Despite their youth, the Thunder are ready to take on the challenge of the playoffs

Don’t look now, but here comethe Oklahoma City Thunder.

They might get overlooked fortheir age, but make no mistake: these young Thunder are forreal.

Since the 1970-1971 season, theThunder are the youngest team to finish with the best record intheir conference, with a weighted average age of 23.92. This wasone of the best surprises of the season after they finished justthe 10th seed last year, and this incredible jump left peopleimpressed by their feat.

Throughout the season, OKCfinished:

2nd in Net Rating: +7.33rd in Offensive Rating: 118.34th in Defensive Rating 111.01st in 3P%: 38.9%1st in steals: 8.51st in blocks: 6.61st in Turnovers Forced: 15.71st in Contested FG: 47.41st in Points off Turnovers: 20.51st in Bench 3P%: 40.3%

These are phenomenal numbers fora team as young as them and the level of maturity and disciplinewithin their youth is off the charts.

The Thunder are led by theiryoung superstar and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous Alexander,averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists at age 25; has50+ games of 30 points or more, leading the second youngest team inthe league atop the West. Gilgeous-Alexander is also the onlyThunder player ever to average back-to-back 30-point seasons, animpressive feat for a franchise that once had Kevin Durant, RussellWestbrook, and James Harden on one team.

Jalen Williams has ascended to astar in just his sophomore season, being a true No.2 option behindSGA’s MVP act. Williams has all you want for an ideal ‘Robin’:three-level scoring, playmaking chops, and tenacious defense – the23-year-old just exudes two-way level all-star potential. And he’sinsanely clutch too, with the Thunder trusting him having the ballon his hands a lot of times in the 4th quarter and he has moreoften than not delivered for them.

Chet Holmgren has had one of themost impressive rookie seasons in recent memory, and if not for asuperhuman year by Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren would have beenclearly the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award. The7-foot-1 beanpole has lifted the Thunder to newer heights thisseason by improving their defense and being the final piece tocomplete the puzzle. Last season OKC struggled without a legitimatebig man who could protect the rim. With Holmgren in the fold, ithas been an entirely different story for the team. What’s more, isthat Holmgren can space the floor and knock down threes when neededand it is something the Thunder have that makes them even moredangerous and hard to guard.

OKC is a team built on insanechemistry, which goes to show the bond these guys play with eachother. This has translated to joy and confidence on the court ledto them playing high-level basketball, and each win and loss theyfaced throughout the regular season has only strengthened them as agroup. This has helped them battle through adversity and they hopethey could bring it in during the playoffs.

2024 Thunder regular season basketball was aMOVIE ⛈️ 🎥 🍿Playoffs are next and @NickAGalloWITH THE BARK 👀 #ThunderUp | @okcthunder| @BallySports📺 pic.twitter.com/dpSlNKjAVK

— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) April 14, 2024

When the dust settled, it wasclear to everyone: the Thunder had one of the best seasons they’vehad in years. They secured the No.1 overall seed in the West forthe first time since 2012, the year when they went all the way tothe NBA Finals. And they certainly hope they can replicate thatthis year with this group.

“We have to go do it now. We are0-0 entering the playoffs,” head coach Mark Daigneault stressedwhat happened in the regular season doesn’t matter now.

Teams might think that goingthrough them might be an easy task, but the Thunder are going to beready for battle. For a team that’s ‘overachieved’ during theregular season, they are out to prove they are not to be messedwith and they intend to go on a deep playoff run.