The current version of the Oklahoma City Thunder has been a scary sight for the rest of the league to say the least. This Thunder team has been so far from full strength, but they continue to make light work of the opponents on their schedule.
Tuesday night’s game against Golden State was the latest example of Oklahoma City’s sheer dominance. Without Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and a few more role players, the Thunder simply took it to the Warriors. It was a big spot for Golden State — a team projected to be a contender with great veteran talent has a history of winning. It was the Thunder, though that took advantage of the opportunity. The defense was swarming, holding the Warriors to just 44.6% from the floor and the team’s highest scorer only had 13 total points. The shorthanded Thunder left no doubt, winning by 24 points at home.
This has become the norm for the Thunder over the first few weeks of the season. Oklahoma City is the only team in the NBA with just one loss, compiling an impressive 11-1 overall record. There’s a lot of room for growth, too, mostly in the form of the team returning to full strength. Oklahoma City’s defense has been far and away the NBA’s best unit, and the outside shooting is starting to heat up, too.
For a combination of those reasons, and many more, Oklahoma City is comfortably sitting atop ESPN’s NBA power rankings.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring average across 12 games this season is 33.2, third best in the league,” Anthony Slater wrote. “The Thunder’s hot start, despite Jalen Williams missing every game and several other rotation players missing chunks, can be credited to their unusual depth.
“But everything is riding on the continued greatness of the league’s most consistent scorer. Gilgeous-Alexander won the scoring title a season ago, producing 32.7 points per game and has upped that output early in his eighth season. It appears he’s getting better.”
Slater understands that the Thunder’s depth is something to behold, but Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his game to yet another level. The stats look similar to a season ago, but his turnovers are down and he has done it with a shorthanded lineup every single night. As long as he’s healthy and available, Oklahoma City will always have a claim for the NBA’s best team.
The Thunder’s point differential is the league’s best and widest margin at a +14.4 and there’s no sign of slowing down. This team has clearly been the league’s best, and there’s room to get even better in the near future.
