The Oklahoma City Thunder’s starters are facing criticism heading into the second half of the season. But can they still improve at this point? We’ve seen how the team has struggled to come up with wins heading into the All-Star Break. However, one point of consideration is that they haven’t played at full strength so far. This has indeed been affecting their performances, leading to the 42-14 record that’s been scrutinized by many.
After a promising 2024-25 campaign, the Thunder have been struggling. They’re becoming a beatable team, with some teams getting away with winnable games for OKC. That being said, there’s indeed a lot to look out for as the defending champs are gearing up for bigger hopes in the second half of the season.
Should the OKC Thunder’s Starters Get a Revamp?
Part of those expectations begin with the Thunder’s starting five. They’re struggling to win games; in fact, they’re all missing time together by now. This means that fans expect to see them grinding their way back to winning in the second half. There are some fans, however, who think that changing the starting five could be a way to help in fixing their woes.
How’s the Thunder Starting Five Doing?
This has been quite the underwhelming starting five in the NBA so far. The lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein hasn’t been playing for more than ten games this season. In fact, they’re only logging a total of five games together so far this season. That’s a disappointing thing to watch so far, and the OKC’s starters have been different for most of the season.
The Thunder starting 5 have only played a total of 42 minutes together this season
They still have the most wins in the NBA 😳
(h/t @The_Uncontested) pic.twitter.com/fzGkRLlO8J
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) February 18, 2026
Playing a total of just five games together is definitely not ideal. However, it’s worth noting that the Thunder still boast the most total wins in the NBA. Sure, the Detroit Pistons have the best record in the league, but they’ve been healthy for most of the campaign. In contrast, the Thunder have had injuries to the likes of SGA, J-Dub, Dort, IHart, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, and so on.
Health has been a massive issue for the Thunder this season. It’s only quite an unlucky stretch that it’s affecting the main OKC starters. In fact, last season, the only main injury that Oklahoma City saw was to Holmgren, who missed a total of 50 games.
Can the Same OKC Starters Win Another Title?
Looking towards the second half of this season, it seems the Thunder’s main starting lineup has a shot at redemption. We are yet to see OKC play at full strength on a consistent basis, and this means they may be gearing to play more in the second half of the season.
Jalen Williams
Isaiah Hartenstein
Alex Caruso
Ajay Mitchell
Cason WallaceThat's 5 of OKC's top 8 players out at the moment.
Thunder's biggest issue right now is health.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) January 26, 2026
However, keep in mind that head coach Mark Daigneault is not afraid of change. Remember, he once considered placing Isaiah Joe ahead of Josh Giddey in the 2024 West Semis. Cason Wallace also notably started ahead of IHart at one point in the 2025 NBA Finals. This just means that while there’s expectations that the original Thunder starting five will remain, OKC isn’t afraid to explore the best possible lineup that can help them win.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
