Turnovers Key to Thunder’s Early Season Success
The average age of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s roster is 23 years old. But that isn’t stopping the franchise from taking care of the ball and limiting mistakes this season.
Per 100 possessions, the Thunder rank fifth with 13.6 turnovers. The only four teams to take better care of the ball are the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks — more seasoned squads with multiple veteran point guards and ball handlers.
This is largely due to having both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey in the starting lineup and playing over 30 minutes per game on average, making them the top two minute-getters per contest. Combined, the youthful, international duo turns the ball over just 6.5 times per game while accounting for the two highest usage rates on the roster. Gilgeous-Alexander’s usage rate is 32.9 and Giddey’s is 24.2.
Outside of the Thunder’s starting backcourt, other main contributors such as Luguentz Dort, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Tre Mann, and Kenrich Williams are turning the ball over less than 10% of the time. Pair that with the minutes given to Oklahoma City’s shooters, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Mike Muscala, who generally don’t cough up the rock because they are putting up a shot, and it’s easy to see why the franchise is having so much success taking care of the ball.
But not only are the Thunder not turning the ball over, but they are also forcing turnovers, too. Per 100 possessions, the team ranks seventh in the league with 7.8 steals.
Those 7.8 steals are turning into 19.5 points per 100 possessions for the Thunder, which ranks second in the league behind only the Toronto Raptors – a veteran team that features several defensive stalwarts such as Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes.
Needless to say, it seems that forcing turnovers and not turning the ball over has been a huge factor as to why Oklahoma City has been able to punch above their weight class in many games this season.
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