At 50-11 and with an 11-win edge over the second-seeded Lakers, the OKC Thunder are coasting to their second-straight playoff berth.
Yet, despite their clear regular season dominance, many still refuse to see this ball club as a legitimate powerhouse, with ESPN's Tim MacMahon recently revealing that "there is not this great fear of the Oklahoma City Thunder" among "a lot of people around the Western Conference."
Even with their league-leading net rating of 12.5 and historic outpacing of opponents by 12.7 points per game, this team clearly has limitations that, though few in quantity, could serve as debilitators down the stretch.
Easily their most glaring weakness is their offensive efficiency and productivity without superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, as they go from boasting an elite 122.1 offensive rating with him in tow to a putrid 107.7 rating when he is taken out of the picture.
Now, while guys like Jalen Williams and the recently returned Chet Holmgren are seen as players who must step up on this side of the ball, particularly in the scoring department, to boost the Thunder's non-SGA offensive play, considering the many hats they are tasked with wearing within coach Mark Daigneault's scheme already, giving them a trusty tertiary weapon may be vital for stability purposes.
Fortunately, it appears Aaron Wiggins has slowly but surely established himself as such a commodity over the past few months of action.
Aaron Wiggins shaping up to be integral offensive spark plug for Thunder
Throughout his four-year tenure in the Sooner State, Wiggins has established himself as a quality contributor within the rotation. With his floor spacing abilities, crafty ball-handling skills, and switchability on defense, the 26-year-old has become a fixture in coach Daigneault's game plan.
However, since the calendar page flipped to January, the wing has managed to reach new levels in his game and, as a result, has unquestionably become one of Oklahoma City's most reliable rotational weapons.
Through 29 games played in 2025, he's posting impressive averages of 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on a highly efficient 53.7 percent shooting from the floor and 41.3 percent shooting from distance while predominantly coming off the bench.
On top of this, throughout this stretch, he ranks fourth on the team in offensive rating at a whopping 124.9, and, with him out of the lineup, Oklahoma City falls to 116.9 (the second-lowest mark behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).
Time and time again, the Thunder have benefited from his ability to step onto the floor and immediately generate offense.
A recent example of his impact came during OKC's too-close-for-comfort matchup against the cellar dweller Brooklyn Nets on February 26, where he set the tone early and often amid a rather stagnant offensive performance for both SGA and the team, ultimately finishing with 24 points.
A sparkplug player like Aaron Wiggins, who is capable of shifting a game's momentum with his offensive abilities, has been and will continue to be an absolute luxury for the Thunder, especially when they enter into the postseason.
Playing through a career year, it's quite clear that the wing was worth every penny of his newly inked $45 million deal.