Why You Should Start Paying Attention To The Oklahoma City Thunder

The following statement is not hyperbole by any stretch of the imagination: this season's Oklahoma City Thunder team may be the best squad ever assembled in the NBA. What's scary is that the franchise should only improve in the immediate future.

As the kids would say, the NBA is absolutely cooked.

Last year's Thunder team posted a regular-season record of 68-14 before taking down the Indiana Pacers in seven games to win the NBA title. That Thunder team outscored its opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game, yet despite dominating its way to the mountaintop of the NBA, this season's squad is making last year's look like an average team.

On Wednesday night, the Thunder dominated the Phoenix Suns 138-89 in what was the most lopsided loss in Phoenix history. While a score differential of 49 points in an NBA game would typically garner some attention, it hasn't necessarily registered, given that it was essentially just another day that ends in the letter ‘y’ for the Thunder.

This year's OKC Thunder team could be the best the NBA has ever seen. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the beatdown of Phoenix, the Thunder extended their winning streak to 16 games while improving to 24-1 on the year, which matches the record set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. That Warriors team set the NBA regular-season record of 73-9, and at this point, it feels like it would be a shock not to see the Thunder best that mark.

The Thunder are beating opponents by an average of 17.4 points per game this season, absolutely smashing that 12.9 average point differential record it set a season ago.

If you look at the last 82 regular-season games Oklahoma City has played, the team's record is 72-10. Perhaps the most stunning statistic is that across that stretch, the Thunder has outscored opponents by 1,189 points, which is the largest point differential in any 82-game stretch in league history, according to ESPN.

The Thunder are led by reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sits second in the league in scoring, averaging 32.6 points per game. Including SGA, Oklahoma City has seven players averaging at least 12 points per contest.

The Thunder are absurdly deep, yet should only get deeper in the very near future, given the fact that the franchise fleeced the Los Angeles Clippers in the infamous Paul George trade in 2019. As part of the deal, the Thunder own the Clippers' 2026 unprotected draft pick. The Clippers currently own the third-worst record in the league, and not only could, but should be in the running for landing the first-overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which would be the Thunder's.

Not only are the Thunder the favorites to win back-to-back titles this season, but we could be looking at the making of a dynasty for the ages.