In the 2008-2009 NBA season, the Seattle Supersonics were moved to Oklahoma and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since they became the Thunder in 2008, they have had some pretty good teams. From the Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant era to the roster, they have now with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge. The Thunder are expected to be one of the best teams in the West again this year. It has prompted us to look back at some of the best Thunder teams in franchise history.
It is pretty crazy that the Thunder have only missed the playoffs five times in 17 seasons. Even with all of that success they still have zero championships with only one NBA Finals appearance. Before we get to this list, there will not be any Supersonic teams on the list as we just wanted to focus on the Thunder. With that being said, this list was very difficult to make with a lot of good teams to pick from, but we feel very confident in the five teams that we picked and why we picked them.
The 5 Greatest Teams in Thunder History
5. 2019-2020
First up on the list, we have the 2019-2020 Thunder team. This year is famous for it being the Covid year in which the NBA playoffs were in a bubble. However, this was the offseason that the Thunder traded away Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Jerami Grant to fully indicate a rebuild. They were able to receive Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Danilo Gallinari in return. Nonetheless, even with all of that, there were no expectations on this Thunder team for the first time since they became the Thunder. ESPN gave the Thunder a 0.2% chance of making it to the playoffs this year.
However, after indicating they were going into a rebuild they were able to defy the odds and won 44 games in a shortened season for the fifth seed in the West. This was in large part due to Chris Paul having a resurgence year at 34 in which he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. To go along with that he was a great leader and mentor to the 21 year old of Shai. Which saw him take a major leap scoring 19.0 points. With all of that said their Cinderella run came to an end with a game-seven loss in the first round to the Houston Rockets. After that year, the Thunder fully embraced the rebuild, but fans were still excited for the future with all of the draft capital they had. In addition to that, the potential that was there with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
4. 2023-2024
Next up we have the most recent team in the 2023-2024 Thunder team. The year prior they finished with a record of 40-42 and were the 10th seed and eventually lost in the play-in tournament. With that said, going into this season the expectations were beginning to rise in Oklahoma but were expected to only take a small leap. A leap that would have seen them being a sixth seed or fifth seed and just barely missing the play-in tournament. However, they took a 17-win jump and became the youngest one-seed ever in NBA history. In addition to that, they were top ten in every statistical category besides rebounding.
They blew the expectations out of the water in one of the toughest Western Conferences we have seen. This is in large part due to Shai-Gilgeous Alexander building off his prior year and Chet Holmgren having one of the best rookie seasons ever. Also, Jalen Williams took a major leap in year two scoring 19.0 points per game. Finally, the only reason this Thunder team isn’t higher on the list is because of how the season ended. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Semifinals in six games. Regardless of how this season finished it is still one of the best teams they have had.
3. 2009-2010
Next up on the list, we have the 2009-2010 team. It was only the second season in franchise history and were already a playoff-caliber team. Sam Presti and company did a remarkable job in drafting, getting players like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka. Because of that, they were able to make a quick turnaround and go from rebuilding to contending in one year. They improved their wins by 27 from the year prior which is very remarkable to make that big of a jump from one year to the next.
Furthermore, even with 50 wins in the year, they found themselves as the eighth seed facing the number one seed Los Angeles Lakers. The team was led by prime Kobe Bryant. The Lakers would go on and win the title that year. However, were taken to six games by this young Thunder team. Which could have gone to seven games if it weren’t for a last-second shot by Pau Gasol. Regardless, of how the season ended this is a top-five team in franchise history. With them being able to increase their wins by 27. The Thunder fans were excited about the future and the potential with Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. Nothing will ever beat that atmosphere in game three for the first playoff game in the Thunder’s history at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. In addition to that, taking the NBA champions to a hard-fought six games in round one.
2. 2015-2016
The runner-up on the list is the 2015-2016 team. There is an argument to have that this was the best Thunder team. However, we have placed them at number two. A couple of years removed from the James Harden trade. Plus, after a couple of injured plaque seasons prior. This one the first time in a while that they were very healthy and playing well. They finished the year as a three-seed winning 55 games. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were just entering their primes at 27. They had a great third option with Serge Ibaka. A nice young big in Steven Adams, and a defensive specialist in Andre Roberson. It seemed like Westbrook and Durant were finally putting it all together.
After, having one of the best seasons as a duo. Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, and 10.4 assists, and Durant averaged 28.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. They beat a 67-win Spurs team, and they were up 3-1 over the 73-win Warriors team and on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals. However, even with this arguably their best team, the one reason they aren’t number one is because of blowing the 3-1 lead to the Warriors and falling short once again. This led Kevin Durant to leave the Thunder and sign with the Warriors which changed the league. If they didn’t blow that lead and ended up in the Finals, this team would have had a good shot at beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1. The Best Team in Thunder History: 2011-2012
Finally, the best team in Thunder history not including the Supersonics has to be the 2011-2012 team. The team was led by the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. This was another shortened season with the NBA lockout that occurred in which the Thunder went 47-19. Even with Harden, Westbrook, and Durant all being 23 or younger they were ready to make noise. They were able to easily get past the seven-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the team that won the NBA championship the year prior, sweeping them 4-0. Then they took on the Lakers led by an aging Kobe Bryant and beat them 4-1. Finally, they got past Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals beating them 4-2.
They advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. However, lost in five games to a more experienced and older team the Miami Heat led by LeBron James. After the season, the Thunder were projected to be one of the more dominant teams in the NBA for the foreseeable future and win at least one ring with the emergence of their young trio. Thunder fans were very excited for the future even though they lost in the Finals. However, not much later they traded away James Harden to the Houston Rockets which shocked the whole NBA. With that trade, this Thunder era never made it back to the NBA Finals. This is still considered one of the biggest what-if scenarios in NBA History. Regardless of the outcome and what came after this is still the best team in Thunder franchise history.
