Jan 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) celebrates after scoring against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Oklahoma City is once again on course to overachieve. It sounds hard to fathom coming off of a 55+ win campaign, a No. 1 seed clinched, and a first round sweep. Even with the sky high expectations, Oklahoma City has found a way to exceed them once again.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on his way to winning his first MVP award, and has led the charge in making the Thunder a powerhouse. While the award is far from locked up, SGA has taken a massive lead with his recent play. The supporting cast has stepped up too, as Oklahoma City has had to turn deep to its bench with recent injuries.
That's the most impressive part of the Thunder's early season -- dominance even through injuries. Both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have missed a good bit of time due to injuries, and yet Oklahoma City has cruised to a 36-7 record.
Recently, Bleacher Report gave out a report card for every NBA team through the halfway point of the season, and Oklahoma City netted an A.
"Playing at a 68-win pace and notching one of the five best net ratings of all time is ridiculous in a vacuum," Dan Favale wrote. "It leapfrogs unfathomable when you consider the Oklahoma City Thunder have never once had their full center rotation at their disposal.
"If you're going to lower their grade from a flat-out "A," as happened last time, you need to harp on their offensive fragility beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That is not unfair. Availability issues at center don't necessarily remedy that issue."
It's no surprise to see the Thunder graded highly, and the only question might be how they evaded a perfect score. Multiple teams graded higher, yet Oklahoma City sits at the top. Holmgren and Hartenstein's return will certainly take some offensive pressure off of Gilgeous-Alexander. Hartenstein has been an intriguing hub, and Holmgren was averaging 16.4 points before going down.
Only time will tell if Oklahoma City can sneak into the 70-win club. It's a tall task, but it's shockingly in reach for this young squad.