OKC Thunder Aims To Continue To Dominate The Turnover Battle Next Season

The Thunder are known for being one of the best at taking care of the ball, as well as forcing turnovers.

May 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) dribbles the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) in the first half during game six of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, turnovers are the name of the game. 

Oklahoma City prided itself this past season as being one of the hardest teams in the league to play against. Teams constantly struggled, which resulted in OKC ending the year with the best record in the NBA. There wasn’t a crazy game plan that was impossible to solve, or one play that dominated other teams; it all just boiled down to OKC’s effort. 

Specifically, effort on the defensive side of the ball. The Thunder were menaces on the defensive side of the ball this season, as no team could seem to take care of the basketball efficiently. OKC, on average, caused their opponent to turn the ball over about 16 times per game during the regular season. 

A big part of this was the quick hands that OKC had on defense, averaging 9.7 steals per game during the regular season. This effort was led by Thunder guard Cason Wallace, who averaged 1.9 steals per game, which ranked third in the entire league. 

Wallace wasn’t the only one busy on the defensive end, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 1.4 steals per game, accompanied by Alex Caruso right behind him, who had 1.3 steals per game. These OKC guards allowed the Thunder to have extra possessions, and when they were given these opportunities, they didn’t waste them. 

To aid in the Thunder’s already unfair turnover spread, Oklahoma City was the second-best team in the league this regular season at taking care of the ball. They only averaged 12 turnovers per game, which overall gave them the best turnover differential in the entire league at -3.9.

Now, as Oklahoma City prepares to go into next season, where it will be looking to take back its throne, there is no reason to stray from the plan. Forcing turnovers throws off any opposing offense the Thunder have faced off against, and has allowed for OKC to make opponents pay for it. 

These extra possessions are the exact thing that keeps Oklahoma City in games and allows them to pull away in most. Players like Wallace and Gilgeous-Alexander will need to continue to suffocate opposing guards next year to continue this style of play for OKC to make every game easier. 

Winning the turnover battle has led to Oklahoma City ultimately winning the game in most cases, and next year, the Thunder hope to win a lot in both areas.