Oklahoma City has been exactly as advertised through week one of the NBA season. The scariest part is the team hasn’t even played its best basketball yet.

The Thunder has won all three of its games by 15 points or more, with the closest contest being a 102-87 win on the road against Denver. Oklahoma City has yet to shoot over 50% from the floor, and barring a fourth quarter barrage against Atlanta, the team’s field goal percentage and 3-point percentage would look even worse. 

But the team’s blistering defense and high octane attack has suffocated each of its first three opponents. The outside shots will fall at some point, it’s just a matter of time. The brand of basketball has been exceptional, though, and the fact that Oklahoma City can cruise to dominant wins on an off night shooting speaks volumes to just how good this team really is.

In the NBA power rankings, Oklahoma City was rewarded for its hot start. In the league’s second edition of rankings, the Thunder landed at No. 2 overall, just below the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

“Only one team in NBA history — the 1971-72, 69-13 Lakers — has won its first four games by at least 15 points,” John Schuhmann wrote. “The Thunder can be the second on Wednesday when we get our first Holmgren-Wembanyama matchup of the season. The two young bigs combined to shoot just 7-for-25 (28%) in their first meeting last November, but were then a combined 33-for-60 (55%) over the next two games, with Victor Wembanyama missing the final meeting of the season.”

Chet Holmgren has looked like a strong candidate for both the Most Improved Player Award and also the Defensive Player of the Year. His play has elevated to a completely different level — and he’s not even hitting 3-pointers at a high clip quite yet.

Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are pouring in the points for Oklahoma City, and the team’s bench has been elite. The historic three-game stretch is even crazier when factoring in that the Thunder has used three different starting fives to open up each game. There’s plenty of room for growth — and Oklahoma City is already dominating.

Obviously it’s a long season, and there will be storms that Oklahoma City has to weather. But so far, so good for the youngest team in the NBA. The future is bright, and the future is now.

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