Thunder Have One Scary Advantage As They Open 2025

OKLAHOMA CITY — Last month, as Thunder players returned to the team practice facility, what Mark Daigneault saw made him smile. “Everyone was in shape,” says Daigneault. While Oklahoma City’s roster isn’t filled with Jersey Shore–level partiers—recall the most subdued championship celebration in NBA history last June—Thunder officials wondered if there would be a reconditioning period after a short offseason. Within days, they had the answer.

“That gave me the biggest sense of comfort,” says Daigneault. “That’s something you can’t fake. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but that’s the one tangible thing that I’m like, ‘You know what? That’s a good sign.’ ”

No team as headline allergic as the Thunder would dare predict a repeat. Last season’s run was dominant: a 68-win regular season, top-three rankings in both offensive and defensive efficiency and a 16–7 record in the playoffs. But Denver, which took the Thunder to seven games in the second round, got stronger. Houston loaded up. In the Western Conference, 14 of the 15 teams (sorry, Utah) enter the season with postseason aspirations.

Meanwhile, recent history has not been kind to defending champs. There has not been a repeat title winner in the NBA since 2018. Would-be dynasties have crumbled before they got started. Milwaukee has gotten out of the first round once since winning its title in ’21. Since winning its championship in ’23, Denver has failed to get out of the second. Boston looked equipped to break the back-to-back curse last season. After Jayson Tatum’s injury, the Celtics’ roster looks a lot different.

Still, inside the walls of Paycom Center, there is palpable optimism. For one, there has been zero roster turnover. Oklahoma City’s top 13 minute-eaters are back; you have to get all the way down to Dillon Jones, who was offloaded to Washington last summer, to find a player who averaged double-digit minutes missing. Last fall the Thunder were weaving two veterans—Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein—into the rotation. Entering this season, everyone knows their roles. “That’s what’s going to make us even better,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “And even more of a special group.”

Better. That’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in Oklahoma. Most champions are eager to maintain a certain level of play after a championship. In the apron era, more are anxious about tax issues stripping away depth. The Thunder are deeper this season. Ajay Mitchell, who missed most of the second half of last season, is back in the mix. As is Nikola Topić, the flashy ex-lottery pick. Topić, who missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery and will miss the start of this one after a testicular procedure, impressed with his playmaking at Summer League.

And Oklahoma City sees a long runway for organic improvements. Chet Holmgren missed 50 games due to injury last season. A full, healthy offseason allowed Holmgren, 23, to work on his body (he appears visibly stronger) and further develop his game. Around Holmgren, there is a belief that a 20-point, 10-rebound, four-block per game season is in play.

There is similar optimism around Jalen Williams. Williams, 24, is still recovering from offseason surgery on his right wrist, but the Thunder believe last season’s jump—Williams earned third-team All-NBA honors and a spot on the All-Defensive second team—is the first of many. Williams’s enthusiasm for the game, Thunder officials say, is infectious. “He’s always ready to play,” says Daigneault. A bump in efficiency numbers, particularly from beyond the three-point line, will make Williams even more dangerous.

Then there is Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP. It’s hard to improve on the kind of season Gilgeous-Alexander had. He led the NBA in scoring (32.7 points per game). He averaged a career-high in assists (6.4). He got to the free throw line nearly eight times per game. And he did it doubling one of the best defenders at his position. Yet while Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, may be bumping up against his ceiling, neither he nor Daigneault believe he has hit it yet.

“I’d probably answer the question the same way a year ago,” says Daigneault. “And yet he accessed a different level last year. It’s all he has ever done. And when you’re that focused on improvement and you approach it the way he does, you improve. He can’t have these huge leaps from here. But he’s still touching up the edges.”

Oklahoma City isn’t looking to reinvent the team they were last season. But they aren’t looking to be the same one, either. “We’re not looking to imitate ourselves or get tied down to what has worked in the past,” said Thunder general manager Sam Presti. “Simply put, we as a basketball team have to get better.” There’s another level of offensive efficiency they believe they can get to. A chemistry between Holmgren and Hartenstein they see getting better. More free throws. More offensive rebounds. The discipline and humility to let last season go.

“That’s not to say last year wasn’t a tremendous thing,” said Presti. “But we have to put that in its proper place. We’ll always have it, but if we’re serious competitors, we have to turn the page. We need to get better and that’s the main focus for us.”

In the Western Conference the threats are real. The margin for error for everyone, the Thunder included, is slim. But the Oklahoma City team that finished last season was always going to be the front-runner to win again in this one. If that team is better, watch out.