The OKC success story isn't a fleeting one

The 60-win season comes a year after they became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history by winning 57 games. 

If the Thunder were to finish with 67 wins this season — a feasible scenario — they would sustain their streak of 10+ wins improvement for the third consecutive season. OKC finished with a 24-58 record in 2021-22 and 40-42 in 2022-23 before notching +17 wins last season.  

The year-by-year growth encapsulates how OKC allowed its young core, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to learn from growing pains and take gradual strides. The franchise never had to endure incessant tanking like other rebuilding teams in the last decade. 

Its core includes only one top-three draft pick in Chet Holmgren. SGA (11th pick), Jalen Williams (12th pick), Cason Wallace (10th pick), Isaiah Joe (49th pick), Aaron Wiggins (55th pick) and Luguentz Dort (undrafted) are overachievers who've thrived in the culture built by Sam Presti and Daigneault.

Presti's ability to construct a winning roster goes back decades. The Thunder GM built a legitimate title contender in the early 2010s and managed to keep the team competitive even after Kevin Durant's departure in 2016. All those wins are starting to pay dividends.

Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Thunder have won 761 regular-season games, trailing only the Celtics with a 60.2 percent win rate. With 10 games left in the season, they are on the brink of becoming the winningest franchise of the last 15 years.

Ultimately, the regular-season wins won't matter unless SGA and Co. deliver a championship. History suggests they have good odds of completing the mission this year. 

The franchise is seeking its only championship since legendary coach Lenny Wilkens guided the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 title.