Following their historic 2024-25 season, one where they reset the mark for highest point differential at +12.9, registered the fourth-best record of all-time at 68-14, and, ultimately, took home the franchise's first Larry O'Brien Trophy, it was hard to believe that the OKC Thunder could get any better.
However, through 24 games played during their title defense tour in 2025-26, it's clear they have, in fact, done just that.
Even more impressive -- so, too, has their cornerstone, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose play thus far has one of his position's all-time greats absolutely floored.
Steve Nash compares Thunder star's best quality to Michael Jordan
During a recent edition of Prime Video's NBA Nightcap, Hall of Fame point guard-turned-analyst Steve Nash was found gushing over his Great White North brethren, praising many of his elite on-court attributes, ranging from his isolation efficiency to his leadership skills.
However, perhaps the most noteworthy remark the two-time MVP made about Shai was when he was discussing his legendary mid-range game, as he confidently stated that it's "up there with Michael Jordan or anyone who's ever played the game."
Though Jordan was perhaps best known for his high-flying dunks, stupendous defense, and, of course, knack for winning, one of his most trusty in-game qualities was his dominance in the mid-range.
As any Thunder fan will attest, this kind of skill set has also proven to be SGA's bread and butter on offense.
The reigning NBA Scoring Champion and current runner-up to only Luka Doncic finds himself posting 32.8 points per game this year while shooting a total of 446 shots. About 36.0 percent of these attempts have come in the mid-range (10 feet to just inside the three-point arc), where he's converting at a highly efficient 55.9 percent clip.
Throughout his career, the Thunder star has made up for a middle of the pack long-range jumper (shot at a clip of 35.5 percent coming into the season) by absolutely dominating this area of the court.
Now, in year eight, even with a new career-best three-point shooting percentage of 44.3, Gilgeous-Alexander is clearly still heavily leaning into his mid-range attack that, as pointed out by Nash, is akin to the likes of Jordan himself.
Behind this kind of elite production, the Thunder (23-1) find themselves seemingly beelining it toward the all-time record for wins in a single season and their second-straight NBA Championship, while Gilgeous-Alexander only continues to thrust his name into the same conversation as some of the game's true greats.