Two OKC Thunder Players Rank Atop the NBA in Unique Statistic

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had an injury riddled season.

Even now, the team is competing while a slew of players are sidelined, most notably Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams.

Both players have missed significant time this year, and as a result, OKC has been forced to lean on a number of other rotation pieces throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Two players who have delivered for Mark Daigneault's team are Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell.

According to Basketball Index, a data and analytics website studying the NBA, Holmgren leads all third-year players in an advanced stat called "LEBRON WAR" while Mitchell leads all second-year players in the same category.

Basketball Index describes LEBRON WAR on its website.

"LEBRON evaluates a player’s contributions using the box score (weighted using boxPIPM’s weightings stabilized using Offensive Archetypes) and advanced on/off calculations (using Luck-Adjusted RAPM methodology) for a holistic evaluation of player impact per 100 possessions on-court," the company writes.

WAR, on the other hand, stands for wins above replacement, a stat illustrating how many more theoretical wins a player grants a team rather than a "replacement" player.

Given the performances of Holmgren and Mitchell this season, it is no surprise that each player ranks atop their class in a statistic measuring on-court impact.

Holmgren, who was drafted in 2022 before missing the entire 2022-23 campaign with an injury, boasts a 4.5 LEBRON WAR. Victor Wembanyama sits at No. 2 with 3.67, while fellow OKC Thunder standout Cason Wallace rounds out the top 3 at 3.14.

The top 5 third year players in LEBRON WAR

1. Chet Holmgren 4.50
2. Victor Wembanyama 3.67
3. Cason Wallace 3.14
4. Amen Thompson 3.07
5. Anthony Black 2.16

WAR stands for wins above replacement
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) January 23, 2026

Holmgren is averaging 18 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2 blocks per game while shooting 57.2% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range in his first 40 contests of the season. The former No. 2 overall selection's talent on defense has made Holmgren as one of the top candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Wallace, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2023, is averaging 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 36.5% from deep. While Wallace's efficiency from the field has dipped this season, his defensive skill set likely puts him among the top 3 in Basketball Index's LEBRON WAR metric.

Amen Thompson and Anthony Black round out the top five third-year players in the aforementioned stat.

Mitchell leads all second-year players with 4.15 LEBRON WAR. Donovan Clingan is second at 2.74, while Cam Spencer, Jaylon Tyson and Kel'el Ware round of the top five.

The top 5 second year players in LEBRON WAR

1. Ajay Mitchell 4.15

2. Donovan Clingan 2.74
3. Cam Spencer 2.24
4. Jaylon Tyson 2.23
5. Kel'el Ware 1.95

WAR stands for wins above replacement
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) January 22, 2026

Mitchell is averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48.7% from the field, 35% from 3-point range and 87% from the free throw line. The former second-round pick's scoring prowess has been a major boost for OKC off the bench this season, especially amidst a barrage of injuries.

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