Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Need Role Players to Step Up, But Sky Isn't Falling

The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost just nine games this season but one common theme has carried over from not only each loss but last postseason. There is just one fix to the situation.
Jan 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Clank, clank, clank; wash, rinse, repeat. The Oklahoma City Thunder role players went 0-for-17 from beyond the arc on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors. It's dreadful nine makes on 39 attempts were split between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe - with only the ladder shooting above 33 percent from distance.

That is not good enough to waltz into the Aggie Gym and beat the Cameron Aggies on a given night, much less pull off a win in the Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors, the rest is rendered meaningless.

Credit to the Warriors, on the second night of a back-to-back they looked fresher than the Thunder on two days rest. They out-executed, out effort'd and out-performed Oklahoma City.

Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropping 52 points on 55 percent shooting from the floor, it ended the same way Joe Walsh's solo career, a loss.

Just as Walsh will always have his hit song Life's Been Good, Gilgeous-Alexander will always have this gaudy box score during a game in which the superstar tried every way to drag his team to a win. Ultimately, the Bayside session ended with the Thunder's ninth loss of the year.

Oklahoma City will enter February with less than ten losses. That makes it impossible to seriously rant and rave about how they need to be better or what this loss means or give in to the public pressure of writing some think piece to drum up outrage and match social media reactions.

However, it's not difficult to point out a constant trend: The Thunder's role players have to get more comfortable.

Dating back to last season's playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City's supporting cast has shied away from shots, clanked clean looks and avoided outlier performances that its matchups enjoy en route to rare wins over the Thunder.

Despite the morning-after feeling, these circumstances do not happen every game - if it did the Thunder wouldn't have just nine losses a couple weeks away from the All-Star break. Though, when those outings occur, it is loud.

The bottom line is: The Thunder have to shoot better. That is not exactly splitting the atom analysis, teams who turn in 40/21/80 shooting splits typically lose.

This problem has been a common thread for the seldom losses the Thunder have accrued (13) since sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of last year's playoffs.

Despite its superstar getting white-hot each night offensively, dictating the defense and becoming unguardable for 48 minutes, eventually team's force "the others," to beat them, with blitzes, traps, zones and the kitchen sink thrown at Gilgeous-Alexander.

None of those supporting cast members relish in that fact the way a P.J. Washington or Andrew Wiggins does. While that fearless confidence and comfortability leads to outlier games that frustrate fans - it is due more respect than tossing your hands up and saying "It's just one of those games." It is a true skill to step up on the lonely island behind the 3-point tape with the opposing defense daring you to shoot and often in these games, the Thunder do not have a player capable of that...yet.

What is now becoming a daily reminder: This team is still unbelievably young comparatively to its success and will continue to develop - and perhaps grow this very trait. But for now, no one can count on it happening in the clutch or what would be deemed big games.

The most important thing for Oklahoma City to focus on in the second half of the year is instilling this level of gusto in one or two of these marginal players to give yourself a shot at outrage-inducing outlier stat lines.

For now? No one besides Jalen Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander and Joe scored even five points. So what is the fix?

For one: Shoot better. For two: gaining confidence and comfortability in these moments. For three: Do not overthink it. More often than not, the role players do enough to pull off wins, so there is no reason to fret over games like this. For Four: Get Healthy.

Sure, you can call it a cop-out or label it excuse-making, but it is the truth. Chet Holmgren changes everything. The same people who shoot down the idea of Holmgren providing a quick fix to these woes once he returns are the same to spout out how generational he can be. How talented he is. And how his basketball career lives in a house with a lofted ceiling.

Is it not a bit hypocritical to say those things, then dismiss the idea that a team with an offense that owns the seventh most points per game and sixth-best offensive rating could stand a boost from Holmgren's return? A boost good enough to win multiple playoff series on the back of its league-best net rating and historic defense that also improves with this generational defensive talent?

It is okay to acknowledge that the Thunder role players such as Aaron Wiggins (0-for-4 from 3) and Cason Wallace (0-for-3 from 3) have to shoot better in games like this, without running around cosplaying as Chicken Little with each loss.

Despite this Bay Arena Blunder, Oklahoma City remains in as good or a spot as anyone to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.

Stiles Points:

  • OKC Thunder defensive ace Alex Caruso left the game against the Golden State Warriors due to an ankle injury.
  • Down on the farm, Dillon Jones continues to progress in the NBA G League.
  • The Oklahoma City Thunder are not facing a title or bust season, despite expectation levels climbing.
  • Isaiah Joe capped off a brilliant month of January with a 5-for-10 shooting night from beyond the arc.

Song of the Day: Life's Been Good by Joe Walsh.


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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network.