After finishing a career year, OKC sharpshooter Isaiah Joe now has to carry the same pace in his game as the Thunder head into the playoff hunt once more. It’s been a promising campaign for Zai, who has yet to be nominated for the Three-Point Shootout despite being the best guy Oklahoma City has to offer.

It is worth remembering that Joe has been quite an elite shooter for OKC over the past few years. He’s been marked as a steal by the Thunder from the Philadelphia 76ers after the latter waived him, and the Thunder went on to turn him into a secret weapon from deep. Much like the next Sixer player to join OKC, Jared McCain, Joe has been incredible for the team and has become a spark off the bench.

But with OKC locking up homecourt advantage once more, would this be a chance for Joe also to redeem himself in the playoffs? For those who didn’t know, Isaiah Joe has been a great performer in the regular season, but he’s been a disappointing player in the postseason.

Joe finished this season with averages of 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 71 games played. But perhaps the best of this is his sudden jump to a 42.3% shooting from deep. While it’s not much of a big jump, one can say that he’s putting up career-highs, especially in points and three-point shooting. It has earned him bigger minutes in the rotation as well.

With a massively injured Thunder squad for most of the season, Joe has been able to step up and make big headways in his game. In fact, he dropped a total of 11 games with at least 20+ points this season. Now that’s an impressive mark, especially for someone who’s been drilling a lot of threes lately.

But can he carry it into the playoffs?

A Challenging Situation for Joe

Ranked 10th overall in three-point percentage this season across the NBA, Joe surely has had a promising season so far. Sure, the Thunder will be looking to its big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to lead the way. But it has been their supporting cast that has been half the story of their games this season.

In fact, we have seen OKC’s depth shine when it mattered most, and that says a lot about the expectations from their bench in the coming games. That includes Joe, who has moved up and down in the rotation off the bench. Of course, Ajay Mitchell would be a priority considering how well he’s stepped up.

Then it would be between Joe, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams, Aaron Wiggins, and even McCain. This means that Isaiah Joe has to wiggle his way through by coming up with big games for OKC. It doesn’t have to be MVP-esque like SGA does, but he just has to drill the shots the Thunder needs from him.

If you have watched the Thunder’s massive comeback win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the champs needed a whole lot of threes in that game, as they managed to knock down only three of their 17 attempts. If Joe was firing on all cylinders, it would have definitely given them a much more comfortable win than the one they came up with.

OKC relies on spot-up shooters to make their shots. The paint is their ground, sure. We all know how they can charge inside and find their way into the basket. But when they need to kick out, they need to have options–and reliable shooters to convert. Joe, of all people, is asked much more of this for his ability to make the three.

Can Joe Rise to the Moment?

There’s no telling whether a player gets to step up and make the best of his game or not. However, one can say that Joe is going to have to grind and put up the best of his performances if he wants to be relevant for the Thunder.

We’ve seen Mark Daigneault limit his minutes when the shots didn’t fall, so it’s up to Joe to show his worth and prove that he can shine on the big stage.