A year ago, Oklahoma City had one of the most formidable offenses in the league while also having one of the youngest rosters in the league. Shai GIlgeous-Alexander averaged 30 points, Chet Holmgren entered the picture, Jalen Williams refined his approach and many more facets saw the Thunder with such a dangerous offense combined with a versatile and terrifying defense.

Not much has changed in 2024-25, although despite an impeccable 6-0 start to the season, their explosive offense has fallen off a bit. Sitting in the middle of the league in offensive rating at 112.5 and being in the bottom half in true shooting percentage at 56.3%, it’s been a slight drop for the favorites coming out of the Western Conference. Additionally, as one of the best three-point shooting teams a year ago, their efficiency has fallen to the bottom ten of the association.

Of course, it’s not much cause for concern, the Thunder are still 6-0 at the end of the day. The season progresses and the offense shakes off some of the rust, but without a strong defense that can catch some breathing room, it could be a different story. Their defense is as strong as any in the league so far, and that’s without Isaiah Hartenstein, and that’s what’s strongly stabilizing this team.

This is a defense that leads the league in defensive rating by far, six points away from second-best rating and 11 points away from third: Oklahoma City has a defensive rating of 95.1 through its first six games. And, even more frightening, the Thunder rank third in defensive rebounds per game, an issue that had seemingly caused their demise against the Dallas Mavericks a year ago and has now been successfully addressed and fixed thus far. The Thunder also rank first in steals and blocks, and are in the top three of many defensive statistics.

Oklahoma City’s slight offensive slump won’t last, but when it gets back up, this team will be a heavy hitter with this caliber of defense.

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