The Oklahoma City Thunder is about halfway through the regular season. With them they carry a surprising amount of wins. 

The 2019 off-season was tough for Thunder fans as they painfully watched Paul George request for a trade. After one year with OKC, George left for LA to meet up with NBA champion Kawhi Leonard.

 If you ask any Thunder fan, I’ll bet they remember July 11 2019. That was the day the face of OKCs basketball team, Russell Westbrook, was traded away to Houston. 

Oklahoma City was engulfed in a wave of sadness after 2 bombs were dropped on the Chesapeake Energy arena. It took awhile for fans to accept, but lo and behold, OKC was in the midst of a rebuild. 

Summer came to a quick end, and basketball season began, there was little hope for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Throughout Oct. and Nov., the season started as expected. The Thunder lost most games but won some. 

Suddenly in Dec., the team caught an unexpected wave of fire. Unexpectedly OKC began winning games, even tough ones. Since then, the Thunder has gone 28-11, and is now the 5th seed for the playoffs, and is continuing to move up.

If you’re anything like the average Thunder fan, chances are you’re questioning Oklahoma City’s amazing, yet unexpected success. 

The answer is actually quite surprising, Paul George was traded for what looked to be two mediocre players, who transformed into the stars they are today. 

Former rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had previously played for the Clippers, looked like a promising player. However not one thunder fan could see SGA comparable to Paul George. Fast forward a couple months, and he is one of the Thunders leading scorers, averaging 19.4 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

 Along with SGA, OKC acquired Danilo Gallinari. The Italian Power forward was drafted in 2008 and has been a pretty reliable player. He played for four different teams and never found a true home. He is now a starter for the Thunder, and is one of the most dynamic players on the court. 

A very familiar NBA star was sent to Oklahoma City on a trade for Russell Westbrook. Chris Paul had some trouble creating chemistry with his teammates in Houston. 

Today, Paul is arguably playing some of the best basketball he has ever played. Paul and his teammates have a great relationship, creating some of the most fun basketball to watch.

Thunder fans are truly enjoying watching this team play, the chemistry these players have together is like no other.

Contact Jaden Scamehorn at [email protected]