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The Oklahoma City Thunder had one of the best single seasons in NBA history in 2024-25, culminating in the franchise’s first championship. But could they be on their way to even greater things in the years to come? A member of the latest NBA dynasty thinks so. After the Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 126-102 on Tuesday, November 11, Draymond Green compared Oklahoma City to his team that won four championships from 2015-2022, including three in four years from 2015-2018. He detailed some of the key ingredients to beginning and maintaining a dynastic run and explained how the Thunder are checking off those boxes. Oklahoma City went 68-14 in the regular season last year — the best regular season record since the 2015-16 Warriors (who went an NBA record 73-9) — and battled through two series that went seven games to ultimately lift the Larry O’ Brien trophy. They are off to an even better start in 2025-26 thanks to the winning culture they’ve created and look like they could be the first repeat champion since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Draymond Green Has High Praise For Oklahoma City Thunder While Green had some harsh things to say about his own team after Golden State fell to 6-6 on Tuesday, he gave a nearly-two-minute-long answer praising Oklahoma City and drawing parallels between the Thunder and the Warriors during their dynasty. Green talked first about the collective buy in required for sustained success. Every player on a championship team needs to understand how to play to their strengths and defer to others on their weaknesses. With Stephen Curry as their primary ball handler, Klay Thompson spacing the floor and Green defending every position, the Warriors played their individual parts better than anyone from 2015-2018. “You have to understand roles, and they definitely understand their roles,” Green said. “They’ve got their top dog, they’ve got their No. 2, everybody comes in and they know their roles, from Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] to Brooks [Barnhizer]. And that’s the way it has to be to win in this league.” At the height of their powers, Golden State felt like the New England Patriots dynasty of the early 2000s: players seemingly overlooked and under-appreciated made huge contributions. From aging veterans like Shaun Livingston to draft picks like Kevon Looney, Golden State always had a guy to turn to when the situation called for it. The Thunder are displaying those same tendencies, as players like Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell have been highly effective filling roles vacated by injured starters. “They are a well oiled machine,” Green said. “They kind of just plug and play, which is how we were during [the dynasty].” Finally, Green discussed how important it is for a team’s best player to deliver every game and set an example for everyone else on the roster to follow. For the Warriors, it was Curry, the league MVP in 2015 and 2016 and the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history. For the Thunder, it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who became the fourth player to win a scoring title, league MVP and Finals MVP in the same season last year. “When you have a leader that has a commitment to excellence, day in and day out, that Shai does, everyone else has to fall in line,” Green said. “They were down Lugentz Dort, J-Dub [Jalen Williams], Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins, who I think is their X-factor, and it didn’t seem like they were down anybody. That’s a level of excellence you must have in order to reach [consistent winning], and they’ve got that.” Oklahoma City Thunder Are Dominating The West Again The Thunder steamrolled the Warriors on Tuesday to improve to 11-1 on the season. Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and 11 assists while Chet Holmgren posted 23 points and 11 rebounds on a perfect 9-9 from the field. Oklahoma City continued to receive key contributions from its reserves, with Mitchell scoring 17 points and Isaiah Joe dropping 18 points. As they did last season, the Thunder have dominated at home to begin 2025-26, sporting a 5-0 record at Paycom Center. Their only loss so far came on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 6, a game in which the home team rallied from 22 down to defeat the defending champions. Oklahoma City will face the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, November 12 before a stretch of four games against some of the weaker teams in the league, including the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. They will have a rematch against the Trail Blazers, this time at home, on November 23. As Green suggested, this could be the makings of a dynasty in Oklahoma City.
