It’s been almost three weeks since the 2024-2025 NBA season started, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Teams have started this season with extreme energy, something that hasn’t been seen before in recent years. Whether they have a thirst for revenge, hunger to win it all for the first time, or prove they can be at the top of the food chain for another year, competition is stiffer than ever right now.

Every team in the Western Conference is in a must-win situation. The Oklahoma City Thunder is currently standing in first place in the West, with a record of 11 wins and only 2 losses thus far, making it the second-best record in the entire NBA so far. Why are they having such an amazing season start?

Young stars

It’s not surprising that OKC is at the top of their conference, as that was also the case last year when they were first place in the West. This is mainly due to the team chemistry and the newest generation of talent that is getting along extremely well on both sides of the court.

The distribution of roles has been executed perfectly by their coach, Mark Daigneault. Pieces such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Aaron Wiggins are proving to themselves and the entire audience that they have a very well-developed chemistry as a team and actually have what it takes to win it all.

And of course, the most important piece of this team is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His performance has been unreal at the start of this season, being in the mix for the 2024-2025 NBA MVP. Providing he continues with this basketball level, he can very well win the award. So far, he is averaging 27.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, with 49.2% on the field goal and 30.7% on the three points.

Oklahoma City Thunder full roster:

Branden Carlson, Alex Caruso, Ousmane Dieng, Luguentz Dort, Alex Ducas, Adam Flagler, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Joe, Dillon Jones, Malevy Leons, Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Topic, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams.

Setbacks?

Obviously, every team has a weakness so to speak, and what OKC has this time is closing tight games and playoff performance. As they do not yet have the same experience as other teams when it comes to playoff basketball, they showed last season that they were missing a little extra piece to give it all and have a fruitful postseason run. This is exactly what they need to develop their game even more and be able to strive for great things such as the championship of the Western Conference or even the NBA finals.

All in all, OKC is an incredible team that is finally getting the recognition they deserve as the first place in the West for two years in a row now. However, they do not need to lose confidence in themselves or lose this performance they’ve shown, as it can greatly negatively affect them, ultimately lowering their spots in the Western Conference.

text sources: nba.com, espn.com