Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Explains Difference in OKC Thunder From Last Year

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set for a deep playoff run by every metric, at NBA All-Star media day, the OKC Thunder saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander be peppered with questions about how the Thunder are better than they were a year ago.

Feb 15, 2025; Oakland, CA, USA; Chuck’s Global Stars guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder signs autographs during the NBA All Star-Practice at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 44-10 at the NBA All-Star Break. Sitting as the Western Conference's No. 1 seed by a full eight games. This will mark the second straight season that the OKC Thunder finish as the top seed in the West if the Thunder keep up this pace following the mid-Winter classic.

A year ago, the No. 1 seeded Thunder were ousted in the second round of the NBA playoffs at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Sam Presti altered the roster in the summer time bringing in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in offseason blockbuster additions to this young core.

At NBA All-Star media day, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was peppered with questions, one of the quizzes featured this current Oklahoma City team and how they are different from a year ago.

"Yeah, we have obviously a pretty good basketball team. We have a little bit more experience. We have an opportunity to, for sure, win an NBA championship. Now we're going to have to earn it, just like the team that's going to win it this year and the teams that's won it in the past," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "You go in the playoffs and you need to be the best team for a couple months, and you're not that unless you earn it throughout the season and throughout the playoffs."

The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar added that this season still is far from over and the team is expecting a deep playoff run.

"We're more than halfway through the season, but it's a long road and we've just got to keep getting better through the road and hopefully where we want to be at the end of it," The Thunder superstar said.

Oklahoma City, by every metric, is an NBA Title contender and will look to live up to the hype this summer. The Thunder are still an incredibly young team and in its second ever playoff run sees a sky-high ceiling that many think needs to end with a championship.

Only time will tell how the Thunder bare out to be better than a year ago, but every indicator suggests they are leaps and bounds more playoff-ready than last go around.

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