The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this season with the kind of momentum that can make the rest of the league wince. Two straight years of elite basketball have set the tone, and the core remains intact around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time Most Valuable Player who still looks like he’s operating at full throttle.
That starts with the numbers, because they are staggering. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points per game, making it four straight seasons above the 30-point mark.
He shot 55.3 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three, and hit 60.2 percent of his two-point attempts. For a 6-6 combo guard, that last number jumps off the page.
He also posted 6.6 assists per game, while adding 4.3 rebounds and his usual high-level defense.
But the Thunder aren’t just riding one star. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams remain the main support pieces around Gilgeous-Alexander, and head coach Mark Daigneault also gets help from Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain. That depth, paired with the chemistry this group has built, is a big reason Oklahoma City can keep pushing at the top of the league.
The Thunder’s defense is still a major part of the story. They finished second in the NBA on that end last season, allowing 107.9 points per game, just behind the Boston Celtics at 107.2 and ahead of the third-ranked Detroit Pistons. Alex Caruso, Williams and Wallace all made All-Defensive teams, giving Oklahoma City a trio that can disrupt passing lanes, create turnovers and turn stops into offense.
There is, though, one roster change that matters. Lu Dort is gone, and his absence leaves a hole in one of the most physical defenses in the league.
His strength and anticipation were a big part of what made Oklahoma City so tough. Even so, the expectation is that the Thunder will settle in quickly and again rank near the top defensively.
The regular-season standard has been so high that any dip would still look impressive. After back-to-back seasons of dominant play, a slight step back in the win column seems likely, but not by much. A range of 64 to 65 wins looks like a fair bet.
The real obstacle remains Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. They knocked the Thunder out last season, and that battle is still very much alive. San Antonio won eight of the 12 meetings between the teams last year, including the playoffs, and the Thunder were sent home in Game 7 at home.
That loss hung around all offseason, and it sets up another season-long chase. Still, the prediction here is that Oklahoma City gets the West back and returns to the NBA Finals. If the Thunder can get through Wembanyama and the Spurs, they should have a strong chance to win their second NBA title in three years, with the Finals likely bringing a showdown with the Knicks, 76ers or Pistons.
In Other News...
Spurs Thunder Tension Boils Over On Opening Night
Opening night got chippy in a hurry for Oklahoma City, with the second quarter turning into a full-tilt confrontation between the Thunder and Spurs. It started when De'Aaron Fox shoved Chet Holmgren to the floor, and what followed drew in multiple players, including Victor Wembanyama and several members of the Williams family on the Thunder side, as the officials worked to separate everyone and restore order.
The sequence left both teams waiting on the whistle before play could settle back in, and the officiating crew wound up sorting through a messy scene with a flagrant foul and a handful of technicals. For a Thunder team trying to set the tone early in the season, the dustup added another layer of edge to a matchup that was already carrying plenty of opening-night energy. [Read more 🡒]
Aday Mara Just Gave Thunder Fans A First Real Reason To Believe
Aday Mara did not need long to make an impression in his first Thunder action of the 2026 NBA season opener. The rookie center, taken No. 12 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, fit right into a frontcourt rotation that already includes Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and he found a way to stand out in a game against San Antonio by making his presence felt around the basket.
Midway through the third quarter, with Oklahoma City already in control, Mara helped deliver one of the nights best sequences. He swatted Victor Wembanyama near the rim, then turned around and finished an alley-oop from Ajay Mitchell, a burst of rim protection and finishing touch that gave Thunder fans a real glimpse of why the organization is so intrigued by him. [Read more 🡒]
Chet Holmgren Sparks Early Thunder Spurs Tension On Opening Night
Opening night between the Thunder and Spurs took a sharp turn when Chet Holmgren found himself on the floor after a hard sequence involving DeAaron Fox, and both benches quickly emptied in response. What had been an early-season showcase between two teams with plenty of buzz became a chippy, physical scene in a hurry, with the officials moving in to calm things down before play could continue.
Once order was restored, the game resumed with San Antonio still chasing Oklahoma City in the second quarter. The incident added an edge to a matchup already rich with intrigue, especially with Victor Wembanyama on the floor and the Thunders young core right in the middle of the fray, a reminder that this rivalry may not need much time to boil over again. [Read more 🡒]