The Oklahoma City Thunder is fresh from the 2025 NBA Championship. Despite their success, they continue to work hard in the game. Shy Gilgauss Alexander is an outstanding player, but he has seen Chet Holmgren make great strides.
The team’s expectations continue to grow after the success of the 2024-25 season, when the Oklahoma City Thunder won the #1 seed and the championship. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t want to resort to the blueprint Thunder set for success, so he still wants to promote the game.
The rest of the team needs to match his development. So players like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are doing well in the offseason. In particular, Holmgren has been praised by Gilgauss Alexander during training camp.
As the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, people already knew Holmglen was good. However, his efforts have been rewarded as he has become a top-class defensive player with a substantial contract, and the Thunder sees him as a key building block for the long-term future.
It’s understandable if a player runs a bit of a Coast during the offseason after the championship. They blessed, so it wasn’t what happened with lightning, but they also returned to work after a high moment.
This shows the winning mentality that is permeating players within the OKC Thunder organization. For star player Gilgauss Alexander, he has seen Holmgren significantly improve his game and the physical traits that could make him another star.
Team superstar and leader Gilgeous-Alexander knows how his teammates worked in the offseason. Despite all the positive improvements, Holmgren stands out, and Gilgauss Alexander enjoys working with him.
“He was definitely strong and I was expecting it. We were running last year and he was injured and it was a lower body injury.
“Of course there’s a strength that needs to come back. But we see it every day. There’s nothing surprising,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after practice.
“Chet is who he is and who he will be. But yeah, he’s been great so far… If I didn’t see too many changes, that’s not the biggest thing, but we’ve certainly gotten better, personally and as a group.”
“As the year progresses, you get closer and closer, so flocculating and we’re even better on both ends of the floor. Last year we played 100 games. This training camp is definitely better than the last game.”
Other teams have improved their roster, but the Thunder keeps them. They want to win the title again, and coach Mark Deenoo is ready to lead them back to the promised land.
The attack remains strong, with Gilgauss Alexander and Williams leading the charges. However, their defense continues to be the NBA gold standard. They could be the next dynasty in the league, and Gilgauss Alexander is on the forefront.
But he’s not alone as he has a great supporting cast. Holmglen and Williams are the biggest names other than superstars. But they still have names like Lugenz Dort, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The sky is the limit of lightning, and it would be hard to stop them, especially in Holmglenn, as they improved in the offseason. Thunder has all the tools at will and we are trying to keep them.