If one NBA player goes down, two take their place. The Oklahoma City Thunder have flexed their rich depth over the years. As a regular-season win machine and 2025 NBA champion, they've been front and center in the NBA world. The last two years have been one of the most dominant stretches... ever?
The stats certainly back it up. If you did a blind resume test, the Thunder are in the same company as the 1990s Chicago Bulls or the 2010s Golden State Warriors. Blowing teams to out left and right, there's a reason why the rest of the league has grown cynical about their odds at a basketball crown.
Appearing on 'The Old Man and the Three' NBA podcast, Williams coined a term for OKC's never-ending depth. The All-NBA talent has had a front-row view of the Thunder and their ascension from a young, pup play-in tournament team to a generational buzzsaw that brought home the franchise's first Larry O'Brien trophy in just a three-year span.
"Obviously, they can play, but to the extent and level these two are playing at," Williams said about Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain. "To people who don't know or are watching, it's like, 'Oh s--t. They're legit hoopers. They can hoop.'"
Williams cited Mitchell and McCain as two recent examples of OKC's unreal run at talent development. Mitchell went from a two-way rookie to a 14-point scorer in his second year. And then McCain went from being in the G League to dropping 20-point games in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
Examining OKC's roster, one of the biggest takeaways is the lack of high draft capital picks. Only Chet Holmgren is the sole top-five draft pick in the house. Everybody else has dramatically outplayed their draft position. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a No. 11 pick; Williams was a No. 12 pick.
That has caused Williams to label OKC's superpower as getting the absolute most out of their NBA players. He's hoping that the term sticks.
"Where are we getting this from?," Williams said. "That’s the 'Thunder Theory.'"
“Where are we getting this from? That’s like the ‘Thunder Theory’” -- Jalen Williams coins a new term for the OKC Thunder always having legit hoopers deep on the bench pic.twitter.com/TwWF034h8l
— TheOldManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) October 15, 2026
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 'Thunder Theory': Jalen Williams explains OKC's developmental superpower