OKC Thunder Continuity Will Come Into Play in Postseason

Despite being 49-15, the Oklahoma City Thunder have seen no shortage of adversity this season. It is safe to say the injury bug has bit the Bricktown Ballers all season. So much so that their assumed starting five –– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein –– have only played 90 possessions together, total. To put that in perspective, the Thunder average 103 possessions per game.

This, on top of injuries to Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, and Aaron Wiggins, forcing them to miss significant time, as well as others such as Isaiah Joe being absent for a noticeable amount of games.

This has led the team into a bit of an extreme when it comes to not having their full rotation, much less their starting five.

A year ago, even as Hartenstein started the year on the injured list and Holmgren fractured his hip ten games into the season, the projected starting group logged 365 regular-season possessions together, with 409 more in the Thunder's title run during the postseason.

The lack of games played has raised questions about the Thunder's ability to contend, prompting the question of whether they can "Get on the same page" by season's end. However, that isn't –– or at least shouldn't – be a true concern for the Thunder.

So long as Oklahoma City gets healthy by mid-April, when the NBA Postseason is underway, they will have the best shot at winning the 2025-26 NBA Championship. They are by far, still, the deepest and most talented team in the NBA –– when healthy.

The biggest concern is first getting healthy and secondly the individuals looking like themselves –– or close to it –– by season's end. A lack of chemistry or knowing how to play together will not be what holds Oklahoma City back.

There are plenty of examples you can point to to back that claim. For starters, just look at last season. Adding Hartenstein to the mix, playing alongside Holmgren, fundamentally changed the team. From spacing to defensive assignments, it was all new. Yet in just 679 regular-season possessions together, they not only learned how to play together but played at a championship level. Learning on the fly. Becoming the best version of themselves in the postseason.

This year, that front-court duo looks even better, having logged 1,174 possessions together throughout this season. They flat-out understand how to play together.

Jalen Williams has missed the most time of this starting group by far, in his two most recent games he played by far his best basketball of the season and is aiming to get healthy and stay healthy. He already understands how to play in this system, play off his teammates and fit any lineup Mark Daigneault wants to deploy. There should be no concern over the No. 2 scoring option being out of whack as it relates to playing inside the team.

The other example is more recent, Jared McCain, who was a stunning pick-up at the NBA Trade Deadline. The first round pick in 2024 came in cold, midway through the season. Daigneault has used the expression that McCain has "Hopped on a moving train," and it feels accurate.

Without knowing the playbook or his teammates, McCain has fit right into this team and found success. On their recent podcast guest appearance on the Old Man and the three show, Caruso and Hartenstein dished on what has allowed the second-year guard to thrive with Oklahoma City.

"Playing the right way," Caruso said of McCain, which Hartenstein echoed. The duo explained that the freedom of movement style of offense gives everyone the same chance to find success with this team.