What to Make Of OKC Thunder Games Against Short Handed Squads

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen a repeat of last season, sitting atop of the Western Conference yet again. Though, while the Thunder have dealt with injury struggles of their own, they have also faced short handed squads this season. What to make of games like this weekend's back to back.

Dec 29, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) meet af / © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder sit atop the Western Conference for the second straight year, leading the no. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies by five games. This, on the back of an 11 game winning streak for the OKC Thunder.

During this season, the Thunder have dealt with its own bad injury luck. Rising star Chet Holmgren is going to miss the majority of the regular season after being sidelined since early November. Alex Caruso has been in and out of the lineup. Isaiah Hartenstein, Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams started the year on the shelf. Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace have all missed at least a game. Still, Oklahoma City has rolled with the punches to the tune of a 26-5 record.

However, is is not just the Thunder that are banged up. Its opponents often haven't been close to full strength. This season alone, Oklahoma City has played a Durant-less Suns team, a Magic team missing Paolo Banchero twice and Franz Wanger once, a Nuggets squad without Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon, a Luka Doncic-less Mavericks team, a Spurs squad without Victor Wembanyama, a Warriors team without Steph Curry, a LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller-less Hornets team and most recently a Grizzlies team that looked more like the Memphis Hustle headlined by Ja Morant and Zach Edey in street clothes.

This doesn't take away from the Thunder's success, as the team lives up to the preseason contention hype through its own adversity, but does take away measuring stick games to date. A five-game homestand against contenders started Sunday without Morant, Edey, Marcus Smart, Brandon Clarke or Santi Aldama on the other side.

The growing trend is something out of the Oklahoma City's control, but as superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander points out, they would rather face teams at full strength.

"It is neither frustrating or difficult its something to adjust to. You are in this league to play the best players in the world. You want to play them, you get up to play them, it is fun to play them, it is fun to compete, its fun to see how good you really are, and you do that by going against the best," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Like you said, we can't control [if players play] but, obviously, it happens. All we can do is put our best foot forward, and that is what we try to do....If you ask me which one I prefer, obviously its to play teams fully healthy at their full strength so we can see who we really are."

In the meantime, all the Thunder can do is TCB - take care of business - against inferior opponents. To its credit, they have. In these games, all you can take away is the little moments, the electric plays that stand out as potential carry over outings to more meaningful, competitive games.

Those tests are rapidly approaching. On Tuesday the Oklahoma City Thunder play a projected healthy Minnesota Timberwolves team. Followed up by a scrappy Clippers squad, a contending Knicks team and the reigning champion Celtics.

This is followed up by metting with Cleveland twice in an eight day stretch and a econd game against the Knicks, that time in New York. Soon, the Thunder will have plenty of measuring stick contests to see how it truly stacks up - intel needed especially as the trade deadline looms.

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