Isaiah Joe made his return to the floor for the Thunder tonight after missing four games with a bruised left knee-and his presence was immediately felt. Joe’s a floor-spacer in the truest sense, and his teammates know it.
Just ask Alex Caruso, who summed it up best: “He’s the anomaly for our team with spacing rules and cutting and moving stuff.” Translation?
Joe’s the one guy on this Thunder roster who’s encouraged to park himself a few feet behind the arc and let it fly.
And fly it does-Joe is averaging 12.9 points per game, with the bulk of that damage coming from deep. He’s launching nearly seven threes a night (6.9, to be exact) and connecting on a blistering 41.9% of them.
That kind of efficiency from distance doesn’t just stretch defenses-it warps them. When Joe’s on the floor, defenders are forced to make uncomfortable choices, and the Thunder’s offense opens up in ways that are hard to replicate without him.
But Joe’s not the only sharpshooter making noise in Oklahoma City. Aaron Wiggins is quietly having the best season of his career, and it’s not just about the numbers-though those are impressive, too.
Wiggins is hitting over 41% from three himself, while averaging 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in just over 24 minutes a night. That’s efficient, productive basketball from a guy who’s become a Swiss Army knife in Mark Daigneault’s system.
“He’s just a system monster,” Daigneault said. “He’s finding different ways to impact the game.”
That’s high praise, and it’s well-earned. Wiggins has evolved into the kind of player who can fill multiple roles depending on what the team needs on a given night.
Whether it’s perimeter defense, off-ball movement, or timely scoring, he’s got it in the bag.
Out in Portland, the Trail Blazers are trying something a little different under interim head coach Tiago Splitter. With wins hard to come by, Splitter is focusing on building a defensive identity-and he’s added a creative twist to keep players engaged.
After every win, the coaching staff picks a “best defender of the night.” That player gets to write his name on a slip of paper and drop it into a small wooden box.
At season’s end, the player with the most entries will receive a yet-to-be-determined prize.
“I wanted to do something for the group,” Splitter said. “A little reward for a good defensive day.”
It’s a small gesture, but it’s rooted in something bigger: accountability, recognition, and culture-building. For a young team trying to find its footing, that can go a long way.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the Timberwolves are still searching for consistency. Despite being pegged as one of the Western Conference’s top contenders coming into the season, they’ve struggled to live up to that billing. Their latest setback-a home loss to Memphis-was another example of a team that hasn’t quite found its rhythm.
“Our offensive decision-making was awful,” head coach Chris Finch said bluntly. “From shot selection to turnovers to execution, it was just not very good.” It’s not the first time Finch has had to call out his team’s offensive focus, and it likely won’t be the last unless the Wolves start cleaning things up.
They’ll get a chance to bounce back soon, though-Friday’s matchup against the Thunder looms large. Oklahoma City already beat them once this season, a 113-105 win back in late November. If Minnesota wants to reassert itself as a legitimate threat in the West, it’ll need to bring a much sharper effort this time around.
There’s still time for the Wolves to turn things around, but with the Thunder surging and other teams in the conference hitting their stride, the margin for error is shrinking fast.