The Oklahoma City Thunder: A storm brewing

The Thunder have been a fierce team in the Western Conference this season, boasting an impressive 25-5 record, while also riding the highs of an impressive 11-game win streak.

Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and blossoming star Jalen Williams, the Thunder have become the pinnacle of the NBA with impressive defense and aggressive offense.

Coming off of an impressive 2023-24 campaign that included the Thunder becoming the youngest team to win a playoff series, OKC looks to build on that success by more regular season dominance paired with a deeper run into the playoffs.

At the beginning of the year the Thunder took a major hit, Chet Holmgren suffered a fracture to his right hip against the Warriors, which will sideline Holmgren until February.

Normally, this is a devastating blow, especially to a team that is already lacking size, but the Thunder have coped well, trusting their elite defense, which has brought in more steals than the Thunder offense has given in turnovers.

The Thunder also have their major offseason acquisition to credit: Isaiah Hartenstein

Hartenstein, the former Knick, signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder for three years, 87 million dollars this past offseason, and has allowed Head Coach Mark Daignault to utilize even more different rotations.

This season Daignault has promised that there would be no set rotation and he has kept it, we have seen the starting lineup include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams alongside Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren.

Even Ajay Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick for the Thunder, made his debut in the starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets on the 28th.

This has been seen by the Thunder continually for the past decade, the ability to bring in pieces, incorporate them into the lineup and turn them into solid defenders with active hands.

And since hiring Chip Engelland in 2022, the Thunder have become league leaders in three-point shooting, including multiple 40 percent or better shooters like the aforementioned Joe and Dort.

Despite their loss to the Bucks in the Emirates Cup Final on December 17th, the Thunder have gone on an eleven-game win streak since their loss to the Rockets at the start of the month.

That is the second-longest winning streak in Thunder history, only behind the 2012 Thunder whose streak lasted 12 games, the 2024 Thunder also had a 12-game win streak that started at the end of the 2023-2024 regular season.

This streak, however, is not the longest in franchise history, as the Seattle Supersonics had a 14-game winning streak in the 1995-96 NBA season.

During the win streak, Shai Gilegous-Alexander has scored over 30 points eight times including two 40-plus point performances against the Wizards and Pacers. He also has shot an incredible 55.7 percent from the field while averaging 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

The Thunder look to end the year hot against the Minnesota Timberwolves on New Year’s Eve before they make their run to the All-Star break and to the return of Chet Holmgren.

Oklahoma City is looking to send Gilgeous-Alexander back to the All-Star Game, hosted in San Francisco this season. Hoping to join him and punch his ticket to his first career All-Star Game is Jalen Williams who boasts an impressive stat line of 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and five assists as well as 1.7 steals per game.

Sam Presti continues to make the correct moves to complement his culture and the roster that has been built and it has led to a team that is the epitome of positionless basketball and one that has bought in defensively and drives to the rim while having efficient three-point shooters to kick out to.

The Thunder look poised to return to the playoffs and seem set to challenge records the rest of the season as their stifling defense continues to derail opposing offenses and lead to scoring on the opposite end.

Massimo Manfra is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mgm6116@psu.edu.