No one would have been bold enough to predict a 20-1 start for the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially with the context of the lengthy injury reports the Bricktown Ballers have been forced to endure.
The OKC Thunder have missed multiple games from All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, Sharpshooter Isaiah Joe, Defensive Aces Alex Caruso and Lu Dort, Top bench scorer Aaron Wiggins, Veteran big man Kenrich Williams, Starting center Isaiah Hartenstein and Rising Star Chet Holmgren in the first 21 contests.
It hasn’t mattered. Oklahoma City has not only ripped off 20 wins, but owns the best Defensive Rating and Net Rating in the league, and if they were to hold, would be the best of all time in both categories. They are on pace to shatter the NBA’s win record set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73-9).
Before Tuesday’s game against the Warriors, Steve Kerr addressed the Bricktown Ballers’ hot start and what goes into pulling off a historic campaign.
“Overall a team mindset of zero agendas. Just win every night. Obviously great talent. But I think high IQ players. The two teams you’re referring to that I was part of, both had really, really high IQ’s individually and as a team. That’s what I see with OKC, really, really smart players, great coach, really connected. They’re on pace to shatter the record, it’s pretty remarkable what they’re doing,” Kerr said pregame on Tuesday.
Time will tell if the Thunder can reach those heights, they sit four wins away from matching Golden State’s 24-1 start. Not to mention the team’s long-term approach likely opting for rest and recovery at the end of the regular season to be best positioned for the playoffs as opposed to a regular season record.
Though there is no doubt, OKC is playing better this season as they get off to their best start in franchise history. Kerr was asked about what it is like for teams after they win a Championship, often leading to regular-season success during the next campaign. The Golden State Warriors’ bench boss has seen firsthand what this is like.
“Yeah they have a deeper level of confidence now that they’ve won it all. Then the continuity is so powerful. All their actions that they’re running, they’re so comfortable with. They’ve expanded their offense a little bit. They have a little more motion than they did a year ago. So these are all things that in my experience, happen after the championship, after the first one. You just got a little different swagger, a little different belief, and yeah, next year is the harder one.”
Up Next, the OKC Thunder enjoy a pair of off days before returning home and taking on the Dallas Mavericks during Friday’s showdown in the Paycom Center. The Thunder hope to continue to dominate the rest of the NBA with a three-game week that features two below .500 clubs on deck.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season as they attempt to buck the current trend of parity in the NBA.
