How Gordon Hayward Solves Oklahoma City’s Most Glaring Offensive Issue

On Saturday afternoon, Oklahoma City’s shortcomings were all on full display when they faced a healthy Mavericks club. The Thunder gave up easy 3-pointers all over the court and were unable to stop a pick-and-roll. The defense was woefully inadequate, and the club was unable to score enough points to keep up with Dallas. Rebounding is undoubtedly one of the many problems the Thunder’s entire roster has had. Daniel Gafford blew up the stat sheet while intimidating OKC inside. However, the Thunder’s offense is usually able to counter it, and the group induces enough turnovers to provide some low-post support. On offense, though, the primary issue is that Josh Giddey and Lu Dort’s struggles in lineup combinations are starting to show. When Dort and Giddey share the court, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen

Williams are rarely able to counter the way the defense is defending them.

When playing together, the pair is really good, yet it’s similar to playing half-court

3-on-1. Teams are letting Giddey and Dort take long shots and accepting the

consequences, and this is beginning to pose a serious issue.

In Oklahoma City’s game against Dallas, almost every possession hinged on whether or not two players in the starting lineup could convert a wide-open 3-point shot. That ought never to be the case when there’s a budding star and an MVP contender on the court. Here’s where Gordon Hayward enters the picture. By no means is he OKC’s salvation, and he won’t be counted on to contribute the majority of the team’s points. However, Hayward will probably offer the Thunder a lot more leeway to operate offensively if Giddey or Dort are

replaced. Hayward has always been incredibly reliable, but he has never

been a prolific outside shooter. He is just impossible for teams to leave unguarded,

and throughout his career, he has never been content to be a role player. The fact

that he was playing in a losing basketball team and had to cope with floor spacing

makes his season 3-point average of 36.1% all the more remarkable.

While Giddey and Dort both undoubtedly have good qualities to offer the court, Hayward’s substitution for just one of them might greatly benefit this Thunder squad. The opposition team feels like they have won if a possession finishes with a shot that is not made by Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander, or Chet Holmgren. And that’s a significant issue. Compared to Dort and Giddey, Hayward is far more cunning within the arc, and he makes incredible outside shots. This Thunder team might really get things going after the All-Star break.