NBA power rankings roundup: Can the Thunder fall below the Timberwolves?
The near-comeback against the Phoenix Suns didn’t earn the Oklahoma City Thunder any credit from power rankers.
They remained at or near the bottom of every national power ranking that is included in this weekly section, though the team did improve one spot in CBS Sports’ after a win over the Boston Celtics that now feels like it was forever ago.
Since the last release of the Monday morning power rankings, the Thunder are 1-4, with a win over the Celtics and losses to the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers and Suns.
Here are the Monday power rankings from the five national outlets. Each was released Monday morning, so games from that night are not included.
ESPN: 29th (down 3)
ESPN and Royce Young have been forgiving to the Thunder over the past month, but the team finally dropped below No. 26 after the 57-point loss to the Indiana Pacers. Young had seen enough, and could no longer vouch for the tumbling team following a one-win April.
"They've been playing fewer and fewer rotation-level NBA players, instead approaching the last few weeks with a very developmental and experimental mindset. They've made major progress on securing top-4 lottery odds, though; they are currently fifth worst, and with the Timberwolves rising, things are looking up (down?) for OKC."
An update from Monday night: With the Orlando Magic's win over the Detroit Pistons, the Thunder are now tied for fourth. That top-three spot with flattened odds is within reach.
The Athletic: 30th (no change)
The Thunder have been at the No. 30 spot for The Athletic for a month now, as Zach Harper had no reservations of the quality (or lack thereof) of the lineup that Oklahoma City has been rolling out. In fact, Harper predicted that they'll wind up with a worse record with the Timberwolves.
"OKC has won two games since the trade deadline, and they’re throwing out the youngest starting lineup in NBA history."
They got a backhanded compliment about the win over the Celtics.
"They were able to serve up an embarrassing loss to Boston this week and then go right back to losing games. They damn near lost by 60 to Indiana. They’re trying to drop and improve those lottery odds by season’s end."
NBA.com: 30th (no change)
NBA.com analyst John Schuhmann typically has interesting stats and opinions in his power rankings. This week, he talked about the Pacers having the second-highest effective field goal percentage in NBA history in the matchup against the Thunder. He talked about the drop in their defense. But he also dropped a compliment, and a legitimate one, not one about a win being embarrassing for the opponent like Harper and the Celtics.
"Those first 11 weeks were evidence that coach Mark Daigneault can make the most of what he’s been given and that this team can be competitive when it wants to be."
Next season, Daigneault will have a more full rotation (and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) to work with.
Bleacher Report: 30th (down 3)
Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report has seen enough to push the Thunder down to the bottom of the power rankings. He has had them in the mid-20s pretty much all season, and there was a slow descent. Finally, after being at 27 a week ago, they plummeted down to 30.
"Even though they are tanking, losing by 57 points is enough of a reason to put them in the basement of the power rankings."
It's understandable. And Dakhil understands that these games are all about the team evaluating players.
"Ty Jerome provided some highlights for the Thunder, averaging 14.3 points on some sharp shooting from three. He connected 57.9 percent from three on five attempts. As Oklahoma City's season comes to a close, it is about seeing which young players the Thunder want to continue to invest in."
CBS Sports: 29th (up 1)
Wait, the Thunder moved up in someone's power rankings? CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger bumped the team up a spot in part due to their win over the Celtics, but likely more so due to the failings of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who went 0-4, had an outburst from Kevin Love and saw Darius Garland miss a game due to injury. It was just enough to get Oklahoma City out of the cellar, at least for the moment.
"Lu Dort was granted permission to play in three of the five games this week, averaging 17 points, while Ty Jerome caught fire, putting up 14.3 points per game on 58 percent 3-point shooting."
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