Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart played well against the No.1 Oklahoma City Thunder, but the New York Knicks still got outplayed offensively by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a former late second-round pick: Isaiah Joe.
OKC blasted the Knicks with a thunderous scoring spree (no pun intended), led by SGA and Joe. Much through four quarters, the best team in the West took hold of the game, eventually winning in a blowout, 126-101.
SGA had an efficient 39 points, shooting 15-for-21 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. But, the more surprising performance is Isaiah Joe, who erupted for 31 points and nailed 8 of his 11 attempts from the three-point line.
Who is Isaiah Joe?
Isaiah Joe is a former star from the Arkansas Razorbacks who was drafted 49th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers back in the 2020 NBA draft. Before the NBA, he was already known as an elite sharpshooter and a talented catch-and-shoot guy who can get hot quickly. He’s got a sneaky athleticism, too, which makes him a solid scorer and a decent defender.
He was then later picked up by Oklahoma in 2022 after being waived.
In a span of two seasons in Philly, Joe was only fielded for 34 games. But, as a Thunder, he finally saw more action, playing 73 games in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. From averaging 4 points as a Sixer, he can now get up to double-digits in scoring and shooting more than 40% from downtown in Oklahoma. His 31 points against the Knicks and a career-high 33 points in 2023 says so.
Isaiah Joe is definitely one of the most underrated moves by Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder front office.
