Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have found their groove to start 2025-26 off to a 20-1 start.
What the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing right now can hardly be called normal or normal. It opens the door to possibilities, stimulates the imagination and invites two pertinent questions about this regular season:
Where are they going?
And can they finish what they started?
This is about an opportunity to mess with OKC’s history. When a team wins 20 of 21 games to start the season, and does so largely without an All-NBA player who has just returned to the lineup, it sounds alarms.
One quarter of the season is over. At this rate, OKC will take ownership of the NBA record for most wins in a season and do so in style. Obviously, the key words are “at this rate” as OKC’s bullish momentum doesn’t look sustainable over the next four-plus months. but still.
Right on cue, the Golden State Warriors — who won 73 games in 2015-16 and probably thought the record was safe for a while — are next on OKC’s schedule. It’s tipoff Tuesday (11 pm ET, NBC and Peacock) will generate conversation and start comparisons between then and now, and it will all be very well deserved.
After the Warriors topped the 72-win mark set by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, Warriors coach Steve Kerr – also a member of that Bulls team – said:
“I told my guys I never in a million years thought that record would ever be broken. I thought it was really like DiMaggio’s hit streak. I was wrong, but I’d still say the same thing I said 20 years ago, ‘I don’t think it’ll ever be broken.’
“Somebody’s got to go 74-8. I don’t see it.”
The Thunder need 53-8 to tie the record and 54-7 to erase it. Kerr is right in that sense: It’s a big ask and a lot needs to go right for OKC, even for a defending champion that is young and deep and ready to stick.
and yet:
Here’s why OKC could set the record…
The association discusses whether or not the OKC Thunder have topped last season’s production.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Much in the same way that Stephen Curry was the leader of that Warriors team – he was the first unanimous KIA MVP that season – Gilgeous-Alexander is the essential superstar for this discussion. Gilgeous-Alexander is following his own MVP season, which so far has either matched or surpassed him.
And it’s mainly about scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league and is once again dropping 25-30 points with almost ease.
The difference this season: He’s not working long hours. He is taking the night off after three quarters. This gives him comfort, reduces the chances of injury and keeps his body fresh for a long time. And what a luxury that is – imagine not always needing one of the league’s best clutch players because by then games are out of reach.
A healthy Gilgeous-Alexander gives OKC a better chance at a record, and that three-quarters workload may only increase now that one of his co-stars is back.
• Jalen Williams: Talking about the latest, Williams has returned from wrist surgery after missing the first 19 games. And he’s just moving forward. Williams has yet to find his rhythm, giving OKC a significant advantage not only in the rest of the league, but also in the race for the record.
“I can always work hard defensively and figure it out,” he said. “It’s going to take some time. I haven’t played forever and there was a lot behind the scenes as far as what was actually going on with my arm. I’m still trying to get my jump shot, dribbling and my touch back. It should be something that progresses over the course of the season.”
In case you’ve forgotten: Williams is coming off a breakout season (21.6 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game) in which he improved on both ends and surged into the postseason (he had a 40-point performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals).
• Advantage of size: Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are solid giants who pose problems for the opposition. They do not get in each other’s way aggressively but rather act as a barrier in defense.
This is a refreshing season for Holmgren after battling injury setbacks since entering the league. So far, so good: 18.2 PPG, 8 RPG and 1.5 BPG without playing 30 minutes a night.
• A strong defense: When all else fails (which is rare) OKC always has a rescue. Once again, the Thunder are top-rated and come in waves. There are probably only a few teams capable of bringing that many scorers to OKC and keeping the Thunder on alert.
Additionally, Thunders are interchangeable and hard to beat. They have multiple players that can guard multiple positions, which comes in handy if one or more of those players has foul trouble.
This is the team that put Alex Caruso on Nikola Jokic during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
• Ample depth: This is what is going to make the difference. As much as Gilgeous-Alexander gives OKC a star that few other teams can match, there is no one being man-to-man with OKC.
Therefore, over the course of a season, coach Mark Daigneault can make as many changes as he wants, throwing out different lineups and combinations depending on the opposition, and most of all preventing his starting players from expending excess energy.
Ajay Mitchell is this team’s third-leading scorer (at least until Williams moves on). Aaron Wiggins is at number four. Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams have all been solid and performed well when needed.
How many players can start off the bench for OKC against lesser teams? This OKC squad could split into two and possibly even field a B-team in the competitive West play-in tournament.
And that’s why OKC can do it No Set record…
• Injuries: That’s it, really, especially anything significant involving Shai, but also when multiple key players are out at once. Given that there are big stakes – say, repeating as champions – OKC will make some priorities.
The 2015-16 Warriors were built differently, but they made the same impact because they remained relatively healthy and motivated. Curry and Klay Thompson were the only reliable scorers, but there was depth and defense.
He started 24-0 and was 36-2. They never lost consecutive games and only lost two out of three twice. Their season went from one win streak to another.
Once the record became realistic, the Warriors were ready because how often would this opportunity come?
“We were going to play 82 games anyway,” Draymond Green said. “We might as well try to win.”
But then it also became a burden, mainly because of the clear expectations.
Thompson said: “This record means nothing if we don’t take care of business in the postseason.”
Which he did not do. LeBron James and the Cavaliers rallied from 3–1 down to clinch the championship, and Green later said he would not want to attempt the record again.
The Warriors signed Kevin Durant that offseason as the rich get richer, which is interesting. Fast forward to now and OKC owns the Clippers’ No. 1 draft pick in 2026 (that selection will be in the lottery).
The Thunder are in an interesting position with the upcoming schedule, which looks favorable for months. OKC doesn’t see the Denver Nuggets, possibly their biggest threat, until February 1st. The Houston Rockets do not appear until January 15, the Los Angeles Lakers until February 9 and the East-leading Detroit Pistons until February 25.
On the opposite end of the regular season, if the record is within reach, there’s a five-game stretch with the Lakers twice and Denver in the final 10 days, before concluding with the surprising Phoenix Suns.
They may need a strong finish, and until then, they will enjoy a 20-1 start.
“We want to lay a strong foundation of competition and togetherness on both ends of the floor,” Daigneault said. “You want people to look at this team and say, ‘Man, this team plays together.’ “I think we’ve done that.”
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Shawn Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can email them here spowell@nba.comsearch his collection is here and follow him on x,
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