How the OKC Thunder Stack up Against Previous Teams with Heavy Early-Season Success

Oklahoma is off to a historic start to its NBA season, and as they continue to win, this team is only going to continue make even more history.

As of Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning, rather—considering how the game ended past midnight, the Thunder sit at an impressive 21-1 record. A record of resilience, resolve and genuine talent, this team has managed this record without a healthy roster the entire year.

And guess what—the point differential they broke last year has increased dramatically even, beating teams by an average of 15.3 points per game with major contributions of course from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the starting lineup but also namely from a couple key bench contributors.

The team has been excellent in winning games to say the least, and it's now putting them up there in legendary company.

Of all NBA teams who have one 21 of their first 22 games in NBA history, you have the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, 1993-94 Houston Rockets, 1969-70 New York Knicks, and now, the 2025-26 Oklahoma City Thunder.

Two of these teams would go on to claim the NBA championship—the lone team who couldn't, the Warriors, were up 3-1 in the NBA Finals when LeBron James and Kyrie Irving mounted an unbelievable comeback to take the trophy.

Stephen Curry, Hakeem Olajuwon, Walt Frazier, these names are serious and so were there teams—Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are truly tooking to be that way, and this team is already a defending NBA champion with a roll of draft picks ready to set this team up even further.

But the eyes are on the prize at this point, this team has a chance to do something special and all the signs are pointing that this team could do it. Oklahoma City has a target on its back and every one of its players knows it, yet nobody can seem to stop them regardless thus far in the regular season—except one win from the Portland Trail Blazers, which the Thunder has avenged twice now.

Oklahoma City seems to have a "kill or be killed" mentality. They understand how to have resolve and win basketball games, even in grimy situations. And as their Sooner State fans continue to fill out the Paycom Center, the Thunder is going to continue to approach the game with that mindset.