Football still rules the roost in Oklahoma, and this latest Oklahoma setback only reinforces that reality. But if the state’s college teams are giving fans a headache right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting there as a very different kind of comfort: a championship-level team that has become impossible to ignore.
That contrast is hard to miss. Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss to unranked Michigan was another ugly reminder that Brent Venables’ program is still trying to find its footing.
Venables is 33-21 in his career, and since the Sooners entered the SEC in 2024, they’ve been stuck in the middle of the pack. There are pieces to like, and the 2026 regular season is still young enough for things to change, but the bigger picture still looks like a team with a long way to go before it can call itself a true powerhouse.
John Mateer has been inconsistent, and the defense keeps looking like the unit that has to keep the whole operation afloat.
The Thunder, meanwhile, are living in a completely different universe. Since arriving in 2008, they’ve been a perennial title threat, and in 2025 they finally finished the job with an NBA championship.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren still in the fold, there’s every reason to believe they’ll stay in the title mix for a while. This is the standard in the NBA right now.
For four straight years, Oklahoma City has been the team setting the bar, and it sure looks like the early stages of something bigger.
That’s why the Thunder deserve more than a quick glance once the NBA playoffs roll around. The season doesn’t start in April.
It starts in October, and the games in October and December matter just as much in shaping what comes later. With the complementary pieces around the core being reshuffled, there are already plenty of early questions worth tracking.
Can Holmgren conquer his alien-shaped boogeyman? Can Williams get back on track?
Could Gilgeous-Alexander make NBA history as a third consecutive MVP winner? How will OKC's quartet of young players look?
And as the games get played out, other narratives will surely form on their own.
Nobody is asking Oklahoma fans to abandon football. That would be ridiculous.
But there’s something to be said for paying closer attention to what the Thunder are doing while the NBA marathon gets underway. If you like watching a team pile up wins and operate like a machine, Oklahoma City is the show to watch.
The Sooners can still turn this season around and push toward the CFB playoffs. Still, the broader truth remains: the Thunder are in the middle of a special run, and there’s no guarantee anything better is coming soon.
These are the golden years of OKC basketball. About 27 other NBA fanbases would gladly trade places.
In Other News...
Chet Holmgrens Response To Postseason Jokes Says Plenty About OKC
The Thunders season ended with the kind of disappointment that tends to linger, and Chet Holmgren has felt the aftershocks more than most. After Oklahoma Citys loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the Game 7 scrutiny came fast on social media, even though Holmgrens rsum still stacks up with the leagues best, including All-NBA recognition and a finish near the top of the Defensive Player of the Year race.
What stood out, though, was how lightly Holmgren took the noise around him. Teammate Jared McCain added to the jokes, and Holmgren answered in kind, treating the ribbing like part of the normal give-and-take of a close locker room. For a Thunder team trying to turn a painful exit into motivation for next season, that kind of easy chemistry can matter almost as much as any offseason headline. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Could Face A Tough Jaylin Williams Decision Soon
Jaylin Williams has carved out a useful place in Oklahoma Citys rotation by doing the dirty work that keeps a contender humming. His defense, floor spacing and energy have made him a dependable fit around the Thunders core, the kind of player coaches trust because he can cover multiple needs without demanding the spotlight.
The longer view is where things get interesting. Oklahoma City has to balance roster value with future cap planning, and Williams spot is one of those decisions that can look simple now and become more complicated later. Thomas Sorber is part of that conversation after being added as a recent draft pick, though his path to challenging Williams would require a perimeter game that is not yet part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face One Huge Test In Their Push Back To The Top
The Thunder spent the offseason making difficult financial choices, moving Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to get under the second apron and clear room for rookies. It was the kind of front-office reset that usually comes with some growing pains, even for a team that is already being talked about as one of the favorites in the West.
Still, Oklahoma City has a strong case to stay in the mix near the top of the conference if the new pieces fit quickly and the roster gaps do not slow them down. One reason optimism remains high is how thoroughly the Thunder handled East opponents last season, a stretch that helped shape the belief that this group can again chase the No. 1 seed even while other contenders try to close the gap. [Read more 🡒]