Why the OKC Thunder Could Have a Dominant Playoff Run in 2025-26

The past two seasons, Oklahoma City has been one of the best teams in the NBA.

OKC's rebuild started with a trip to the Play-In Tournament, but Mark Daigneault's group ascended quickly, winning 57 games and earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference just one year later.

Even in the midst of a 2023-24 season that saw Oklahoma City return to the top of the West, many analysts and observers didn't believe the team was a real threat to make a deep run in the postseason. Despite the Thunder's record, the group's youth and lack of experience drew concerns.

These concerns turned out to be warranted, as OKC fell to Dallas in six games in the second round of the playoffs.

After an early exit, Sam Presti and company made a few additions to the teams roster, fortifying what was already a strong roster with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. The duo brought more of a veteran prescence to the group, but even after OKC won 68 games, the team still had doubters entering the postseason.

The @GilsArenaShow is out on the Thunder making the Finals 😳 pic.twitter.com/Z25xdqky52
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 16, 2025

While Gilbert Arenas' statements about the Thunder got plenty of publicity, he wasn't the only major analyst who doubted Oklahoma City.

An April loss to the Los Angeles Lakers sparked conversation around weather OKC was just a regular season team, or if they could live up to expectations in the playoffs. Even after a loss to Dallas in 2024, the Thunder were still a young group who had little postseason expereince.

During the 2025 postseason, though, the Thunder answered the aforementioned questions, responding each time the team's back was against the wall. Even without a wealth of playoff games together, the group grew throughout the postseason and should be even more well-equipped to handle to rigors and pressure of playoff basketball in the future.

Wether it was a Game 7 against three-time MVP and former NBA champion Nikola Jokic, or a fourth-quarter comeback on the road in the NBA Finals to avoid a 3-1 deficit, the Thunder responded each time they were challenged, even with a youthful roster.

Now, Oklahoma City should be prepare for future hard-fought playoff series, as the team has expeirenced the highs and lows of postseason basketball as a group. Additionally, the Thunder shouldn't be rattled anymore in the biggest moments, as the team has already achieved the highest accomlishment in the NBA.

With mostly the same roster in 2026, the Thunder could be in for a much more dominant playoff run than the team had in 2025, which featured a pair of seven-game series and a 40-point loss.

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