The shooting from the perimeter will come around eventually. Some three-point makes by Alex Abrines, Patrick Patterson and Jerami Grant could be a precursor of things to come. The core, big-picture principles of the defense, it seems, have been mostly ironed out, with the way the Thunder stifled the Boston Celtics in the first half on Thursday.
The crucial area for the Thunder heading into Sunday’s home game against the Phoenix Suns comes down to two of the most basic, fundamental aspects of the game – free throw shooting and fouling.
Through four games, the Thunder is last in the NBA in free throw shooting, at 64.