The Thunder Have Taken a Statistical Leap Since Last Season

In nearly every statistical aspect, the Thunder have improved since last season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have undergone quite a few changes since last season. First off, the draft happened, which brought in Chet Holmgren – who is out for the season, Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng and Jaylin Williams, who are all on the roster at the moment.

They parted with many players from last years’ squad, which have mostly found new homes elsewhere this season, whether in the league or overseas.

Some things haven’t changed, however, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the team's leading scorer. One thing to note is that his leading scoring last season was 24.5 points per game, which is now 30.8 points per game. His jump alone has helped the season tremendously.

Chip Engelland was brought to the squad, and that helped some of the guys, and will continue to help them, too. Josh Giddey looks better as a shooter, and his scoring is up this season.

As a team, the Thunder had a 104.6 offensive net rating last season. This season, that number is at 111.6, which is 21st in the league compared to being 29th last season.

Last season, the Thunder’s 112.8 defensive rating was good for 18th in the league. This season, they’re at 133.3, which has them sitting at 20th in the league.

Overall, the Thunder’s net rating took a jump from -8.2 to -1.7. This is visible, too, as the offense looks to be producing much better all around. Though, the defense needs to be where it was earlier in the season when it was a top-10 defense. 

For the offense, the team needs to come together and find their successes again. They’ve shown better this season, and if they reach their potential on that side of the ball, they could potentially have a positive net rating this season.

On a pure scoring basis, the team averaged 103.7 points per game last season, which isn't a fun brand of basketball. Now, they’re averaging 115.8 points per game, which is good for seventh in the NBA. They currently play with the fifth best pace, which helps with the points per game.

Nonetheless, the Thunder have shown many signs of improvement and are rapidly becoming a team that can compete in nearly any game they play. Statistically and eye test, the Thunder are a much better team than last season.

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