Projecting 2025-26 OKC Thunder's Usage Breakdown

The Oklahoma City Thunder won its first championship in franchise history due to a disruptive, bought-in defense. Oklahoma City thrived at forcing turnovers and holding opponents below their typical shooting efficiency all season long.

The Thunder also possessed an efficient, bought-in offense, led by MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-Star forward Jalen Williams.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been Oklahoma City's leading scorer every season since joining the team in July 2019. Last season, he averaged career-highs in points (32.7, No. 1 in NBA), field goals attempted (21.8, No. 1 in NBA), 3-pointers attempted (5.7) and assists (6.4).

The seventh-year guard also registered a career-high 34.8% usage rate, a +2.0% increase from the 2023-24 season. Usage rate measures the percentage of team possessions a player ends while they are on the court. In other words, the factors are field goal attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers.

Williams was the Thunder's unofficial No. 2 option throughout his sophomore campaign and took the reins firmly last season, jumping to a 27.5% usage rate. He averaged career-highs in points (21.6), 2-pointers attempted (12.0), 3-pointers attempted (4.9) and assists (5.1).

Oklahoma City's two All-NBA players will lead its offense for years to come, as they each signed long-term extensions earlier this offseason.

Big man Chet Holmgren experienced an unusual sophomore year, maintaining near-identical scoring and usage numbers while missing more than half the regular season. His absence resulted in the rest of the roster receiving more offensive responsibility, even as the Thunder jumped by 11 wins. That will likely not be the case moving forward.

Oklahoma City rostered 12 players with past NBA experience, Nine of them received higher usage than their preceding seasons, including newcomers Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso.

Holmgren, as the Thunder's No. 3 option, played 1,536 fewer minutes than his rookie campaign.

Another factor for the roster-wide increase: Swapping high-usage ball-handler Josh Giddey for low-usage 3-and-D guard Caruso.

Oklahoma City's most unexpected development saw fourth-year wing Aaron Wiggins attempt 5.2 more field goals per 100 possessions on his way to 3.9% more usage. His true shooting dipped 6.8% due to taking more difficult looks, but he tallied the lowest turnover percentage (8.3%) of his career.

Hartenstein, who filled in admirably for the injured Holmgren, sustained the largest usage jump on the team. He shot 4.8 more field goals per 100 possessions and committed 0.4 more turnovers per 100 possessions, coinciding with a significant assists increase.

Touches estimate the number of distinct times a player receives possession of the ball. Touches per game, and seconds per touch, indicate offensive roles more precisely than raw usage.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams take Oklahoma City's most touches by far. They, along with rookie Ajay Mitchell, spend longer with each touch as lead creators, solving possessions by breaking down the defense on their own. Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams touch the ball often as hub bigs, making quick passes to keep the offense flowing.

The Thunder will not go through much usage change this season due to boasting the most roster continuity in the NBA. Its stars will remain stars, and its role players will remain role players.

The only true X-factor is incoming rookie guard Nikola Topic. He missed all of last year with a partially torn left ACL but will make his regular-season debut next month, barring another injury. The 20-year-old recorded 194 field goal attempts, 65 free throw attempts and 45 turnovers in 499 total minutes across his 2023-24 international action.