As things currently stand, the OKC Thunder are on track to become just the third team in league history to eclipse the 70-win mark, and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady perfectly summarized why they'll likely be successful in accomplishing such a feat.
Last week, former NBA forward Richard Jefferson stressed that Oklahoma City wouldn't be able to get to the aforementioned win total without having to "turn the flame up," which, in his eyes, could prove to be somewhat damaging during a long, 82-game regular season followed by a full playoff run.
Though the pro-turned-analyst may have made some sound points within his initial argument, such as injuries popping up as a result of over-exhaustion while pursuing such a win total, it appears no proverbial flame should be needed to enter into the 70-plus win club, as the Thunder are currently on track to win a whopping 78, and, as McGrady mentioned, "they're just cruising."
"They're cruising every single night," McGrady said. "You can see they're not trying for it. They're going out, they're playing their game-style, and it's resulting into wins."
Tracy McGrady points out Thunder aren't even trying to be this good
Currently, the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves residing in the NBA's top seed with a ridiculous record of 20-1, becoming just the fourth team in league history to register one or fewer losses over a the first 21 games of the year
On top of this, they rank third in points per game (122.2), second in steals per game (10.4), and first in defensive rating (103.6), net rating (15.3), and point differential (+15.5).
However, perhaps most impressive of all, and a specific point McGrady noted that people "haven't brought up," is that their own guiding light superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has barely been used in fourth quarters so far this year, as he's registered a mere 71 total minutes in the final period of action, which has him placing outside of the top 200 in the league.
With all things considered, this 2025-26 iteration of the Thunder is playing even better than the one that won an NBA Championship last season and has leveled up despite not having a fully intact roster.
Once at full strength, there's no telling how good they will be playing come year's end, though, to McGrady, he projects it should lead them to 75 wins, which, though shy of their current projection, would still have them surpassing the current record of 73, set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, and become the all-time benchmark in the association's history.