Oklahoma City Thunder lean on ‘obsession with improvement’ as they chase repeat
okc-thunder-pursuit-of-dynasty
The Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off a franchise-record 68 wins and the second-youngest championship in NBA history, have opened the 2025-26 season 11-1 while insisting their best basketball is still ahead.
General manager Sam Presti told reporters during his annual preseason session at Paycom Center in late September that the organization remains “builders, not guardians,” refusing to dwell on last season’s title run. Head coach Mark Daigneault echoed that sentiment, calling the label of reigning champions a “distraction” that can only be countered with a disciplined daily routine.
Early tests, fast start
Despite injuries that have sidelined All-NBA wing Jalen Williams following summer wrist surgery, Oklahoma City opened the schedule with eight straight victories, the best start since the franchise moved to Oklahoma in 2008. The surge comes after last spring’s postseason in which two series lasted seven games—evidence, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, that “we had droughts and meltdowns” that demand improvement.
Veteran influence in a young locker room
Celebrations in June highlighted the roster’s inexperience. At 31, reserve guard Alex Caruso was the only Thunder player who knew how to pop champagne, guiding teammates through a tentative locker-room toast. Caruso, the lone member with a previous championship ring, praised Gilgeous-Alexander’s “amnesia to success” and predicted the club would be “better next year.”
Core culture driven by Gilgeous-Alexander
Now in his eighth season, the 27-year-old point guard has ascended from intriguing prospect—acquired in the 2019 Paul George trade—to league MVP, Finals MVP and scoring champion. Teammates say his relentless work ethic sets the tone. “He still looks like he wants to make the team,” longtime running mate Luguentz Dort said.
To avoid distractions during last spring’s run, Gilgeous-Alexander stored the Michael Jordan Trophy—awarded to the NBA’s MVP—in his basement until the offseason. “If you don’t win the championship, it doesn’t matter,” he said after a Nov. 4 comeback win over the Clippers that moved Oklahoma City to 8-0.
Financial challenges on the horizon
The Thunder have already committed nearly $800 million in extensions to Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Chet Holmgren. The looming 2026 collective bargaining agreement “second apron” could force difficult decisions on role players such as Dort ($18.2 million team option for 2026-27) and center Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million option).
Presti noted that Oklahoma City has avoided the luxury tax in recent seasons and will likely do so again this year, giving the front office flexibility before harsher repeater penalties would apply. A new downtown arena, scheduled to open in 2028, and the NBA’s $77 billion media deal are expected to boost revenues.
Hartenstein said continued winning would strengthen the case to keep the roster intact. “With the second apron, winning always helps,” he explained. Dort added that he focuses on “control what I can control” rather than future contract uncertainty.
One bite at a time
Daigneault often reminds players of the proverb, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That approach guided Presti’s decision to retain surplus first-round picks rather than trade for a quick-fix superstar, allowing internal development to flourish. Gilgeous-Alexander said the same mindset now applies to defending the title: “When we didn’t win, it was how bad do we want to win? Now it’s how bad do we want to win again?”
As national attention intensifies—34 Thunder games are scheduled for network broadcasts this season—the locker room is attempting to keep the focus narrow. Forward Jalen Williams summarized the mentality: “Once you start looking too far ahead, you start tripping over stuff that’s in front of you.”
For a team that once needed a tutorial on uncorking champagne, the next lesson is clear: repeat the process, not just the celebration.
Source: ESPN
