The Thunder managed to capture lightning in a bottle this season, winning their first ever championship in franchise history over the Indiana Pacers. Everything seemed to go Oklahoma City’s way: they became the seventh team in league history to finish with 68 wins or more, they earned the 1 seed in a competitive western conference, and they set a new record for best net rating in league history (+12.8). They did this all while fielding the youngest roster in the NBA at an average age of 24.1 years.

OKC’s success starts with point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who took home Most Valuable Player honors for the first time in his young career while leading the league in scoring (32.7 points per game). He was also named Finals MVP, coming up clutch with a 29-point performance in game 7 and averaging 30.3 points per game for the series. Third year forward Jalen Williams was a big help down the stretch, averaging 23.6 points per game with a signature 40-bomb in game 5 to help the squad take a 3-2 lead. A new face for the Thunder made big contributions as well, with veteran guard Alex Caruso providing stifling defense off the bench. The NBA hasn’t seen a repeat champion in seven years, but there are no signs of Oklahoma City slowing down next season.

Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s remarkable season, the race for MVP wasn’t always crystal clear. Three-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets found a way to be even more impressive this season, averaging a triple-double for the first time in his career (29.6/12.7/10.2) on a career high 41.7% shooting from deep. Other standout centers include Domantas Sabonis, who averaged a league best 13.9 boards, and Karl- Anthony Towns, who averaged a double-double in his first year with New York (24.4/12.8). Standout offensive performances came from Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4 points per game) and Atlanta guard Trae Young, who led the league with 11.6 assists per game.

This season saw many young players take big steps forward in their careers. Evan Mobley, fourth-year power forward for the Cavaliers was named Defensive Player of the Year as Cleveland finished with the second-best record in the NBA (64- 18), leading the East. The Detroit Pistons bounced back from an awful 2023-24 and made the playoffs as a sixth seed led by former number one overall pick Cade Cunningham, who averaged an impressive 26.1 points and 9.1 assists per game. Most Improved Player honors went to Dyson Daniels, a guard in his third year who led the league with 3.0 steals per game for the Hawks after being traded from New Orleans. Another notable young player this season was San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle who won Rookie of the Year, the second year in a row the franchise has had a winner in the category (Victor Wembanyama).

Every postseason has its share of surprises, but nothing came as more of a shock than the run the Indiana Pacers went on. Led by guard Tyrese Haliburton and forward Pascal Siakam, the Pacers decisively won a five-game series against the Bucks before upsetting the Cavaliers and Knicks in the second and third rounds respectively. Haliburton hit a crucial game winning shot in each series and carried that momentum into game 1 of the finals, where he hit a go-ahead mid-range jumper in the closing seconds to secure the road victory. While the Pacers would eventually fall to the Thunder in 7, this was an unforgettable run for the squad.

Of course, what would an NBA season be without LeBron James adding more milestone achievements to his decorated career? This season he became the first player to ever play a 23rd season in the league, padded out his all-time lead in points scored by reaching 50,000 and surpassed the legendary Michael Jordan as the oldest player in NBA history to score 40 in a game. He comfortably averaged 24.4/7.8/8.2 and led the Lake Show to 50 wins, good for the 3 seed in the West.

Powered by official averages and stats with exclusive Strat-O ratings; 

Enhanced by hundreds of hours of unique Strat-O research and statistical analysis.