Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have flexed their might to open 2025-26 with a 20-1 start.
What the Oklahoma City Thunder are doing right now can hardly be described as normal or typical. It opens the door to possibilities, stirs the imagination and invites two reasonable questions about this regular season they’re ripping through:
Where are they headed?
And can they finish what they’ve started?
This is about OKC’s chance to flirt with history. When a team wins 20 of 21 games to open the season, and does so largely without an All-NBA player who just returned to the lineup, this sets off alarms.
The season is one-fourth over. At this rate, OKC would take ownership of the NBA record for most wins in a season and do so in a smashing way. Obviously, the key words are “at this rate” because the scorching pace OKC is on seems unsustainable over the next four-plus months. But still.
Right on cue, the Golden State Warriors — who won 73 games in 2015-16 and perhaps thought that record was safe for a while — are next on OKC’s schedule. This tipoff on Tuesday (11 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock) will generate conversation and launch comparisons between then and now, and it will all be so deserving.
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 just told our guys I never in a million years would have guessed that that record would ever be broken. I thought it was like DiMaggio’s hit streak, really. I was wrong, but I will say the same thing now that I said 20 years ago, `I don’t think this one will ever be broken.’
“Somebody’s got to go 74-8. I don’t see it.”
The Thunder need to go 53-8 to tie the record and 54-7 to erase it. Kerr is correct in this sense: That’s a big ask and much needs to go right for OKC, even for a defending champion that’s young and deep and built to last.
And yet:
Here’s why OKC might set the record …
The Association discusses whether or not the OKC Thunder top last season's production.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Much like Stephen Curry was the core of that Warriors’ team — he was the first unanimous Kia MVP that season — Gilgeous-Alexander is the necessary superstar needed to even have this discussion. Gilgeous-Alexander is following up his own MVP season with one that, so far, either matches or surpasses it.
And it’s mainly about scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league and once again is dropping 25-30 points almost effortlessly.
The difference this season: he isn’t working as long. He’s taking nights off after three quarters. This allows him to rest, reduces the chance for injury, and keeps his body fresh for the long haul. And what a luxury — imagine not always needing one of the league’s best clutch players because the games are out of reach by then.
A healthy Gilgeous-Alexander gives OKC a much better chance at the record, and this three-quarters workload can only increase now that one of his co-stars is back.
• Jalen Williams: Speaking of fresh, Williams just returned from wrist surgery after missing the first 19 games. And he’s just ramping up. Williams hasn’t hit his stride yet, giving OKC a significant advantage not only on the rest of the league, but in the chase for the record.
“I can always play hard defensively and figure it out there,” he said. “It’s going to take some time. I haven’t played in forever and there was a lot of behind-the-scenes as far as what was actually going on with my hand. Still trying to figure my way out through my jump shot, dribbling and trying to get my touch back. That’s just gotta be something that progresses during the season.”
In case you forgot: 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 at both ends and soared in the postseason (he had a 40-point performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals).
• The size advantage: Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are cohesive bigs who present problems for the opposition. They don’t get in each other’s way offensively but serve as barriers on defense.
This is a refreshing season for Holmgren, after dealing with injury interruptions since he entered the league. So far, so good: 18.2 ppg, 8 rpg and 1.5 bpg without having to play 30 minutes a night.
• A strong defense: OKC always has defense when all else fails (which is rare). Once again, the Thunder are top-rated and come in waves. There are perhaps only a handful of teams capable of bringing multiple scorers to OKC and putting the Thunder on alert.
Additionally, the Thunder are interchangeable and tough to outmatch. They have multiple players who can guard multiple positions, which comes in handy should one or more of those players develop foul problems.
This is a team that put Alex Caruso on Nikola Jokić during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
• Plenty of depth: This is the difference-maker. As much as Gilgeous-Alexander gives OKC a star that few other teams can match, no one is going man-for-man with OKC.
Therefore, over the course of a season, coach Mark Daigneault can tinker as much as he wants, throwing various lineups and combinations depending on the opposition, and most of all preventing his starters from burning extra energy.
Ajay Mitchell is this team’s third-leading scorer (at least until Williams ramps up). Aaron Wiggins is No. 4. Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams are all solid and deliver whenever needed.
How many players off the bench for OKC could start for lesser teams? This OKC squad could split in two and probably put the B-team in the play-in tournament, even in the competitive West.
And here’s why OKC might not set the record …
• Injuries: Really, that’s it, especially anything substantial involving Shai, but also if multiple core players are out together. Given that there are bigger stakes — like, repeating as champions — OKC will make certain priorities.
The 2015-’16 Warriors were built differently but made just as much of an impact because they stayed relatively healthy and motivated. Curry and Klay Thompson were the only reliable scorers, but there was depth and defense.
They started 24-0 and were 36-2. They never lost consecutive games and only twice lost two out of three. Their season was one winning streak colliding with another.
Once the record became realistic, the Warriors were all-in because how many times would this opportunity present itself?
“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 obvious expectations.
Thompson said: “This record doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t take care of business in the postseason.”
Which they didn’t. LeBron James and the Cavaliers rallied from 3-1 down to grab the championship, and Green later said he wouldn’t want to try for the record again.
The Warriors signed Kevin Durant that offseason as the rich got richer, which is curious. Fast-forward to now and OKC owns the Clippers’ No. 1 Draft pick in 2026 (that selection would fall in the lottery).
The Thunder are in an interesting situation with the upcoming schedule, which seems favorable for months. OKC doesn’t see the Denver Nuggets, likely their biggest threat, until Feb 1. The Houston Rockets don’t show up until Jan. 15, the Los Angeles Lakers until Feb. 9 and the East-leading Detroit Pistons until Feb 25.
At the opposite end of the regular season, if the record is within reach, there’s a five-game stretch in the final 10 days with the Lakers twice and Denver once, before closing with the surprising Phoenix Suns.
They might need to close strong, and until then, they’ll reap the benefits of a 20-1 start.
“We want to lay a strong foundation of competitiveness and togetherness on both ends of the floor,” said Daigneault. “You want people watching this team and saying, ‘Man, this team plays together.’ I think we’ve done that.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
