4 reasons why OKC could surpass the Warriors’ 73-win season

In the midst of a 12-1 start, there is plenty of reason to believe in Oklahoma City The Thunder will win 70+ games this seasonbuilding on their 68 wins in 2024-25, but will they surpass 2015-16 Golden State Warriors‘ A record of 73 wins? The Thunder are on pace to win approximately 75 games, which is absurd for many reasons. For starters, All-Star Jaylen Williams played one game.

Starting guard Lou Dort missed six games. Another key Thunder player, Chet Holmgrenhas missed four games, and one of coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation players, Isaiah Joe, has gone through the first five. Also, Oklahoma City’s defense is head and shoulders above the rest of the league, unlike the 2015-16 Warriors, who finished fifth in defensive rating (103.8).

And the ruling MFA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderhe continued where he left off from the championship series. He leads the NBA in scoring again, averaging 32.5 points per game on 52.0/35.4/90.1 percent shooting. But here are four more reasons why the Thunder could surpass the 73-win Warriors for the best regular season record in NBA history.

1. Thunder’s young, promising roster depth

While Ajay Mitchell has undoubtedly been one of the Thunder’s bigger depth stories for the defending champions, Cason Wallace leads the NBA in steals with 2.3 per game. He started for Jalen Williams and thrived as a catalyst on defense, guarding opposing teams’ best players, including Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. He also averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

however, Mitchell took his game to new heights that no one could have predicted — a 2024 second-round pick who was a third-string guard and averaged 6.5 points in 36 appearances last season. The deep jump surpasses the eye test of a two-way defender with the potential to excel as a facilitator and one-on-one shooter, and the numbers are staggering with averages of 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

When looking at the Thunder, you also can’t forget about their current wave of offensive players like Alex Caruso, who is a high-level defensive player and a 3-point threat. Isaiah Joe, who is averaging 16.3 points, is shooting 40.8% from three, and Aaron Wiggins, who is averaging 14.8 points, is connecting on 41.7% of his threes.

2. Thunder’s elite defense

The Thunder lead the NBA with the best defensive rating (104.5). From an individual standpoint, Isaiah Hartenstein’s defensive rating of 100.2 is the best in the league for the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama (102.1) and the Thunder’s Kaison Wallace is right behind in third (103.4). Ajay Mitchell (104.1) rounds out the top 5 as he’s tied with 2024 MVP Nikola Jokic. Yes, that’s how elite Oklahoma City’s defense is this season.

Hartenstein is off to the best start of his career to the regular season, which is a sentence you could use to describe at least three of his Thunder teammates. For a team without two NBA All-Defensive Team starters in Jaylen Williams and Lou Dort, the Thunder have a point differential of +15.5 points per game. Oklahoma City set a new NBA record last season with a margin of +12.9 points per game.

Given this year’s progress, the Warriors’ 73-win streak for the best regular season record in NBA history is in jeopardy between now and April, especially when Williams and Dort return to Thunder head coach Mark Deino’s lineup.

3. Chet Holmgren’s Expected Jump, Isaiah Hartenstein’s Tandem

With just one full regular season in the NBA, Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, who helped the team secure its first championship in franchise history, had a busy summer working on his game. His offseason was well documented. From Holmgren practicing with an archery coach Drew Hanlen will build muscle in the gym, Chet is positioned for 2025-26 to be his best season yet, which it has been.

Holmgren is averaging 18.7 points on 59.2% shooting, including 37.8% from deep, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Considering the breakout year Jalen Williams, Holmgren’s 2023 draft mate, had last season, many believe Holmgren is destined to follow a similar path after playing in just 32 regular season games in 2024-25.

Along with Isaiah Hartenstein, Holmgren is the other half of a suffocating defensive tandem that is still developing amid the seven-footers’ best starts of their careers. Hartenstein is averaging 12.8 points on 69.9% shooting, third best in the NBA, 11.2 rebounds, seventh best in the league, and 1.3 steals per game.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-caliber season

The reigning NBA MVP is back and re-entering the conversation for this year’s MVP award, with Nikola Jokic once again breathing down his neck in second place. This could be the third straight MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, who won the award three times in four years before finishing as runner-up to Shai last season.

After passing Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson’s 79 consecutive games with 20+ points, Gilgeous-Alexander extended his streak to 84, the third-longest behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 92-game, 126-game streak. He also scored 30+ points in 11 of his 13 appearances for the Thunder, leading Oklahoma City to its NBA-best 12-1 record.

Often this season, SGA has scored 30+ points through three quarters as the Thunder has a +15.5 point differential per game, which is what stands out most in its dominant output. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.5 points on 52.0% shooting, 6.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.