Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 Season Review
Calendar icon Published 10 Jul 15:13

Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 Season Review

Juan Pablo Aravena Juan Pablo Aravena

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 season started off strong and ended even stronger, capping one of the most dominant campaigns from a young roster we’ve seen in years. 

After going full rebuild mode following the departure of their Big Three in the early 2010s, the Thunder reached the pinnacle of professional basketball, finally grabbing their first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle and delivering Oklahoma its first major professional sports title.

Performance

The Thunder’s 2025 regular season performance was nothing short of spectacular. They managed to finish with an insane 68-14 record (.829 winning percentage), earning the franchise’s first-ever number one seed in the Western Conference and the best record in the entire NBA. 

This was a first for the franchise in numerous ways, with the Thunder outscoring their opponents by a record 12.9 points per game during the regular season, which was more than half a point better than the previous record set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite their youth, the team stayed hot throughout the season, with their longest winning streak reaching 15 games. Head coach Mark Daigneault managed to hold things together almost perfectly through all 82 games. 

With him at the helm, their offensive schemes and defensive presence were unmatched. And with their incredible momentum, they managed to secure a 125-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, setting a franchise record for total wins in a season at 61 long before the final game.

Individually, the roster was also solid, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just on another level, capturing the well-deserved NBA MVP award. 

Even at his young age and without a ton of playoff experience, he was the floor leader OKC needed, scoring with the ball in his hand and anchoring their overall success throughout the season. Jalen Williams also earned All-NBA Third Team honours, while Luguentz Dort made the All-Defensive First Team, so it wasn’t a one-man effort.

However, the real show started once they hit the postseason. OKC opened with a dominant 131-80 win over Memphis – the largest Game 1 margin in NBA playoff history – and swept the series 4-0. They then went head-to-head with the Nuggets, winning Game 7 before putting the Timberwolves down in 5.

Next Season Outlook

Since winning the NBA Finals, they really haven’t done anything that would potentially hurt their chances next year, placing them as the clear favourites entering the 2025-26 season. At an average age of 25.6 years old, they were the second youngest team to win an NBA championship, behind only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. With that youth, they should have plenty of winning ahead of them.

If anything, the OKC Thunder have only gotten stronger, with Isaiah Hartenstein getting signed on a three-year, $87 million contract to address their rebounding issues after ranking 28th in the league in rebounding percentage. Additionally, the trade that brought Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Josh Giddey should be a solid addition.

However, their draft picks were mediocre, to say the least. The Thunder made three picks: Thomas Sorber with the 15th overall pick, Nique Clifford with the 24th, and Brooks Barnhizer with the 44th. None of them were spectacular in college, but they should do a decent job of filling the bench.

That really doesn’t matter much, though, as the core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren (when healthy) should do all of the heavy lifting in the near future.

OKC could very well have a dynasty on their hands with most key players locked into long-term contracts and the organization’s proven ability to develop talent.

Winning the NBA Finals

On May 28, the OKC Thunder officially made it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Facing off against the surprise underdog Indiana Pacers, they were the heavy favourites going into the series, but it still went the distance with a seven-game series that showcased the Thunder’s championship mettle.

Most analysts only gave the Pacers a one- or two-game advantage at most. However, with Haliburton going bucket for bucket against SGA, they managed to push it out, but still failed to put the Thunder away in the end.

Indiana, unfortunately, fell apart in Game 7 after their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, left the game in the first quarter with what his father said was an Achilles injury, forcing them to play most of the game without their floor general. Despite this setback, the Pacers did try their best with backup guard Bennedict Mathurin leading the team in scoring with 24 points.

However, without Haliburton, Indiana just didn’t have it. SGA led all scorers in Game 7 with 29 points, along with 12 assists and five rebounds, cementing his Finals MVP performance. 

The Thunder’s defensive pressure really made all the difference, as turnovers killed the Pacers, who dropped 17 balls, leading to 27 OKC points. 

This all culminated in the Thunder becoming the first team to score 100 points or more in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons achieved the same feat in 1988.

However, it’s not as if the Thunder’s success happened overnight. They took years to develop their talent, patiently rebuilding and making smart decisions after losing Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. From trading away established stars to accumulate draft picks and young talent, to developing a winning culture under Mark Daigneault, every piece of the puzzle came together in 2025. 

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