Can OKC Thunder Achieve Another Historic Start to 2026-27 Campaign?

Oklahoma City had one of the best starts to a season in NBA history last year at 24-1.

May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) before the first half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Over the past few seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made history multiple times.

In addition to claiming the team's first NBA championship; OKC became the first team in NBA history to win three consecutive games by at least 35 points and the 11th team in league history to start the postseason with eight consecutive wins.

The Thunder's six conference finals appearances since 2011 are also tied for the most in the NBA, and the Oklahoma City became the first defending champion to reach the conference finals since Golden State in 2019.

Mark Daigneault's squad even started the 2025-26 campaign by making history with a 24-1 record, tied with the 2015-16 Warriors for the best start to a season in NBA history.

This year, the Thunder could once again push for a historic start.

OKC won 19 of its first 20 games without standout wing Jalen Williams, as the All-NBA honoree missed the start of the season recovering from a summer wrist surgery. With Williams healthy, the team could have an even better chance at reaching a 24-1 mark to start the season.

While Williams was out, the team relied heavily on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, who performed well. Adding Williams back into the mix, though, gives the team another scoring threat and elite defender.

Once Williams returned to the lineup, Oklahoma City was without Isaiah Hartenstein, who missed the next six contests.

If the Thunder can enter the season healthy and avoid injuries to start the upcoming campaign, the group will certainly have enough talent to replicate its start to the 2025-26 season.

OKC's schedule to start the previous campaign also helped the group reach its historic milestone. The Thunder played just nine of the team's first 25 games against playoff teams, meeting only two teams who reached the second round of the postseason.

A more difficult schedule to begin the 2026-27 campaign would make repeating a 24-1 start significantly more difficult, especially as Oklahoma City looks to onboard a few new players.

Rookies Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz will likely each see the court early in their debut campaign, which could also make a historic start more difficult for OKC as the team looks to figure out its new rotation.

With Isaiah Joe, Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins gone and the aforementioned trio of rookies seemingly filling their minutes in the Thunder's rotation, Oklahoma City could have a few hiccups early on.