With the 2026-27 regular season right around the corner, the Oklahoma City Thunder enter the year as a popular title pick. Even after their summer of cost-cutting moves, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams remain one of the most successful and decorated trios in the league.
The Thunder had a league-best 64-18 this past regular season. But fell short of their back-to-back ambitions in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. Injuries played a large part in that. But that's in the past. Can't change anything about it now.
Now that the offseason is behind us and we're looking ahead to another nine-month marathon, let's rewind on OKC's biggest moves and preview what most folks believe the Thunder will do this upcoming year.
To get
ready for the upcoming season, Thunder Wire conducted a 16-question fan survey. A total of 1,145 Thunder fans participated. Not every question was answered, though. The response totals for each question can be seen in the top-left corner of the pie charts.
One question concerned Gilgeous-Alexander's status within the NBA talent pool. According to most Thunder fans, the two-time MVP winner is viewed as the best player in the league. Over 90% of voters said yes to that simple yes-or-no question.
I know, I know. I mean, duh. Of course, Thunder fans would call Gilgeous-Alexander the best player in the world. Why wouldn't they? But there's a solid case to be made. He's a two-time MVP winner. Has had four consecutive superb-efficient 30-plus point campaigns. The advanced metrics paint him as a basketball pantheon. Anytime he breaks a record, he shares the same sentence with guys like Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
Right now, we're seeing Gilgeous-Alexander continue the lineage of era-defining guards. Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry also shared the same privilege at the peak of their respective powers. He's one of the greatest scorers ever and has a stacked trophy case to back it up.
All that said, it sounds like Gilgeous-Alexander has the strongest resume for best player in the NBA. If not, he's at least a top-three player. Even his biggest haters have to admit that. The 28-year-old should add another chapter to his all-time mythos in the 2026-27 season. He remains at the peak of his powers. And the Thunder are in the thick of the title picture because of him.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2026 OKC Thunder fan survey results: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is best player in NBA
