OKLAHOMA CITY — New season, new approach for the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder, as its GM Sam Presti looks ahead to the 2025-26 campaign. Among NBA GMs, the Thunder is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions this upcoming season. Still, Presti spent the better half of his annual preseason press conference, which lasted over two hours, preaching the importance of his team entering a new beginning as NBA champs.
Every NBA season is unique in its own way. And that doesn't suddenly change after winning a title, especially when its your first as it is for Oklahoma City. Presti reminded reporters that while the process remains the same, growth is still the underlying goal for the Thunder.
“We’re not chasing an outcome. We’re trying to repeat a process. We are trying to improve. And that’s really how we’ve gotten to where we are,” Presti said. “I think we have to have a discipline to stay with that.”
For many defending champions, the hard part is sustaining success that carries throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Heading into 2025-26, the odds are undoubtedly stacked against the Thunder.
Presti says champion Thunder need new approach for 2025-26
All-Star Jalen Williams is using Thunder's naysayers as motivation heading into the upcoming season. For doubters questioning whether the 2025 champions can be the first to repeat since the 2018 Warriors, Thunder GM Sam Presti recognizes the challenge that lies ahead.
While the odds aren't stacked in the Thunder's favor, Presti reminded everyone of the fact that in order for his team to win back-to-back championships, the approach to each season cannot mirror one another.
“People handle the year after winning the championship differently. The challenges are well-documented, and the odds are clear that they’re severely stacked against the team that won. The primary reason for that is simple: it's very, very, very hard to win one time,” Presti said. “We're not looking to imitate ourselves or get tied down to what has worked in the past. That's really never been the way we've approached anything; it won't be how we approach this season.
“We've used every season as an opportunity to open ourselves to new challenges, new possibilities, and if we are to stack another successful NBA season next to last year, it won't be the same exact formula,” Presti concluded.
While no NBA championship team has repeated in seven years, six have failed to reach beyond the second round of the postseason the year after they won. The Thunder will look to break the chain.
