No one thought the road forward would be smooth for the OKC Thunder after losing multiple foundational players like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace to injury just days into the 2026-27 NBA season.
However, for better or worse, the volatility when it comes to their on-court trials and tribulations since their injury-plagued showing against the LA Clippers has been arguably more intense than most would have expected.
Tuesday's loss to the Trail Blazers is merely the latest example.
Wins and losses are coming in blowout fashion for Thunder
Portland bested the Thunder by a commanding final score of 123-103. This marks their third loss of the year, all of which have been by a margin of 20 points or more.
On the flip side, during their wins, Oklahoma City has proven to pull a complete 180 in the point differential department, as five of their eight wins this year have come in double-digit fashion.
Since October 28, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company have the second-best point differential in the association in winning efforts at plus-20.8. Unfortunately, they also rank as the second-worst club in point differential during losses at minus-21.7.
With this in mind, though they may currently be tied for the fourth-best record in the league at 8-3, considering their night-and-day showings this year, it's rather difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, this new-look Thunder team actually is.
Are they still a legitimate contender? Do they only fare well against middling opponents and falter against upper-echelon squads?
At this point, no one truly knows.
Jared McCain has finally woken up for Thunder
Though their loss to Portland may have served as another painful reminder of just how unstable this injury-ravaged Thunder team is, it also seemingly proved to be the latest sign that Jared McCain has finally snapped out of his early-season slump.
After starting off the season with putrid shooting splits of 34.7 percent from the floor and 28.2 percent from distance, while connecting on just 1-for-22 of his attempts from deep over a four-game stretch from October 28 to November 4, the junior guard appears to be finally emerging.
While it may only be over a three-game sample size, McCain has displayed the kind of high-end scoring efficiency that made him a playoff darling for the Thunder just last season, as he's currently averaging 20.3 points on a stellar 63.9 percent shooting from the floor and 47.4 percent shooting from the perimeter since November 6.
In the wake of the injuries to guys like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, specifically, McCain is someone who has been looked upon to take on a larger share of offensive responsibilities.
Though he may have stumbled out of the gate in his new role as a starter and top-three scoring weapon for the Thunder, it finally seems like he's getting comfortable.
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