The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2025-26 NBA season in a position the franchise has rarely experienced: defending champions and clear favorites to win another title.
After capturing the league’s biggest prize last season, Oklahoma City returns with a roster that combines elite young talent, roster continuity, and key veteran additions. The result is a team many around the league believe has a legitimate chance to repeat as champions.
Much of that confidence starts with the Thunder‘s young core. Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has developed into one of the NBA‘s most dominant and reliable stars, while big man Chet Holmgren and wing Jalen Williams continue to evolve into high-level contributors on both ends of the floor. Together, the trio forms one of the league’s most versatile and dynamic foundations, capable of scoring, defending, and adapting to different styles of play.
Oklahoma City has depth
The Thunder also strengthened their supporting cast in ways that could prove crucial in a repeat attempt. Veteran center Isaiah Hartenstein adds rebounding, rim protection, and interior toughness, while guard Alex Caruso provides championship experience, perimeter defense, and playmaking depth. Those additions give Oklahoma City more flexibility in matchups and strengthen a rotation that already featured several promising young contributors.
Even with the talent and depth in place, repeating as champions remains one of the NBA’s most difficult accomplishments. Expectations around the league are already sky-high. In the annual survey of front office executives, 80 percent of general managers selected Oklahoma City as the team most likely to win the championship again. While that level of confidence reflects the Thunder‘s strength, it also mirrors situations in previous seasons when heavily favored teams fell short of repeating.
The pressure only increases when the league’s spotlight is focused on a young roster. Oklahoma City‘s core is still developing, and opposing teams will approach every matchup with the intensity reserved for the defending champions. That reality often turns the regular season into a constant test of focus and resilience.
SGA is MVP bound
If the Thunder do manage to repeat, much of the credit will likely belong to Gilgeous-Alexander, who has delivered one of the most remarkable stretches of basketball in recent NBA history. The star guard recently broke a long-standing record held by Wilt Chamberlain by recording his 127th consecutive game scoring at least 20 points. Any time one of Chamberlain‘s records falls, it becomes a major moment in the league’s history, and the streak underscores Gilgeous-Alexander‘s extraordinary consistency.
His performance over the past several days has only strengthened his MVP case. Earlier this week, he led the Thunder to a statement victory over the Denver Nuggets and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic with a 35-point, nine-rebound performance that included a game-winning three-pointer. Just days later, he delivered another clutch performance against the Boston Celtics, scoring 14 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Those performances have become routine for Gilgeous-Alexander. Widely considered the league’s top clutch scorer, he has already recorded 38 games this season with at least 30 points, demonstrating an ability to carry the Thunder offense when the stakes are highest.
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