{"id":414261,"date":"2025-10-21T18:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/nachrichten\/nba-2025-26-okc-thunder-schreiben-ihre-geschichte-neu\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T18:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:03:03","slug":"nba-2025-26-okc-thunder-schreiben-ihre-geschichte-neu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/artikel\/nba-2025-26-okc-thunder-schreiben-ihre-geschichte-neu\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA 2025-26: OKC Thunder schreiben ihre Geschichte neu"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA tips off tonight, and this final preview looks at last season\u2019s best regular-season squad and reigning champion\u2014even if that doesn\u2019t always match up: the Oklahoma City Thunder. We\u2019ll explore their stats, last season\u2019s results, a look at the roster and season goals, the player to watch, and a forecast for the franchise.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oklahoma City Thunder 2025-26<\/h2>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/okc-st-urmt-im-westen-voran.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-413885\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How They Approach the Season<\/h2>\n<p>With no changes beyond the selection of Thomas Sorber in the Draft and Nikola Topic\u2019s return. If it works, why change it? All summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder have heard that they\u2019re the best-positioned team since the Golden State Warriors to build a dynasty. But in this modern era\u2014launched by the Toronto Raptors in 2019\u2014that\u2019s produced seven champions in seven seasons for the first time in history, repeating as champs is a tough task.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, their regular-season dominance was historic. They surpassed the Lakers\u2019 1972 mark for point-differential greatness and joined the ranks of one of the best defenses of the century compared to league average (7 points better than the average defensive rating) and in forcing turnovers.<\/p>\n<p>Jalen Williams will miss tonight\u2019s season opener and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/noticias\/jalen-williams-contratiempo-campeones\/\">might sit out a few more games after his wrist surgery<\/a>. It\u2019s nothing too alarming for a team that, let\u2019s remember, survived last year\u2019s injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren without much trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Ideas like staying hungry or fearing stagnation shouldn\u2019t apply to such a young championship squad. Their challenges will come on other fronts.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Dangers of a Radical Style<\/h3>\n<p>Nothing lasts forever in sports or in life. Yesterday\u2019s certainty becomes today\u2019s relic. The NBA is in the midst of a stylistic shift. Full-court pressure is in style, some teams are growing wary of the pick-and-roll, and defense is hot again. OKC personifies that in a season where offensive efficiency dipped\u2014the first drop since 2021\u2014quite rare after the offensive boom we saw in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s striking is how they\u2019ve done it. In an era defined by perimeter play, many top defenses of recent years have banked on conceding that preventing advantages created outside was impossible, focusing instead on defending near the rim. Then Mark Daigneault\u2019s squad <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PnB3NZg1xPo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">showed it\u2019s doable<\/a> to build a dam.<\/p>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Top Plays from the Thunder&#039;s Historic Defense in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season \ud83d\udd12 | OKC Thunder\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PnB3NZg1xPo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>The Thunder built a historic defense propped up by two towering interior defenders in Holmgren and Hartenstein. But the real muscle came from lining up multiple standouts on the perimeter. Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander push every ballhandler to the brink, creating fear with each pass that could turn into a steal and breakaway.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to imagine that defensive impact cooling off. Offenses will be better prepared to take on that huge challenge, and the level of physicality they lean on might get scrutinized by the league. Still, these Thunder might spark a trend and usher in an era of contact and defense\u2014but in the modern, three-happy iteration.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, OKC will keep carving out top-tier defense. The only question is how dominant they\u2019ll look through the regular season and under the postseason lights.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cContinuity\u201d in Quotes<\/h2>\n<p>Despite a quiet offseason, everyone expects this organization to keep evolving from within. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have both extended their deals, and it\u2019s logical to anticipate a tangible leap in their games\u2014though this roster can survive even if they remain the same players they were.<\/p>\n<p>Jalen Williams\u2019s next step will be about relieving Shai\u2019s playmaking duties to the point where he even becomes the de facto point guard for stretches. The guard\/wing already possesses a wide offensive toolkit and excels defensively in any scenario, having played center last year when the frontcourt was thin. After shrinking at times in the 2024 playoffs, he showed previously unseen poise and leadership on the way to the title. Once the shell cracked, the sky became his limit.<\/p>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Jalen Williams GOES OFF for 40 POINTS in Game 5 WIN vs Pacers\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8kYSf0QDKT0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s easier to see a big jump in Chet Holmgren, who\u2019s still too streaky on offense. The young center has weathered major swings in confidence with his shot and overall scoring. On paper, he\u2019s the ultimate piece that unlocks five-out basketball for Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n<p>But his growth must revolve around holding his own under the rim and showing presence in the paint, given how tough it may be to keep Hartenstein\u2019s contract in the long run. Even modest gains in his shooting consistency would boost OKC\u2019s offensive flexibility. He\u2019s far more than just a stretch five, and the dream is to see him as a full-time high-post facilitator one day.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins look poised for their own steps forward, with Nikola Topic also joining the mix whenever he\u2019s fully healthy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Player to Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/h2>\n<p>After being named MVP, leading the league in scoring, winning the championship, and taking Finals MVP, Shai\u2019s approach this season will dictate a lot about these Thunder. As Jaylen Brown says in the new season of \u201cStarting 5,\u201d \u201cthe game is very easy for him right now.\u201d What sets Shai apart is how routine his brilliance has become. Night after night, he shows up, finds his sweet spots, draws 10 free throws, and walks away with 30 points.<\/p>\n<p>That potential was unmatched last year, but if the Thunder want to grow as a unit, maybe that means we need to see him step aside at times instead of just splitting possessions with Jalen Williams. SGA isn\u2019t Trae Young\u2014he\u2019s already shown he can be effective off the ball. Improving there enough to diversify an offense that was sometimes the champs\u2019 biggest question mark might be the clearest path for Williams, Holmgren, and the rest.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, like every player who reaches the exclusive circle Shai\u2019s been in for two years, he\u2019ll face legacy chatter until he calls it a career. Getting to the top is thrilling, but it\u2019s also compelling to see how the greats remain there, refining already incredible talent. The challenge: to shift from Jokic\u2019s era to an era of Shai.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">nbamaniacs\u2019 Prediction<\/h2>\n<p>Only the Denver Nuggets look capable of challenging these Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. But this roster is better set up to handle key injuries, so they hold a slight edge in the regular season.<\/p>\n<p>We should speak frankly about the possibility of building a dynasty, which is why this preview covers the potential pitfalls and growth paths of a team seemingly best positioned to chase the title every year for the next five seasons. Expect them to top 58 wins and reach the conference finals at minimum. You can envision their ceiling yourselves.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Fotograf\u00eda de portada de Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA tips off tonight, and this final preview looks at last season\u2019s best regular-season squad and reigning champion\u2014even if that doesn\u2019t always match up: &#8230; <a title=\"NBA 2025-26: OKC Thunder schreiben ihre Geschichte neu\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/artikel\/nba-2025-26-okc-thunder-schreiben-ihre-geschichte-neu\/\" aria-label=\"Mehr Informationen \u00fcber NBA 2025-26: OKC Thunder schreiben ihre Geschichte neu\">Mehr lesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14497,"featured_media":414259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[205,3913],"class_list":["post-414261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artikel","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","no-featured-image-padding","resize-featured-image"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/usatsi_26520328.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Niko Jens Schwann","author_link":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/autor\/niko-jens-schwann\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14497"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}