After opening the season with 15 wins in 16 games, the US media predicts 77 wins, breaking the Warriors record! Why are the Thunder so optimistic?

15 wins and 1 loss in the first 16 games of the season. US media predicts that the defending champion will win 77 games in a single season this season, breaking the NBA historical record of 73 wins held by the Warriors! Why are the defending champion Thunder so optimistic?

The Thunder have 15 wins in 16 games

After defeating the Pelicans in the previous game and winning 6 consecutive games, the Thunder faced a competition with the Kings. The latter was in poor condition and faced dismantling and rebuilding. The result is predictable. The Thunder easily defeated the Kings 113-99 and won 7 consecutive games.

In this way, since the beginning of the season, the Thunder have achieved a record of 15 wins and 1 loss in the first 16 games. They only lost by 2 points in the second back-to-back game against the Trail Blazers. They won all the other games, and most of them were one-sided three-quarter punches.

With this performance, the Thunder, with 15 wins in 16 games, became the team with the second-best opening season record among the NBA's defending champions in the past 30 years, second only to the Warriors, which had a 16-game winning streak at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

Faced with such an exaggerated performance by the Thunder, the American media "Clutch Points" also published a picture predicting that if the Thunder can maintain its current momentum, it will hope to achieve a record of 77 wins and 5 losses in a single season, breaking the NBA's historical record of 73 wins in a single season held by the Warriors.

So why is this Thunder team so optimistic by the US media when its performance at the beginning of the season has not surpassed the Warriors' 16-game winning streak in the 15-16 season?

Reason 1: The unsolvable Alexander

After winning the MVP, FMVP, first team and championship in the 24-25 season, the 27-year-old Alexander once again ushered in substantial growth and transformation this season.

After scoring 33 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on 12-for-24 in this game, Alexander has scored 20+ points in 88 consecutive games and has scored 30+ points for the 13th time this season.

After experiencing the baptism of the finals, Alexander has further evolved from a stable 30-point threat last season to a stable 30+ scoring threat in three quarters, and is weakening his reliance on free throws. He currently ranks seventh in the league with an average of 9.1 free throws per game, which is far behind the No. 1 Doncic average of 12.5 free throws per game.

Reason 2: The second-in-command of the Thunder has been injured so far.

Due to a second wrist surgery, the second-in-command of the Thunder, Jaylen Williams, has been absent from the season so far. There is currently no clear timetable for his return. Based on the recovery of the same type of injury, it is expected that he will not be able to return until December at the earliest.

In addition to Jaylen Williams, two high-ranking rookies, Thomas Sorbo and Topic, have also not played due to injuries.

In addition, Caruso, Holmgren, Kenway, Gerinway, Dort, Wallace and other core rotations have also been in and out due to injuries. The Thunder has endured serious injuries and achieved a record of 15 wins and 1 loss in the first 16 games of the season, which shows the Thunder's terrifying dominance.

Reason 3: Strange players continue

The core reason why the Thunder are able to perform impressively despite the pressure of injuries is the exaggerated depth of the lineup.

From core players to role players, the Thunder's core rotation is very young. After experiencing the baptism of winning the finals, not only Alexander has completed the transformation, but also the helpers around him.

Especially last year's No. 38 pick Ajay Mitchell has made rapid progress this season, with his average data soaring to 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Reason 4: Huge room for movement

The Thunder will still have 13 first-round picks + 16 second-round picks in the next seven years, including the Clippers' unprotected first-round pick in 2026.

According to the current poor situation of the Clippers, this first-round pick is very likely to be a lottery pick and has extremely high transaction value.

With the rest of the first and second rounds in hand, the Thunder can also complete team reinforcements as needed before the trade deadline. The huge room for growth and imagination, plus the massive amount of trading chips, is what is really scary about this Thunder team. It is also the confidence that they have to break the Warriors' 73-win record and establish a dynasty team.