Jazz and Thunder:

Different Processes, Same Result

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

02/03/2023

The Utah Jazz and the OKC Thunder were expected to be in lottery contention this season. But as fate would have it these two squads are competing for play-in/playoff spots. Each franchise has seen a different idea of team building lead to success. That is why TUSV will analyze the methods these two surprise teams have implemented to thrust themselves into the playoff mix.

The OKC Thunder were a franchise mired in what seemed like an eternal rebuild. A team that over just the past five years was compiling as many draft picks as wins per season. This year their strategy to build through the draft while stockpiling numerous young assets is finally bearing fruitful results.

The Thunder this year have played to a 24-27 record and sit 12th in the conference, just 1.5 games out of the final play-in spot. This is thanks to the young core they have put together over the last few drafts becoming one of the top offenses in the sport.

The Thunder roster is made up of several recent draft picks that are now forming the promising young core spearheading their success. You have guards Josh Giddey (6th overall), Tre Mann (18th overall), and wing Aaron Wiggins (2nd round) from their 2021 draft class. Along with guard Jalen Williams (12th overall) and center Jaylin Williams (2nd round 34th overall) from this past 2022 draft class – not to mention 2nd overall pick Chet Holmgren who is out for the season. More than half of their roster is made up of recent picks, highlighting their commitment to building through the draft. Add in players they acquired through trade or G-League call-up like star guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander, solid wing player Kenrich Williams, and developing difference makers in Aleksej Pokusevski and Luguentz Dort and they have put together one of the best young cores in the NBA. With all these players age 28 or younger this sets the Thunder up for years to come. The bonus is this young group is winning and competing far ahead of the schedule many projected for them.

OKC's offense has been the catalyst for their success this season as they rank 6th in the NBA scoring 116.6 points a night on average. Headlined by likely All-Star Shai Gilgeous Alexander (30.8 points, 5.6 assists, while shooting 50.5% from the field), they have four players averaging doubles figures. They also have ten players averaging at least 6 points a night, displaying their offensive depth. But their major advantage is having their two lead guards in Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey be mismatches for most backcourts. Their ability to each get to the rim, operate in transition, and create for others make this OKC attack much more difficult to combat. With this young group having found their strengths offensively they give themselves a chance against the daunting West.

The Utah Jazz completely blew up the core group that had them a game from the West Finals two seasons ago. They traded stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for significant hauls, while also moving on from key role players like Royce O'Neal and Bojan Bogdanovic. After this complete roster overhaul, the Jazz have managed to stay in the playoff hunt with an unorthodox mix of players.

This season Utah owns a 27-26 record and sits 9th in the West. They have exceeded expectations this year thanks to the surprise performances of some of the acquisitions they got in their offseason moves, along with the steady play of some key holdovers.

The offense for Utah has like OKC been a key fixture for their success, as they average 117.8 points a game, ranking 4th in the league. One of the biggest parts of their offense has been the three-point shot as they rank 10th in the NBA in three-point percentage at 36.8%. This is because they have eight players shooting at least 36% from three, including 4 players at 40% or better. They also get balanced scoring from across their lineup with six players averaging double-figure scoring and ten players overall averaging 6 or more points a game. They do this thanks to good ball movement, averaging 25.9 assists a game good enough for 9th in the league. Through their sharing of the ball along with an offense that gets a lot of their players involved you have a team that has surprised many with how they can score consistently without a ton of household names.

Speaking of these unheralded names the Jazz have seen a roster they completely overhauled in the offseason pay off much more than anticipated. The biggest surprise has been All-Star hopeful forward Lauri Markkanen – acquired in the Donovan Mitchel trade. The versatile forward is finally getting the chance to be a focal point of an offense after some tough early years in the league. On the year he's averaging 24.9 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 43.4% from three-point range. He has been utilized in a variety of ways and is maximizing his potential and showcasing the talent that made him a lottery pick way back when. You also have guards Colin Sexton (from Mitchell trade), Malik Beasley (from Gobert trade), and forward Jared Vanderbilt (from Gobert trade) who have seamlessly integrated themselves. On the other hand, you have notable players that survived this massive roster shift, specifically guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson, the reigning 6th Man of the Year is having another tremendous season averaging 20.9 points per game. While Conley has been a solid veteran presence averaging 10.5 points and 7.6 assists, steadying the ship for what is still a young group. Many evaluators think these two will be on the move at the trade deadline, but that may no longer be the case. Overall, what some may consider a hodgepodge of players has found much more success than anyone could ever realize, playing with a chip on their shoulder to prove all their detractors wrong.

The Thunder and the Jazz have both found success few people saw coming this season. Both have used different forms of roster building to construct teams that are top-end offenses with youthful upside. There is no telling whether both squads end up making the postseason, but the fact both teams are competing well ahead of schedule is already rewarding for these franchises.