Oklahoma City's roster continuity means there will not be much change from last season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won its first championship in franchise history due to a disruptive, bought-in defense. Oklahoma City thrived at forcing turnovers and holding opponents below their typical shooting efficiency all season long.
The Thunder also possessed an efficient, bought-in offense, led by MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-Star forward Jalen Williams. Gilgeous-Alexander has been Oklahoma City's leading scorer every season since joining the team in July 2019. Last season, hein points , field goals attempted , 3-pointers attempted and assists .the percentage of team possessions a player ends while they are on the court. In other words, the factors are field goal attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers. Williams was the Thunder's unofficial No. 2 option throughout his sophomore campaign and took the reins firmly last season, jumping to a 27.5% usage rate. HeBig man Chet Holmgren experienced an unusual sophomore year, maintaining near-identical scoring and usage numbers while missing more than half the regular season. His absence resulted in the rest of the roster receiving more offensive responsibility, even as the Thunder jumped by 11 wins. That will likely not be the case moving forward. Oklahoma City rostered 12 players with past NBA experience, Nine of them received higher usage than their preceding seasons, including newcomers Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. Another factor for the roster-wide increase: Swapping high-usage ball-handler Josh Giddey for low-usage 3-and-D guard Caruso.Hartenstein, who filled in admirably for the injured Holmgren, sustained the largest usage jump on the team. He shot 4.8 more field goals per 100 possessions and committed 0.4 more turnovers per 100 possessions, coinciding with a significant assists increase.the number of distinct times a player receives possession of the ball. Touches per game, and seconds per touch, indicate offensive roles more precisely than raw usage. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams take Oklahoma City's most touches by far. They, along with rookie Ajay Mitchell, spend longer with each touch as lead creators, solving possessions by breaking down the defense on their own. Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams touch the ball often as hub bigs, making quick passes to keep the offense flowing.The Thunder will not go through much usage change this season due to boasting the most roster continuity in the NBA. Its stars will remain stars, and its role players will remain role players. The only true X-factor is incoming rookie guard Nikola Topic. He missed all of last year with a partially torn left ACL but will make his regular-season debut next month, barring another injury. The 20-year-old
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