Recently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the bold comment that he believes this OKC Thunder squad is "definitely a better team" than the one that won the NBA Championship just last season.
Oddly enough, their loss against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night may have strengthened such a claim.
While their 121-119 demise was far from pretty, especially considering they blew a 22-point lead and snapped their undefeated record along the way, this 48-minute epic was a testimony to just how deep a bag Oklahoma City's roster truly is.
OKC Thunder have an obscene amount of firepower on their roster
Just the other day, NBA legend Lou Williams discussed how the "scariest" thing about this Thunder team is the fact that they are one of the most plug-and-play friendly clubs there has ever been, noting that "everybody they plug in can play" and that "all of these guys can defend and all of these guys can go out and get you a bucket."
Even in what was ultimately a losing effort, this was on full display out on the road in Portland.
By game's end, Oklahoma City had accumulated 14 total stocks and had five players registering in with double-digit scoring outputs, three of whom saw north of 20 points.
Since the start of the season, this has been an ongoing occurrence for the Thunder, as they have six players averaging 10.7 or more points, with five posting over 14.0 a night.
With every passing game, it seems as though the pecking order on the scoring front behind Gilgeous-Alexander changes.
One night, it will be someone like Chet Holmgren or the rising star Ajay Mitchell.
Other times, like against the Blazers, it will be someone like Aaron Wiggins, who wrapped up the game with 27 points on 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and 70.0 percent shooting from deep.
Perhaps the most exciting part about all this is the fact that they're registering such metrics without their All-NBA forward Jalen Williams in the fold, as he has still yet to be cleared to return to action amid his continued rehab from offseason wrist surgery.
While there are no excuses for their loss -- Portland simply outplayed them on the night -- it is worth noting that the Thunder did only land in Oregon at 3 a.m. that day and were coming in on the second night of a back-to-back.
Yet, despite the natural grogginess that comes with such a situation, Oklahoma City was able to play with an all-hands-on-deck approach and had the game within reach until literally the final half-second of regulation.
That is a prime example of the luxury that comes with having such a deep and talented talent pool.