The Thunder Finish the Season 44-28; A Recap of the Thunder 2019-20 Season
The Oklahoma City Thunder have finished the season with a record of 44-28 following a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Thunder, Rockets, and Jazz all finished with the same record and occupy the fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds heading into the postseason.
The Thunder finished in the fifth seed since the Rockets won their division. The Thunder had winning head-to-head record’s against both the Rockets and the Jazz which placed them in the fifth seed.
The Thunder shocked the league this season making the playoffs. The Thunder were projected to be a lottery-team before the season and were given a low chance of making the playoffs by most media outlets. The Thunder, after Thanksgiving, played stellar basketball which landed them a spot in the playoffs and a chance to make a run.
Chris Paul lead the Thunder with his veteran experience this season, guiding the young players to success and lead the Thunder team to first place in clutch minute scoring. The clutch scoring lead the Thunder to multiple comeback victories and secured them the win in many close games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a promising second year talent, was stellar this season. Shai used his craftiness to get the rim and score at ease and improved on his three-point shot over the year. Shai showed his star potential as a franchise cornerstone and will likely be a Thunder guard for many seasons barring injury or trade.
Dennis Schroder, the Thunder sixth-man, lead the bench using his speed to get to the basket and was a huge piece of the Thunder’s bench production. Dennis is a finalist for sixth-man of the year award alongside Clippers, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams.
Luguentz Dort, an un-drafted rookie, came in during Terrance Ferguson’s injury from the G-League as a two-way player and immediately made an impact. Dort’s defense was stellar and helped the Thunder win many games this season. Dort’s most notable performance came against James Harden, whom he held to a historically bad 1-17 from beyond the arc and 9-29 from the field. The Thunder recently signed Dort to a multi-year contract and he will likely be a key player for the Thunder for as long as he stays with the team.
Rookie, Darius Bazley, improved on his three-point shot over the year and showed signs of potential star talent. Bazley also showed his versility primarily playing the four, but proved that he is able to play the three through the five. Bazley progressed well in the seeding-games and could be a key part of the Thunder team for years to come.
Andre Roberson, after missing basketball for around two years, returned to the team for the seeding-games. Roberson served as Dort’s backup along with Ferguson. Although Roberson’s play, especially his defense, was not effective as before his injury, Roberson made a recovery from a gruesome injury and is able to still play at the NBA level and his return was a moment Thunder fans will remember for years.
Steven Adams, Danilo Gallanari, Nerlens Noel, Mike Muscala, Abdel Nader and many others on the Thunder were key in the team’s success in a variety of ways and will be thanked for their strong contributions.
The Thunder 2019-20 season was filled with moments of joy, laughter, and excitement and Thunder fans should certainly be pleased by the way the Thunder played this season and no matter how far the Thunder go in the postseason, this season will be considered a success.
