OKC Thunder Slips Out of Top 5 in Updated NBA Power Rankings
After spending plenty of time in the top five in the NBA.com Power Rankings, the Oklahoma City Thunder has slipped to No. 6 in the rankings. They were leaped by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who climbed six spots to enter the top five, which ultimately saw the Thunder shuffle out of the top five.
In John Schuhmann's rankings, he explained the Thunder's rebounding woes, which have been a reason for some of the team's losses this season. With a 36-17 record on the season, Shuhmann cited how impressive it was that the Thunder has been so good despite them losing the battle on the glass.
"The Thunder did not get a big man at the deadline. They got Gordon Hayward in a trade that was sandwiched by two games in which they got absolutely clobbered on the glass," Shuhmann wrote.
Evidently, the Thunder didn't need to trade for a big man. They signed Bismack Biyombo out of free agency, giving them a second bruiser with a different play style than Jaylin Williams, the team's other backup big man. Obviously, come playoff time, the Thunder will have a shortened rotation and Holmgren will be playing the bulk of the minutes at the position.
The Thunder falling out of the top five rankings wasn't so much a product of any big losing streak or anything, but rather the Cavaliers winning 17 of their last 18 games and being the hottest team in the NBA.
Still, the Thunder is the No. 3 team in the Western Conference with just a game holding them back from the No. 1 seed. Falling out of the top five in the power rankings while being jumped by an Eastern Conference team with plenty of time to go in the regular season is a non-issue.
The Thunder has one more game before the All-Star break as they take on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday in one last attempt to finish strong before the break.
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