Unlike many of their peers, there’s a greater sense of certainty with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They’re entering the 2025-26 season as the defending champions. Roster wise, they remain intact and, in fact, will be getting one of the most intriguing prospects back from a long injury layoff. The Eastern Conference is wide open, while the West has yet to solve the riddle of the Thunder.
It’s tempting to say that not only is OKC the favorite to repeat, but the championship is also theirs to lose. Teams have stacked up on talent hoping to stand toe-to-toe with the Thunder, but it could be hard to take down an OKC squad that now has the postseason experience to boot.
What’s new?
The short answer here is nothing much. None of their new additions will likely play heavy minutes. What is new, however, are the heftier contracts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Jaylin Williams signed following their title run.
This Thunder core is signed up for the long run, thus giving OKC the stability and the opportunity for the years to come. This is on top of the Thunder’s treasure trove of assets, but they can be patient with that as it seems that they’ve found the right combination.
Biggest Questions
Is there any one or anything OKC should be worried about? They were able to beat the teams stacked with talent and the ones who were on a Cinderella run. Perhaps the Thunder’s toughest opponent this season will be their health. They’ve seen their peers suffer various injuries such as the devastating Achilles tear.
Having played until May for the last two years, wear and tear could be an issue. Among OKC’s players, it’s Holmgren that seems to be one that has been afflicted by the injury bug the most. The Thunder were able to survive much of the season without him, but his postseason contributions were invaluable.
Navigating through the long NBA season is therefore critical and we can expect some load management especially during the lighter moments of the campaign.
Players to Watch
Nikola Topic was OKC’s top draft selection last year. He sat out the entire season after getting surgery for his torn ACL but now seems to be ready to go. Topic is still 20 years old, so he has a ton of basketball left in him. That was evident in the NBA 2K26 Summer League, where he looked wise beyond his years and showed he was measured in his approach.
The Serbian will likely be called upon to be among the lead guards off the bench and he will only add to the great depth OKC has at the moment.
We all know who Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is and what he can bring to the table. But he remains someone worth watching because one wonders what next step he will take with the target firmly on his back.
Back-to-back MVP campaigns are within the realm of possibility, but Gilgeous-Alexander clearly has bigger goals in mind. Achieving that at this stage may require some sacrifices, but the Canadian has tended to let the game come to him and when he does that, the results speak for themselves.
Reason for optimism/concern
It’s fair to have championship or bust expectations for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not much has changed with their roster apart from them being a year wiser. The rest of the NBA is playing catch-up and the Thunder are clearly not resting on their laurels.
Things have been generally smooth sailing for OKC and even when adversity strikes, they’ve found a way to respond and get right back on track. We can expect much of the same this year, as all signs point to another banner hanging in the rafters of the Paycom Center.
