Amidst Injuries, The OKC Thunder Show How Dominant They Can Be

It didn't seem as if the Thunder could stay healthy, and although this hurt them, OKC still carved its path.

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) in the fourth quarter during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder did well, even when they weren’t dealt the best cards. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of their ultimate goal, as they weren’t able to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy once again this season. While OKC wasn’t able to accomplish its goal for the season, the Thunder were able to do a lot with what they had. 

Oklahoma City once again took home the best record in the league at 64-18, and was able to claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the third year in a row. Now, it might be no surprise that the Thunder were able to do this after past seasons of their domination; however, the Thunder did it without all of their best players present all of the time. 

Cason Wallace led the team in the number of games played with 77, followed shortly after by some of the Thunder’s big three with Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing 69 games and 68 games, respectively. 

Some of the other key pieces to the Thunder were not so lucky. Jalen Williams only appeared in 33 regular-season games after battling a hamstring and wrist injury this season, followed by Ajay Mitchell, who appeared in 57 games and Isaiah Hartenstein, who played in 47 games. 

Injuries seemed to also be a deciding factor in the conference finals, as the Thunder had to play most of the series without Mitchell or Williams on the court. Whether the series didn’t go OKC’s way because of the absence of the two stars or not, you have to agree that those two names could have made a huge difference. 

However, even with all the injuries dealt with throughout the year, OKC still dominated. As mentioned, they still took the best seed in the NBA, and they were still able to make it to the conference finals, and not only make it, but push the series to seven games. 

Oklahoma City showcased last season what a healthy Thunder squad could do, as they won their first NBA title as a franchise. But now with the team continuing to improve and blossom, OKC has shown they can still be knocking on the door, even when not fully ready. 

The Thunder’s roster will be hitting this offseason hard as the team heals and continues to grow. Oklahoma City will be hoping that everyone will be available for next year and injuries don’t hurt them once again, but even if injuries do occur, the Thunder have shown they won’t miss a beat.