The OKC Thunder may be best known for their suffocating defensive skills, but their offensive production doesn't trail that far behind in comparison as far as the league ranks are concerned.
In fact, with a rating of 119.0, Oklahoma City measures in as having the fifth-best offensive punch the game currently has to offer.
Following Tuesday's hard-fought, 124-112 win over the Golden State Warriors, superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander revealed exactly how he believes they've been able to produce so efficiently on that end of the floor, highlighting how attacking the interior is the "recipe" for success.
"It's proven over the history of basketball [that] when you touch the paint, you get the best looks. The paint shots are our most efficient shots. The best players to play get shots around the rim because they're so efficient. It's no secret that that's how you generate good offense," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Paint touches seen as the reason for Thunder's offensive success
Gilgeous-Alexander would continue to say that they've "hung our hat" on such an offensive approach for the last several years now, and the numbers only seem to back up such a claim.
Along with placing in the top six in two of the last three seasons when it comes to long-range shooting percentage, the Thunder have also found themselves regularly ranking soundly in the top 10 in total points in the paint since 2023-24.
This season, they're registering an impressive 52.2 points per game in the painted area, equating to roughly 43.0 percent of their total points scored through these first 22 games of action.
Considering they have consistently been one of the most drive-heavy clubs in the association along this stretch, such numbers should come as little to no surprise.
Against the Warriors, they went on to collect 58 points inside the paint on 48 drives. Gilgeous-Alexander, specifically, saw 16 of his game-high 38 points come from the interior, while driving 14 times on the night.
Throughout their multi-year reign of terror on the league, the Thunder have consistently shown a willingness to go against the grain when it comes to league-wide norms.
In a modern era of play dominated by offensive production, they've leaned into their defensive identity.
On top of this, with so many teams looking to increase their volume in the perimeter scoring department, OKC is focused on attacking the painted area.
Clearly, this adopted identity has worked wonders for the organization. They're fresh off winning the 2025 NBA Finals, currently hold the second-best record of all time over a 22-game stretch at 21-1, and are considered heavy favorites to be the first team to repeat as champions since 2019.
Needless to say, this "recipe" SGA highlighted has cooked up some great successes for one of the most dominant teams the game has ever seen.