3 OKC Thunder Players Among the NBA's Best off the Bench this Year

After winning the NBA title in 2025, the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't skipped a beat to begin the 2025-26 campaign.

The team holds a 17-1 record, and has demolished a handful of opponents throughout the season. OKC has done so without an All-NBA wing in Jalen Williams, and without multiple key bench players for extended periods of time.

That hasn't slowed the Thunder down, though, as the team's depth has helped fill the holes left behind by injuries to Williams and others. Additionally, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been remarkable once again this year, leading the Oklahoma City to its position atop the standings while frequently not playing in the fourth quarter due to lopsided scores in OKC's favor.

Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander can't bring a team to 17-1 alone, and has gotten solid contributions from a number of players on the roster. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have been solid to start the year, and the team's other rotation pieces have also stepped up.

According to Dean Oliver, the author of Basketball beyond Paper who now works with ESPN, the Thunder have three of the NBA's top bench players on the roster. According to Oliver's research, Isaiah Joe, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso have the highest NET Rating per game off the bench of all players across the league who have come off the bench at least 8 times this season.

Joe leads the way at 2.4 NET points per game, with trailing at Mitchell 2.3 and Caruso rounding out the top three with 1.9.

Reed Sheppard, Goga Bitadze, Onyeka Okongwu, Kyle Kuzma, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Steven Adams and Ayo Dosunmu rounded out the list.

Joe's spot at No. 1 comes in the midst of a career season for the sharpshooter. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field and 41% from 3-point range on 7.7 attempts per game.

Aside from his shooting, Joe has improved as a defender and playmaker, which could be crucial for Oklahoma City in the playoffs.

Mitchell's spot at No. 2 shouldn't come as a surprise with the second-year guard also enjoying a breakout season. After suffering a foot injury and missing significant time last year, Mitchell has put up 16.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc.

For Caruso, the statisitcal output may not be as eye-popping as Mitchell or Joe, but the veteran is still able to impact games as a stout defender and solid role player on offense.

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