Thunder May Be Down Some Players But They Are Far From Out

The reports of the Oklahoma City Thunder's demise were greatly exaggerated.

After an unprecedented string of injuries and back to back road losses against Texas rivals the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets in blow out fashion, some observers and fans wondered if the Thunder were destined for the lottery.

Not so fast.

OKC rebounded in a big way with two wins in a road and home set against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The same Cavs that won 52 games and were the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. And Cleveland was mostly healthy. Their four All Stars in Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen played both games (though Allen left the second game early due to injury). 

Meanwhile, the Thunder were without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso in Cleveland. They were without Williams, Holmgren, Wallace and Jaylin Williams in Oklahoma City. But both games had one big thing in common: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the court.

The back to back MVP scored 43 points in Cleveland. He scored 42 points in Oklahoma City. He hit a game-winning 3 pointer in the final moments in Cleveland. He scored 7 straight points when the Cavs got it to within 10 in the final 5 minutes to put the game away in Oklahoma City.

Not to say that Gilgeous-Alexander didn't have help.

The Thunder have been the NBA embodiment of the "next man up" mantra over the past couple seasons while dealing with a multitude of injuries. But this season has put that motto to the ultimate test. It's a small sample size, but OKC is passing so far with flying colors.

Ajay Mitchell has emerged as a true second scoring option with back to back 20+ point games in the two wins. Isaiah Hartenstein has been a do-it-all steadying presence on both sides of the court. Kenrich Williams is reminding everyone that he's more than just a locker room leader and hustle guy by knocking down 3s and scoring in double digits across both Cavs games. And OKC's two 1st round rookies are growing into legitimate NBA players right before our eyes.

Aday Mara had a near double double in the first Cleveland game with 10 points and 9 rebounds. The big man earned his first career start in the second Cavs contest and responded with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bennett Stirtz scored 9 points on 3-4 shooting from deep in only 12 minutes in Cleveland. And in OKC, the rookie sharpshooter scored a career high 16 points and went 4-7 from beyond the 3 point line.

The NBA season is long. There is no telling how the rest of the year will go. But there is one thing we know to be true. No matter who is or is not on the court, the OKC Thunder are going to compete, fight and win a bunch of basketball games.