How Thunder's Isaiah Joe found 3-point niche thanks to former teammate

Isaiah Joe was a do-it-all guard at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Joe averaged 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.9 steals as a senior. He led Northside to the state championship game and was named the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year.

But eventually, players like Joe have to narrow their game and find a niche to make it to the NBA.

Joe found his as a 3-point specialist, and Thunder fans have Daniel Gafford to thank, at least in part, for Joe bringing much-needed rain to Oklahoma City. Yes, Daniel Gafford, the former Arkansas Razorbacks center who’s a backup big man for the Wizards. The same Gafford, who in 199 NBA games, is 0-of-1 from 3-point range.

Gafford had nothing to do with Joe’s buttery shot, but Gafford had everything to do with Joe having the space to shoot in their one season as Arkansas teammates.

“You don’t understand how dominant he was in college,” Joe said of Gafford, who averaged 17 points on 66% shooting as a sophomore.

Rather than driving into an already-clogged lane, where opposing defenses surrounded Gafford, Joe adapted.

“Teams were gonna key in on him and just leave me open on the 3-point line,” Joe said.

So, he thought, why not shoot the open shot?

Joe, as a freshman at Arkansas, shot 41% from 3-point range on eight attempts per game. And just like that, his career arc as a long-range sniper was cemented.

“Isaiah has been a good shooter since high school,” Gafford told The Oklahoman, deflecting credit. “I appreciate the props that he gave me, but I’m always gonna get my shooters open, or I’m gonna try to.”

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'It makes the game easy'

The Thunder signed Joe to a three-year, $6 million contract before the season after Joe was waived by the 76ers in training camp.

And what a savvy pickup it’s become.

Joe has forced his way into the Thunder’s rotation by shooting 46% from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per game. He shot 5-of-8 from behind the arc and scored a career-high 23 points in the Thunder’s win against the Grizzlies on Saturday.

“I’m definitely more than just a shooter,” Joe told The Oklahoman, "and that’s gonna come out over time, but right now I just feel like this is what the team needs, and I’m going to aspire to be the best at it.”

The thin 6-foot-4 guard has been the Thunder’s best shooter by far. For a team that ranked 29th and 30th in 3-point shooting over the last two seasons, Joe’s touch has been a godsend. He’s helped the Thunder jump to 20th in 3-point shooting (34%).

He’s 7-of-14 on corner 3-pointers, with all seven of those makes coming from the left corner, interestingly enough.

“I don’t really like to get into the numbers game,” Joe said. “A lot of people get consumed by that.”

An overwhelming 82% of Joe’s field goal attempts have come from behind the arc.

Asked if he’d like to participate in the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend, Joe lit up.

“Put me in there,” he said.

It’s not a crazy thought.

Joe is fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage behind Detroit's Luke Kennard (48.8%), Phoenix's Damion Lee (47.8%) and Boston's Al Horford (46.7%) and Malcolm Brogdon (46%).

The Thunder has outscored opponents by 15.4 points per 100 possessions when Joe is on the floor. He has the best net rating on the team among players who have logged at least 100 minutes.

Using that same 100-minute minimum, Joe has the best offensive rating and third-best defensive rating on the Thunder. He’s held his own defensively, which is a crucial attribute for shoot-first players.

In the Thunder’s Oct. 29 win at Dallas, Joe was a plus-24 in his nine minutes off the bench. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault didn’t call on Joe until five minutes left in the fourth quarter with the Thunder trailing by 16 points.

Joe rattled off four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead a historic comeback.

Joe’s floor spacing has been incredibly impactful, especially next to drive-heavy guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. With all the attention SGA draws in the paint, much like Gafford did at Arkansas — albeit in very different ways — Joe makes defenses pay for crowding the lane.

“It makes the game easy, for myself for sure, for the rest of the guys, too,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Thunder’s best two-man lineup (minimum 100 minutes) by net rating? It’s Joe and Gilgeous-Alexander, who are outscoring opponents by 18.2 points per 100 possessions.

“If they’re gonna focus on Shai and Josh so much, when I’m open I’m gonna take the shot,” Joe said. “And all I need is just a little bit of space.”

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'He has all the answers'

While Gafford gets credit for unleashing Joe, Derrick Joe gets credit for perfecting his son’s shot.

“It’s all my dad,” Joe said.

Derrick Joe was a better football player than basketball player, but Derrick understands the art of shooting even if he can’t replicate it.

“He wasn’t that great of a shooter, but his ability to teach it is amazing,” Isaiah Joe said. “Now, if ever I feel like I’m in a slump, it seems like he has all the answers. And I’m more than willing to listen to him because he’s never steered me wrong.”

Isaiah was adamant to not leave out his mom, Nicole.

“She’s ultra competitive,” Joe said. “She grew up in a household with all boys. She had older brothers, and they went at it. She’s a soldier.”

She’s also the mother of three boys: Isaiah, Jacob and Jon.

Jacob, who plays basketball at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, can’t make it down for many games, but Derrick, Nicole and Jon don’t miss a Thunder home game.

Gafford is happy that his former teammate got a second NBA chance in Oklahoma City. Gafford saw how hard Joe worked to get here.

“I had the highest hopes for him,” Gafford said.

“They appreciate work in the league, but they appreciate shooters a lot, too.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder's Isaiah Joe found 3-point niche thanks to Daniel Gafford