French Clubs Face European Football Showdown: Paris, Marseille, and Lille in Action This Week

• “They do a good job of creating confusion,” said Celtics guard Derrick White, a member of last season’s All-NBA defense team, after the Thunder beat Boston back in January. “They’re a tough team to guard, and I think the whole league is trying to figure [their scheme] out.”

However, there is one notable disparity between the Golden State teams and the Thunder, which could potentially make OKC even more difficult to defend against.

Oklahoma City, despite being the second-youngest team in the league, has not yet reached the same level of skill as their competitors. However, their similarities with the top-performing teams should be a cause for concern. The Thunder have a 39.6% success rate in three-point shots, outshining all other teams. Additionally, their 56.7% efficiency in jump shots surpasses the 73-win 2015-16 Warriors, previously known as the best in the league during the shot-tracking era, according to ESPN’s Stats & Info. Like Golden State, Oklahoma City does not rely heavily on pick-and-roll plays, but instead, their guards take on the majority of the work, similar to the Warriors’ strategy.

Stephen Curry and his team, the Golden State Warriors, who won a record-breaking 73 games.

During a game on November 30th, the Los Angeles Lakers learned the consequences of their relaxed defensive strategy against pick-and-rolls when Gilgeous-Alexander consistently exploited their tendency to leave their big players in the paint.

When asked about defending OKC’s attack, Holmgren jokingly remarked that he wouldn’t be able to reveal his strategy. He expressed uncertainty about how to stop their offense, as other teams have been using various defensive tactics such as zones, switches, and crossmatches. Holmgren saw this as a sign of respect, as opposing teams are adjusting their usual game plans in order to counter OKC’s strategies.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ deal for Mike Evans receives free agency grade.

MLB scouts are raving about 10 players.

• Comparing the Warriors to SGA and Thunder.
More ESPN+ content »

The Los Angeles team attempted to limit Gilgeous-Alexander’s access to the basket by positioning Anthony Davis and Christian Wood in the paint. However, the talented 25-year-old player was able to score freely at the beginning of the game, with three-pointers, easy midrange shots, layups, and free throws, resulting in 18 out of his total 33 points. Thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s strong performance, the Thunder dominated the Lakers in the second quarter, scoring 42 points.
However, the Warriors’ offense was not limited to what was apparent on the surface. In addition to having star players such as Curry, Thompson, Green, and Durant (depending on the season), the Warriors also had a unique strategy that flipped traditional offensive principles.

Reworded: Take this into account: The average distance between Thunder shooters and the closest defender when they make three-point shots after receiving kickout passes is nearly eight feet, the highest in the NBA. Interestingly, OKC has the same number of wide-open three-point attempts per game as the other team with the most in the league, and they have successfully made 41% of these shots.

In late January, 22-year-old Jalen Williams, a guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, stood on the center court logo as the home crowd buzzed with excitement. With the game tied and the final seconds ticking down, Williams dribbled the ball on the hardwood floor.

The Thunders’ offensive strategy is precise and efficient. They lead the league in transition points per game and also in points per possession during isolation plays. For the fourth year in a row, they have the most drives to the basket in the league. When opposing teams focus on defending Gilgeous-Alexander, he easily passes the ball to his teammates, who have ample time to relax, check their phones, and shoot.

The Lakers made changes to their strategy, but it was too late as Oklahoma City scored 133 points. Gilgeous-Alexander contributed to 20 points through his assists and personal scores against the Lakers’ drop defense, marking his highest score against this type of defense this season.

21-year-old Chet Holmgren is already a skilled shooter and game-changing player, even in his first official season.

OKC’s offensive scheme contains numerous plans, but none have been successful in consistently stopping their opponents.

To begin with, they employed the pick-and-roll strategy, which pressures defenses to make quick choices and is a core tactic for many NBA teams, less frequently than any other team. (This was true despite the fact that the Warriors had the most successful pick-and-roll plays in the league.) Instead, they heavily relied on their perimeter shooters to evade defenders by running off screens without the ball in order to generate shooting opportunities.

The catch? Golden State instructed their guards, including Curry, to set screens for their off-ball players. This clever strategy often left the world’s top shooter with two defenders in pursuit, opening up opportunities for his teammates to score easy layups at the rim. It was a genius move resembling a cheat code.

However, what is not allowed is to execute a drop command on them.

“They began changing their defensive strategies when we were 20 or 30 games into the season. It’s astonishing because those were only our initial 20 or 30 games playing together as a team.”

Additionally, the residents of Oklahoma City have a strong presence in the middle of the court, attempting an average of 10 shots per game and successfully making nearly 47% of them – the third-highest rate in the league. Williams, who holds a shooting percentage of 51.6% on midrange jumpers off the dribble, which is second only to Durant in league history, stated, “My strategy is to use power and persistence until someone intervenes. If someone does intervene, then I will switch to an alternative plan.”

After understanding the functioning of the guard-to-guard screening and its effectiveness in freeing up players, you become more inclined to use it,” Williams shared with ESPN. “Although it’s an adjustment, you end up embracing it as you witness its success.”

During the ten-year reign of Golden State, it was a usual occurrence to witness the team, led by their star point guard, finishing with the top three-point percentage in the league and the NBA’s best effective field goal percentage.

Holmgren can easily see when his opponents are becoming more frustrated. He noticed this trend after the first two months of play, when teams began using an aggressive strategy against them.

With less than five seconds left on the game clock, Williams made two dribbles before jumping from the left wing. His 18-foot shot soared high and dropped perfectly into the net, sealing the Thunder’s 111-109 victory.

Jerami Grant from the Portland team guarded him briefly, until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suddenly moved to the top of the key, taking his defender with him. This caused Grant to pause before deciding to also defend the superstar guard. As a result, Anfernee Simons, who was both the shortest and weakest defender on the court at 6-foot-3, was left as the final line of defense against 6-foot-5 Williams.

Subscribe to ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu to access your preferred live sports, stories, and original content. Upgrade to a Disney Bundle plan for a variety of streaming options starting today.
This season, the Oklahoma City NBA team has the most screen assists from guards, with a total of 216. The Warriors come close in second place with 198, and no other team has as many as 157.

However, Holmgren’s talent lies in his ability to create space on the floor by shooting 40% from the three-point line in four attempts per game. This creates problems for opposing defenses, as they struggle to effectively cover the ground and make meaningful defensive stops. This has also led to a 10-point advantage for Oklahoma City in the minutes where Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren are on the court together.

Holmgren, speaking to ESPN, expressed his enthusiasm for their early success, stating that it is uncommon for young teams and players in the NBA to achieve such accomplishments. However, he also acknowledged the need for continued improvement and emphasized the importance of staying focused. He hopes that the team will have a long future together to work out any issues.

Despite being a young team, the Thunder are currently on track for 57 victories. It is still early in the team’s development, but they have an abundance of draft picks over the next seven years, potentially including 15 first-round selections. The talented and proficient young players on the roster are reminiscent of a previous Big Three that played in OKC, featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. While all of these players went on to win the Most Valuable Player award, they were unable to secure an NBA championship in 2012 before eventually parting ways. The Thunder are well aware that it would be a mistake to underestimate the ability and potential of these young stars.

Other teams typically choose to use drop pick-and-roll defense against Oklahoma City only 31% of the time, which is the lowest percentage in the NBA. This is due to the Thunder’s skilled guards who can score efficiently from both midrange and the perimeter. In fact, the Thunder have the highest points per possession in the league when facing this type of defense, similar to how the Warriors led by Curry excelled from 2014 to 2019.

The tall 7-foot-1 player is not afraid to dribble the ball from the outside, and he is skilled at making passes and scoring with precision around the basket, shooting an impressive 76% within three feet.Chris Herring, ESPN Senior WriterMar 4, 2024, 10:00 AM ET