The Oklahoma City Thunder have completed their ascension. From a Paul George trade that left jaws on the floor to a 57-win season and a second-round exit, it seemed as though Oklahoma City was knocking on the door, but didn't know how to enter the hallowed halls of greatness.
2024-25 marked a changing of the guard, however, as the Thunder went 68-14, won a championship, and officially positioned themselves to face a new challenge: Life as the heavy favorite.
In no world is getting to the top of the mountain easy, but residing on the peak is a challenge that few have managed to accomplish. Since the end of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls career in 1998, only nine of the 27 championships won have been a case of a team going back-to-back.
That includes the current stretch of seven consecutive seasons without a champion managing to follow their efforts with a second straight title.
That reality is a direct result of the simple fact that life as an NBA team and player changes once a championship is won. Regular-season dominance can certainly lead to dates on schedules being circled, but once a title is won, the entire Association plans to offset the brilliance of the top squad.
That level of pressure has never been experienced by the Thunder as a franchise nor by their star players—until now.
Thunder will face entirely new level of pressure as defending champions
On the simplest of levels, a champion being crowned means other franchise knows who they have to measure up to. That makes regular-season and postseason clashes with said teams all the more tense, as the goal becomes a simple matter of proving they can hang with the champions.
Perhaps the more troubling truth, however, is the fact that franchises are now building out their rotations with the intention of matching the Thunder's strengths and exposing their weaknesses.
It's something that only rings true for the teams that win it all, as their formula becomes both worthy of emulation and necessary to counter. When said champion has also won 125 games over the past two season, the sense of urgency around the Association heightens.
Compounded by the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and scoring champion, all eyes will be on a team that will have every misstep placed directly under a magnifying lens.
Whether fair or foul, it's a truth that former champions can attest to. The media becomes less forgiving, rival coaches spend entire offseasons studying what you did to win a championship, and executives make it their goal to ensure there's an answer to everything you do.
The Thunder may think they know what that's like after finishing the 2023-24 regular season as the No. 1 seed with a 57-25 record, but they're in store for an entirely new experience in 2025-26.
Thunder will be the most well-scouted team in the NBA in 2025-26
Now more than ever, head coach Mark Daigneault will be tested. His in-game adjustments, the use of the depth of his rotation, and the manner in which he manages injuries will prove essential as teams look to exploit every opening they can.
Thankfully, the Thunder project to have an even deeper rotation in 2025-26 than they did when they won the title—due in no small part to the dynastic nature of their pre-prime roster.
Rookies Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic have received rave reviews and could provide valuable minutes if they're made available to them. Ajay Mitchell turned heads as a first-year player in 2024-25 and showed clear signs of progress at the 2025 Summer League.
For that matter, Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams are the only players on the roster older than 27—meaning every other member of the Thunder's rotation should realistically improve.
Question marks exist, of course, particularly pertaining to Jalen Williams and his recovery from offseason wrist surgery. Rehabilitation could prevent him from working on his game in the way he would've liked to, which could result in early-season struggles he and the Thunder must overcome.
Unfortunately, the Thunder will have to adapt under fire as they proceed with a unique target on their backs as the defending champions. The true test of their dynastic dreams has officially begun.