OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 18: Cason Wallace #22 celebrates with Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter of a game against the Denver Nuggets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 18, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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The Oklahoma City Thunder is 19-1, meaning the season is roughly a quarter of the way through now that the team has played 20 total games. That’s a significant milestone because, philosophically, most teams around the league start to buy into what sample sizes are saying and what trends could be suggesting around the 20-game mark.
That generally tends to be the point in a season where major adjustments are made and outlier trends turn into reality. As such, it’s a good time to take a look at some of the statistics, trends and themes surrounding the Thunder 20 games in.
Lineup Style vs Rebounding
The Thunder likes to play with a surplus of guards and perimeter-oriented players. That’s especially true given Chet Holmgren, who logs most of his minutes at power forward and some at center, is also a perimeter-oriented big who can defend in space.
Offensively it’s the same story, as he can operate both on the perimeter and on the interior. As a result, Oklahoma City spends the vast majority of its minutes playing with one or zero true bruisers in the paint, with Isaiah Hartenstein generally occupying most of those physical interior minutes.
Because of that style, it’s important that a team built like the Thunder rebounds collectively and places an emphasis on finishing possessions. Through 20 games, the Thunder is 12th in total rebounds at 44.8 per game. The defensive glass has been excellent with 35.4 defensive rebounds per game and a 75.9% defensive rebound rate, which rank fifth in the league. On the offensive glass the story is different. Oklahoma City’s 9.5 offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebound rate of 22.5% each ranks 27th.
Some of that is stylistic. The Thunder often prefers to get back in transition on defense rather than crash the offensive glass aggressively. That tradeoff between generating second-chance opportunities and preventing transition buckets is a philosophical choice.
Holistically, given how the Thunder plays, being a middle-of-the-pack rebounding team overall is more than enough.
Upward Trending Perimeter Shooting
The 3-point shot was a weakness in the playoffs last season and surfaced again early this year. Through the first couple of weeks, the Thunder was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league.
That trend has flipped.
In the last five games Oklahoma City ranks second in 3-point efficiency and over the last 10 games ranks sixth at 38.6%. The larger 20-game sample places the Thunder 14th in the NBA at 36.3%.
Given how poorly the season started from deep, the upward trajectory is meaningful. The recent sample strongly suggests the Thunder is trending toward being a legitimately good shooting team as the season settles in.
Lack of Free Throw Volume
Free throw shooting volume has been inconsistent for the Thunder in recent years. For a team that drives the ball as much as Oklahoma City does, puts pressure on the rim and generates advantages from dribble penetration, you’d typically expect higher free throw numbers. Yet that hasn’t materialized this season.
The Thunder ranks 17th in free throw attempts per game at 25.2 and in free throw rate at 28.2%. Middle of the pack is never inherently bad, but based on personnel and offensive style, the expectation is that these numbers should rise as the season goes on and the sample size grows. For a team built around rim pressure and physicality, this is the one offensive area where natural positive regression feels likely.
Dominance Driven by Defense
The Thunder’s net rating of 15.4 is the best in the NBA by a wide margin. The 120.4 offensive rating ranks fourth in the league and speaks to how efficient this team has been, but it’s the defense that has elevated the Thunder to dominant territory. A 105 defensive rating through 20 games means an already historic defense from last season has taken another step forward.
Oklahoma City continues to hold teams to low scoring nights by forcing poor shot quality, disrupting actions and making opponents uncomfortable. It’s a physical, connected, versatile defense that embodies what this roster is built to do. Given that the Thunder is 19-1, none of this is surprising, but it’s still notable that the net rating is being driven more by defense than offense through the first quarter of the season.
With 62 games remaining there’s plenty of time for trends to shift, numbers to normalize and new storylines to emerge. But through 20 games, this is where the Thunder stands and why the league is beginning to accept that this early-season dominance may not be an outlier.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholascrain/2025/11/30/okc-thunders-20-game-benchmark-reveals-a-contender-sharpening-its-edge/
