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The Bricktown Brief · By the numbers

By The Numbers: Where OKC Stands Before Camp Tips Off

Four figures that frame the champions entering a new season without a game played yet.

64-18Last Season's Recordthe standard before a single game
11.1Team Net Ratingbest mark in the league last season
31.1 ptsSGA Scoring Averagesteady production across 68 games last season
$216.2MTotal Payrollpast the tax threshold already
By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Sunday, September 20

Oklahoma City opens 2026-27 at 0-0, still measured against last season's 64-18 finish and a net rating that topped the league. The price of keeping that roster together is $216.2 million, well past the $200.4 million tax threshold, and camp is opening without several rotation pieces at full health right now.

64-18: Last Season's Record

The Record That Still Counts

Last season ended at 64-18, the best mark Oklahoma City has posted since moving from Seattle. That number means nothing for 2026-27 by itself: the record now reads 0-0, and no preseason game has been played. The Thunder open exhibition play October 6 against the Pelicans, then host the Bucks the next night before back-to-back preseason trips to Atlanta and home games against the Pacers. The regular season starts October 20 at San Antonio, broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Every game between now and then adds to a fresh slate, not last year's mark.

An Efficiency Number Worth Watching

Oklahoma City's net rating last season was 11.1, the top mark in the league, built on an offense that ranked seventh (117.6) and a defense that finished first (106.5). That gap between offense and defense is the story of how the Thunder won: they suffocated opponents more than they blitzed scoreboards. None of it carries over automatically. Camp is dealing with calf, hamstring and ankle issues for Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams, each with an estimated return around October 1, before that formula gets tested again.

SGA's Bar, And The Bill

SGA averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds across 68 games last season, the kind of number that keeps this roster expensive. Jalen Williams counts $41.5 million against the cap this season. Holmgren matches that figure, and the total payroll runs to $216.2 million, well past the $200.4 million tax threshold and into apron territory. Oklahoma City still owns its own first-round picks outright starting in 2029, insulation for whatever bill comes due next. None of those figures is a promise of what happens on the floor once games start counting.

Is Oklahoma City's record still 64-18?

No. That was last season's final mark; the 2026-27 record is 0-0 with no games played yet.

How far over the luxury tax is Oklahoma City?

The payroll is $216.2 million against a $200.4 million tax threshold, putting the Thunder into apron territory for 2026-27.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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