Why OKC Thunder’s Isaiah Joe Plans to ‘Keep Letting it Fly’

The Thunder’s sharpshooter isn’t discouraged by his down year.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots a three point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has had a terrific start to the season across the board. The Thunder’s defense has been historic, and the offense has been powered by one of the most efficient scorers the game has ever seen. At this point, it looks like a well-oiled machine.

As Thunder fans know, though, the regular season is completely different than the postseason. The floor shrinks in the playoffs, and the defenses improve. The offense can’t all be from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — and it won’t be, but the Thunder’s secondary players have to step up. Against the Mavericks in the second round, Oklahoma City struggled to get its supporting cast involved.

The bench is deep this year, and there’s plenty to like across the board. But an important key to the Thunder hitting its ceiling is based on the team’s 3-point shooting — and that starts with sharpshooter Isaiah Joe. Joe has been the Thunder’s sniper for the last two seasons, and is working to find a way out of a shooting slump. Despite a rough stretch, Joe isn’t worried — and why should he be? His career percentages speaks for itself.

“Break down the shot, go through some film,” Joe told reporters this week. “But at the end of the day, think it’s just confidence and just keep shooting. Eventually, something’s gonna shake. 

“I have a really optimistic look on a lot of things, so when it comes to that, I don’t like to dwell on it too much. The team has confidence in me. (I’ll) just keep letting it fly.”

Isaiah Joe admitted he "hasn't been shooting the best here lately."

On what he tells himself during those stretches: “Break down the shot, go through some film. But at the end of the day, think it’s just confidence and just keep shooting. Eventually, something’s gonna shake. I…

— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) January 6, 2025

And that’s exactly what Oklahoma City needs Joe to do. The only way to get back on track is to keep shooting with confidence, which is Joe’s role with the Thunder to begin with.

Joe’s current 3-point percentage is 35.3%, down from 41.6% a season ago. After two straight seasons of shooting over 40% from long range, though, there’s more data to suggest that’s closer to the player he is and this is just a rough stretch.

His confidence will be key down the stretch. With big games stacked within the next month, Oklahoma City will be hoping he finds his magic sooner rather than later.

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