners like MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Most Improved Player candidate Jalen Williams, or Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren the Thunder's depth deserves props.
Recently those efforts have been led by a couple of Arkansas products, Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Joe. In Friday's win against Miami, the Razorback duo combined for 15 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
Joe has been impacted the game for a while, and according to Mark Daigneault other teams are starting to take notice because the shooting guard can "change the game."
While the sharpshooter has impacted the game for a while now for Oklahoma City, Williams has rounded into form this past month. The big man provides physicality in his minutes, including doing a good job of limiting Heat star Bam Adebayo in this game.
Entering tonight in his last six games Williams averaged 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc on over two attempts a game, making a massive impact in his 16 minutes per contest.
Each of them provides versatility for the Thunder. Williams spent time against Miami as the lone big on the floor as well as pairing with Chet Holmgren, as the 6-foot-9 big man gives OKC an uptick in the physicality department. With Joe's improved defense and elite floor spacing, shoehorning him into lineups around anyone on the Thunder roster is easy for Mark Daigneault to do.
The two Fort Smith, AR natives deserve a hat tip for the Thunder's success this season as Oklahoma City continues to build out a deep roster around their stars.
Stiles Points
- Aaron Wiggins was electric in the fourth quarter posting seven points on perfect shooting, two rebounds, an assist, and a block.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander logged 12 final frame points, three rebounds, and two blocks earning OKC a massive win over Miami.
- Despite his black eye and cuts, Chet Holmgren is responding and not phased by the physicality level in the NBA.
- This is another game that exemplifies the Thunder's ability to turn it on as the game gets into closing time. Erasing a double-digit deficit in the second half and pulling away in the final minutes, the Thunder are primed to thrive in big games.
- Oklahoma City owns the longest active home winning streak in the NBA (8).
- With Minnesota falling in the second night of a back-to-back with Cleveland, the Oklahoma City Thunder have regained control of first place in the Western Conference.
Song of the Day: Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy
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