Wild Thunder stat that has directly paved way to historic 7-0 start

The OKC Thunder have been nothing short of dominant through these first few weeks of the 2024-25 NBA season.

From their sensational individual performances that have seen all but one player register a positive plus-minus rating to their top-flight, two-way production as a collective that has them ranked first in net rating (17.1), it's clear that Oklahoma City has been firing on all cylinders during these infancy stages of the new campaign.

As a result, for the first time since relocating from Seattle back in 2008, this franchise finds itself sporting a 7-0 record to start the year off.

Now, while there have been numerous factors that have led the Thunder to this history-setting start, there's one statistic, in particular, that one could point to as being the driving reason for their insane level of success thus far.

Said metric: OKC holding opposing teams to the worst field goal percentage in the entire league.

OKC Thunder hold teams to lowest field goal percentage in the NBA

Coming into the season, it was widely accepted that this newly constructed Thunder squad would boast one of the more lethal defenses in the NBA. After finishing with the fourth-best unit on the less glamorous side of the ball last season and adding two-time All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso and rim-protecting big Isaiah Hartenstein this summer, such a concept seemed like a no-brainer.

However, through seven games of action, Oklahoma City is seemingly playing even better than projected, and the most noteworthy stat that showcases this is their opponent's field goal percentage, which registers at a ridiculous 39.0 percent.

Second place is the Golden State Warriors, who, though still impressive, are allowing opponents to shoot 41.5 percent from the floor.

To put this all into perspective, not since the 2021-22 season has a team managed to hold their opposition to a field goal percentage below 40 percent through this span of days. Beyond this, you'd have to go all the way back to the 2008-09 season to find a better mark than the one Mark Daigneault's team currently flaunts.

What makes this stat all the more astonishing is the fact that they have yet to have a guy like Hartenstein so much as step foot onto the hardwood for regular season play, as he's been sidelined since the latter stages of the preseason with a left-hand fracture.

Once he finally makes his debut, one can only assume that their ability to impact opposing shooters, especially at the rim, is bound to become even more elite.

As things currently stand, the Thunder are officially the first team in NBA history to win their first seven games of a season by double-digit points, and their ability to throw teams off their rhythm in the shooting department has been a main catalyst in this remarkable achievement.