Falling Short Has Not Changed Expectations For The OKC Thunder

Even after losing in the conference finals last season, OKC's expectations are still championship or bust.

May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks on in the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One failed year doesn’t change the Thunder’s end goal. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had to live with a sour taste in their mouth all offseason. The Thunder were eliminated from last year’s NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs in a grueling seven-game series. It would be one thing if it were clear that OKC was outmatched, but the absence of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell in the series raises serious questions about whether that series was a fluke or not. 

While the Thunder are no longer the defending champions of the league like they were last season, that doesn’t mean the expectations for OKC have changed at all. The team and organization still have the mindset of championship or bust, and that is exactly the way it should be. 

Oklahoma City was dominating last season, as they started the year 24-1 before eventually taking the one seed in the West for the third year in a row. As mentioned, injuries to both Williams and Mitchell derailed OKC’s chances to become back-to-back champions, but luckily, most of the Thunder’s main pieces are still available this season to get back to the top. 

The Thunder did have to part ways with Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort, but it's something the organization can deal with. Cason Wallace is fresh off an All-NBA Defensive Second Team selection and has shot the ball leaps and bounds better than Dort did this past season; therefore, the open starting spot should be in good hands. 

Similarly, the departure of Joe and Wiggins will give more minutes to Jared McCain and Mitchell, allowing the young stars to continue to develop into exactly what OKC needs to compete. Additionally, it will give rookies Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara more minutes to make a difference from the get-go and help them develop as well. 

The point in all of this is that the Thunder still have all of the pieces possible to make a run at a championship, and they should be expected to. 

This offseason has hyped up teams such as the newly revamped Philadelphia 76ers and the progressing San Antonio Spurs, and it seems OKC has become somewhat of a thing of the past. The Thunder will be looking to prove that they are still the most dominant team in the league by far, and will only deem the season successful if they go all the way.