The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending champions, so they have a huge target on their backs. To start the 2025-26 season, they were doing well, nearly going unbeaten until the Portland Trail Blazers pulled off a massive upset.
Entering December, they only had one loss to their name. Since then, the Thunder have lost to the San Antonio Spurs three times, the Phoenix Suns, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now, the Charlotte Hornets. It has been a slump for the Thunder in the past few weeks, which is surprising for OKC.
Daigneault knows the Thunder must learn from this slump
The Thunder are still the best team in the league by a wide margin with a 30-7 record. However, they have a 5-5 record over their last 10 games, which is unbelievable from a team like OKC.
When the season started, many thought the Thunder could go on a 70-win season, which is not the case anymore. They are doing well, but they don't have that edge over every single team anymore. The Thunder are still quite good, but they have shown some cracks over the past few weeks.
More: Thunder made basketball history not done in NBA since Chicago Packers in 1962
Coach Mark Daigneault knows that the Thunder are still a great team, but he also admits that they needed to learn some lessons. It is good that they won a championship in 2025, but they are not infallible. They can lose some games, but the key is how they learn from them.
"There’s a lesson to be taken from every game, and there are certainly lessons from this one. We’re not a team that throws the film away. We try to learn from every game, extract the lessons and then pour it into the next part of the schedule," Daigneault said after the loss to the Hornets.
The Thunder are struggling recently, but this should not be a long-term problem. Oklahoma City has some of the best players in the league, especially with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Even the MVP admits the Thunder are not a finished product yet, as he knows they are still progressing as a team. As long as they can keep improving on their mistakes, the Thunder will continue to be a top team.
More NBA News:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praises Chet Holmgren for OKC's success
- Steve Kerr admits the Thunder and the Spurs are long-term championship contenders
- Mark Daigneault continues to be impressed by Ajay Mitchell's breakout for the OKC Thunder
- Hornets' Kon Knueppel gets strong comparisons to Warriors legend from Steve Kerr
- NBA trade rumors: Ranking 9 most likely stars to be traded, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Anthony Davis