2024-25 OKC Thunder 3-point shot selection: Good process, bad results

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2024-25 season undefeated, winning all four games by 12 or more points while averaging 112.3 points per game, 17th in the NBA.

The 2023-24 team's fourth-highest offensive rating has fallen by about seven points per 100 possessions so far this year, due to slightly fewer offensive rebounds and a lower free throw rate. The most glaring decrease, however, is a much less efficient shooting attack.

Most rotation players – with the exception of Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren – have posted worse effective field goal percentages entering this season than last year. Only Aaron Wiggins, Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng and Dort increased their 2-point percentage. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the team's leaders in 2-point attempts, combined to shoot 50.0% on 106 attempts after making 57.6% of their 1,970 attempts last season.

Oklahoma City's problems inside the arc were matched by issues shooting from outside.
Dort has shot an underwhelming 11-for-19 (57.9%) from downtown in four games, but every other Thunder player with five or more attempts has made a worse 3-point percentage than last season. Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Wiggins, a trio who have all shot over 40% from distance during the 2023-24 season, have scored an anemic four goals on 30 attempts so far.

The good news for the Thunder: Due to limited volume, a four-game sample cannot determine the team's 3-point quality. The team shot 22.2% and 20.0% on 3-point attempts in the first two games, but hit 33 of 81 (40.7%) overall against the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs.

Oklahoma City is the most selective outside shooting team in the league, shooting the vast majority of its 3-point shots from open or wide-open coverage. Their 3-point percentage of 33.0% with the closest defender six or more feet away is the fourth-lowest in the league behind the Houston Rockets, Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers.

Williams, Holmgren, Caruso and Wallace combined to go 6-for-39 (15.4%) on fully open 3-point attempts. This performance inspires optimism for the future as these are proven shooters who look good – as evidenced by their combined 316-for-732 (43.2%) 3-point mark in 2023-24.

Wallace is 1 for 9 on catch-and-shoot triples after making 44.2% of his 206 catch-and-shoot attempts last season. His open airball in the left corner against the Hawks after Gilgeous-Alexander made a smooth drive-and-kick sums up Oklahoma City's increasing despondency despite good looks.

The Thunder face the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at 9pm CST.

Would you like to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the reporting.