Oklahoma City's Two-Way Proficiency Leaves Tiny Margin for Error for Opponents

The Thunder's defense forces the most turnovers in the NBA while its offense simultaneously turns the ball over the lease. That leaves little room for error for its matchups.

Nov 25, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) pushes the ball up the court during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of, if not the most, adept defenses in the entire association thus far this season.

Best defensive rating with allowing just 103.2 points a night, way out in front of any team in steals with 12.1 and allowing the least points in the paint without having a big man for a decent portion of the year until Isaiah Hartenstein's recent joining, the Thunder is going to be a ridiculously tough defense to crack once fully healthy.

The team hasn't even seen Hartenstein, 7-foot, and Chet Holmgren, 7-foot-1, on the floor together or in the rotation concurrently and they're accomplishing these feats.

But on top of that, Oklahoma City is a team who forces an abundance of turnovers while also having a stronghold on the ball offensively. The Thunder easily forces the most turnovers in the NBA with a 19.8% rate, all while giving up the ball at a league low 11.7% rate offensively---this margin for error for opponents to have to capitalize on and bridge the gap is a large worry in itself when crafting a game plan, and it's a large part of the reason why they're first in the Western Conference.

These numbers lead to heightened fast break opportunities and subsequently more shots from the floor, leaving them more chances at the cup and more chances to score. Naturally, Oklahoma City sits atop the NBA with 21.6 points per game off turnovers, and still sitting in the top ten in fast break points with 16.8 per game.

This ability to limit its own errors and maximize its opponents' mistakes seeps into many other facets, and creates separation that is almost hidden at times. When watching this team, you'll look up and suddenly it's a ten-point advantage for Oklahoma City, even when it may have felt like an evenly matched contest to that point.

This is what creating turnovers and minimizing your own can do for you. They'll look to keep that same momentum till Holmgren's return and of course the remainder of the season.

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