Amid a 12-1 start, there are many reasons to believe the Oklahoma City Thunder will win 70+ games this season, building off its 68 wins in 2024-25, but will it surpass the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors' 73-win record? The Thunder are on pace to win approximately 75 games, which is absurd for many reasons. For starters, All-Star Jalen Williams has played a single game.
Starting guard Lu Dort has missed six games. Another one of the Thunder's core players, Chet Holmgren, has missed four games, and one of coach Mark Daigneault's rotation players, Isaiah Joe, sat out the first five. Also, Oklahoma City's defense is head and shoulders above the rest of the league, unlike the 2015-16 Warriors, who finished fifth in defensive rating (103.8).
And the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has picked up right where he left off from his championship run. He is, once again, leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 32.5 points per game on 52.0/35.4/90.1 percent shooting splits. But here are four more reasons why the Thunder could surpass the Warriors' 73 wins for the best regular-season record in NBA history.
1. The Thunder's young, promising roster depth
While Ajay Mitchell has undoubtedly been one of the bigger Thunder storylines of the defending champion's depth, Cason Wallace is leading the NBA in steals with 2.3 a game. He's been starting for Jalen Williams and thriving as a catalyst on defense, guarding opposing teams' best players, including Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. He also averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
However, Mitchell has taken his game to new heights that no one could have foreseen — the 2024 second-round pick, who was a third-string guard who averaged 6.5 points in 36 appearances last season. The profound leap beats the eye test of a two-way defender with the potential to be great as a facilitator and a one-on-one scorer, and the numbers are staggering with averages of 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
When observing the Thunder, you also can't forget its wave of instant-offense players, such as Alex Caruso, who defends at a high level and is a 3-point threat. Isaiah Joe, who's averaging 16.3 points, is shooting at a 40.8% clip from three, and Aaron Wiggins, who's averaging 14.8 points, is connecting on 41.7% of his threes.
2. The Thunder's elite defense
The Thunder lead the NBA with the best defensive rating (104.5). From an individual standpoint, Isaiah Hartenstein's 100.2 defensive rating tops San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama (102.1) for best in the league, and Thunder's Cason Wallace is right behind in third (103.4). Ajay Mitchell (104.1) rounds out the top 5 as he's tied with the 2024 MVP Nikola Jokic. Yes, that's how elite Oklahoma City's defense is this season.
Hartenstein is having the best regular-season start of his career, which is a line you could use to describe at least three of his Thunder teammates. For a team missing its two NBA All-Defense Team starters in Jalen Williams and Lu Dort, the Thunder has a scoring differential of +15.5 points per game. Oklahoma City's +12.9 points per game scoring differential set a new NBA record last season.
With the way this year's going, thus far, the Warriors' 73 wins for the best regular-season record in NBA history are in jeopardy between now and April, especially once Williams and Dort return to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's lineup.
3. Chet Holmgren's anticipated leap, Isaiah Hartenstein tandem
With only one full NBA regular season under his belt, Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, who helped secure the team's first championship in franchise history, had a busy summer working on his game. His offseason was well-documented. From Holmgren working out with shooting coach Drew Hanlen to building muscle in the gym, Chet's positioned for 2025-26 to be his best season yet, which it has been, thus far.
Holmgren is averaging 18.7 points on 59.2% shooting, including 37.8% from deep, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Considering the breakout year Jalen Williams, Holmgren's 2023 draft mate, had last season, many believe Holmgren's destined to head down a similar path after playing in only 32 regular-season games in 2024-25.
Alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren is the second half of a stifling defensive tandem that's still evolving amidst the 7-footers' best starts of their respective careers. Hartenstein is averaging 12.8 points on 69.9% shooting, third-best in the NBA, 11.2 rebounds, which is seventh-best in the league, and 1.3 steals per game.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP-caliber season
The NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player is back and has re-entered the chat for this year's MVP award, with Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic, once again, breathing down his neck in second. This could be the third consecutive MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, who won the award three times in four years before finishing as runner-up to Shai last season.
After passing Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson's 79 consecutive games with 20+ points, Gilgeous-Alexander has extended his streak to 84, which is the third-longest behind Wilt Chamberlain's 92 and 126-game streaks. He's also scored 30+ points in 11 of his 13 appearances for the Thunder, leading Oklahoma City to its NBA-best 12-1 record.
Oftentimes this season, SGA has recorded 30+ points through three quarters because the Thunder has a +15.5 points-per-game differential, which is what stands out most about his dominating scoring performances. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.5 points on 52.0% shooting, 6.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.
