Nearly a third of the way through the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have established themselves as a true contender. They are 17-8 and in second place in the Western Conference.
Under the hood, OKC’s peripherals pass the eye test as well. They rank in the top 10 in net rating, offensive rating and defensive rating.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s emergence as an MVP candidate has been the main catalyst for OKC’s success. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are playing like borderline All-Stars, giving the Thunder a promising trio leading them into their new window of contention.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has helped OKC push the right buttons when it comes to filling out the rest of its roster around those three stars.
We’ve reached the portion of the season where teams are starting to separate from the rest of the league. The sample sizes are large enough to form legitimate opinions on the Thunder.
Let’s see where the Thunder are ranked in several major statistical categories through 25 games this season.