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Exclusive: Rashad McCants pushes Thunder title conspiracy theory involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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- Exclusive: Rashad McCants pushes Thunder title conspiracy theory involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Exclusive: Rashad McCants pushes Thunder title conspiracy theory involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Rashad McCants is not a big believer in the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. The former NBA veteran and current host of the popular show, Gil's Arena, starring himself, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, and a host of other notable former basketball stars, isn't surprised at all that the Thunder are starting to struggle after a sensational start to the season.
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Oklahoma City began the 2025-26 season with a 24-1 record , the best start in NBA history. However, things have started to cool as of late, with the Thunder going 8-6 in their past 14 games. They also notably lost to the San Antonio Spurs in back-to-back games and have lost to them in all three meetings this season. It took a 21-point comeback to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
McCants said the Thunder are drunk off of "championship champagne" and details what exactly their flaws are as they look to defend as NBA champions for the first time.
"They're drunk off championship champagne basically," said McCants in a one-on-one interview. "I think that they didn't make any changes, thinking that they have a formula for success. The history of the game has proven that if you don't make changes to your roster after a championship, you're going to be doomed for not repeating the championship or not even returning to the Finals, and I don't think that that team was even strong enough to dominate the way it seemed like they were dominating. It was based on other injuries, other teams not being at full strength, and they came into the season with the weakest strength of schedule so that they can seem to still look like the champions to beat."
McCants is basically making the argument that the Thunder — who went a league-best 68-14 last season — looked better than they actually were due to injuries suffered by other NBA teams. There were notable injuries last season, especially during the NBA playoffs, but that was mostly on the Eastern Conference side, with the Boston Celtics losing Jayson Tatum and the Indiana Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton . The Thunder were obviously the beneficiary of the Haliburton injury, who suffered his torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
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The NBA as a whole — especially the Western Conference — appears to be stronger this season, with Kevin Durant 's move to the Houston Rockets making them one of the top teams in the West. Furthermore, the Spurs are now a bona fide contender due to the continued development of Victor Wembanyama and a solid supporting cast mix of veterans and youngsters.
"Now we see that these other teams that really are starting to catch their stride," said McCants. "The NBA season is long, it's grueling, but it's also one that gives you opportunity to create chemistry and camaraderie over time. When you come back towards the start after the All-Star break, you'll start to see teams that weren't playing good in the beginning start playing way better than they were before. OKC will be one of those teams that is going to catch hell for those teams that are actually playing better."
McCants — who spent four seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings — also claims that the NBA has "marketed a product" that gives them viewership based on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being one of the three or four stars in the league. He brings up his Nike endorsement and the fact that he plays in one of the smallest markets in the league in Oklahoma City . Oklahoma City is one of the three smallest markets in the NBA.
"It's just one of those things where the NBA has marketed a product that got them viewership based on Shai-Gilgeous Alexander being one of three, maybe one of four guys, they want to be the face of the league," said McCants. "He's a Nike guy, and is one of those anomalies where, with OKC being a small-market team, can rise to the occasion. Certain guys don't need to leave small market situations, but you can't fight the facts. The facts are, you have to reboot your roster. You have to bring in different players for different seasons."
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We'll see if McCants' argument holds true when the playoffs come around, but the fact is the Thunder still holds the NBA's best record at 33-7. In fact, their 82.5% winning rate is parallel to last season's win percentage of 82.9%.
Their one Achilles heel has been against the likes of the Spurs, whom they've gone 0-3 against this season. We'll see if the Thunder can overcome their struggles against San Antonio if they meet up with them in the playoffs.
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