Last season, the OKC Thunder dominated both sides of the ball, ranking as the third-best offensive and the top defensive team the association had to offer.
So far into 2025-26, it seems they're only continuing this electrifying two-way style of play.
However, to veteran guard Alex Caruso, what truly separates Oklahoma City from the rest of the association is not necessarily what they do on the court, but rather their ability to operate with a short-term memory.
One of Thunder 'superpowers' is ability to avoid riding highs and lows
During a recent appearance on The Young Man and the Three, Caruso, accompanied by Thunder teammates Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace, discussed how Sam Presti and company made it a point to bring back the vast majority of their championship-winning core for another go-around.
When discussing what makes this Oklahoma City team so special, the two-guard noted how he believes one of their "superpowers" is their ability to quickly forget about their previous performance, no matter if it was good or bad.
"There were times last year where we would win 10 games in a row and the 11th game... our energy and our focus is like we haven't won yet," Caruso said. "Last year we lost two in a row in the middle of the season, and, like, when you win a lot of games, then you lose a couple, it feels like the losses feel bigger. Then the next game we come out and we dominate and go on. For us, being such a young team and having a collective group of young guys, the ability to move on and not think too much is one of our superpowers."
This trait, playfully described by Caruso as "amnesia," is something that has been stressed by this Thunder organization for years now.
Famously, coach Mark Daigneault regularly encourages his players to live in the present and "be where our feet are." Engraved on their set of championship rings is "0-0," which is a sentiment often echoed by this ball club in an effort to view every opponent and possession as evenly matched.
Over the months leading into and, now, during the early stages of this season, all anyone can seem to talk about when it comes to this Thunder team is whether or not they'll be able to snap the nearly decade-long stretch of there being no repeat champions in the NBA.
Though some clubs could theoretically fall victim to the pressures that come with such attention, it's clear that Oklahoma City isn't stressing.
Directly following Tuesday's epic opening night matchup against the Houston Rockets, one where they overcame a controversial two-overtime exscursion by a final score of 125-124, star big man Chet Holmgren dropped an absolutely epic bar when he said that "if you focus too much on June, that's how you end up not playing in June."
As suggested by Caruso, having the ability to avoid riding the highs and lows that come throughout an NBA season is already a rather rare thing for a team to possess.
The fact that the Thunder have adopted such a mentality with a roster averaging out to roughly 25 years old makes this all the more impressive.