Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s honest ‘challenging’ take on Thunder’s 2025-26 season

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s honest ‘challenging’ take on Thunder’s 2025-26 season

Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Apr 10, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's honest 'challenging' take on Thunder's 2025-26 season appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

For All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder , clinching the No. 1 seed in three consecutive regular seasons isn't easy. Leading the league with an 11.4 average point differential, the defending champions handed the Los Angeles Lakers two 36+ point losses after Gilgeous-Alexander's 47 points closed out a 114-110 victory against the Detroit Pistons in overtime. For many, Shai sealed his case as a back-to-back MVP.

After Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder clinched the No. 1 seed in a 128-110 win against the LA Clippers, the reigning MVP reflected on the past two regular seasons. While Gilgeous-Alexander says the 2025-26 campaign was most challenging on a personal level , his team, including the coaching staff and its players, continues to improve.

"It feels better for sure. Not only because we got to weather a little bit more. But just repeating something and doing it again is always was a little bit harder. It's a little more challenging," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "The league gets better. Players get better. For us to still have the best overall record through that, and ups and downs, speaks volumes to the team. Speaks volumes to the guys in the summertime—getting better individually.

"The coaching staff is getting better individually. We always say at the beginning of the season: no matter what happens, we have to earn what we get in the playoffs and in our seeding. And we earned the first overall seed."

For the third year in a row, the Thunder will enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Thunder's exponential growth

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on his and his teammates' growth in 2025-26, which gives him the ultimate confidence ahead of defending a title in the playoffs.

"I think I'm a world of a better player," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Not only myself but the team understands what it really takes. I think our experiences have naturally done that for us. We understand how to win and the formula for winning. And we understand that every night doing that is the real key to success. And it's not all the other razzle dazzle, and the stuff that's cute with basketball.

"Understanding that getting the job done—whatever it is — every night is going to look different. But getting the job done and how to get it done, I think we built that muscle more than anything."

Gilgeous-Alexander adds that acquiring veterans such as Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein helped propel the Thunder to new heights last season, and that the growth of youngsters like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain has helped elevate the defending champions this season.

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