Oklahoma City is off to another great season, but it’s also worth noting that they have impressive candidates for individual awards to add more to it.

This season has been a great revelation about the Thunder and their deep rotation. With a lot of injuries to their players, OKC has been scrapping hard, trying to win each game convincingly. The fact that they are winning games by an average of 14 points or more is still stunning, considering they are not at full strength.

On that note, it is worth mentioning that OKC has a lot of players who are playing at a high level. Some even say they are way too stacked for a defending champion, to the point that they are close to the recent dynasty, the Golden State Warriors. With their youth and the way they are playing right now, it does seem inevitable at this point.

The fact that the Thunder features players who are gunning for individual awards is truly absurd. They are too good for a team that is showcasing championship pedigree, and we may see them all win if each of these players ends up having a great season.

Here are some of the players for the Thunder who have a case for individual awards:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: MVP

You know you’re in for a treat when SGA blows past defenders, comes up with a promising behind-the-back dish to an open teammate, then sits out the fourth quarter after dropping a casual 30-piece. That’s just a casual day for the reigning MVP, who is still leading the latest race to the award and is leading the NBA in total points scored.

As of Monday, the Canadian Thunder star is averaging 32.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting above 50% from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander knows how to play the best game for the Thunder – while making the rest of his teammates even better. The fact that he’s sat out the fourth quarter of seven of the 14 Thunder games is a huge promise that gets overlooked by many.

You don’t get that kind of production in a short span of time while winning by double digits. Yet SGA is showing that he can pull off these kinds of impressive wins without carrying the load into the fourth quarter. The Thunder are winning a lot, and it is all because of him.

In his first few games of the season, SGA has already launched a career high in points, and is already leading the league in total points scored and clutch points – despite sitting out the fourth quarter multiple times. That’s already the makings of an MVP repeat – the first since Stephen Curry in 2015 and 2016.

Defensive Player of the Year - Chet Holmgren & Cason Wallace

Chet Holmgren is second in the odds for the DPOY run this year, just a few notches behind Victor Wembanyama. While the Spurs center is way ahead of the pack in terms of statistics on defense, it cannot be denied that Holmgren remains the best defender the Thunder can field on the court. He’s been able to prove that he can block and contest shots night in and night out, and OKC really needs him on the defensive end.

While he may not have blocks in every game he’s played in, his ability to alter shots at the rim and force opposing teams to reset their plays is essential to this Thunder team. They are able to dominate the glass and take on center-focused teams with Holmgren at the helm. That says a lot about his value and case for the DPOY.

Cason Wallace, on the other hand, is showing impressive growth in his game. Despite being just in his third year, he is already leading the league in steals per game, is in the top five in deflections per game, and also battling Dyson Daniels for the most total steals this season. That’s just barely what Wallace has done this season to prove his worth on the big stage – averaging 2.3 steals per game in 13 games.

Wallace has recently shut down Luka Doncic, Curry and Ja Morant in the last three games. These three stars combined for 14/51 from the field when Wallace guarded them, and it shows a lot about why his defensive prominence nearly matches Lu Dort’s. With their defensive specialist out, Wallace is filling in the void for the Thunder, and he really does his job well.

Ajay Mitchell - 6th Man of the Year

There’s no reason any other player than Ajay Mitchell would end up winning the Sixth Man of the Year. If anything, he is the second incarnation of James Harden in OKC. We have seen how he has managed to step up from being a bench player to a regular performer in Mark Daigneault’s starting lineup.

While we are yet to see Mitchell’s production when Jalen Williams returns to the lineup, there’s already a lot of discussion how the Thunder have found yet another steal in the Santa Barbara product. At this point, we are expecting to see more impressive performances from the OKC swingman, who continues to shine as their third-leading scorer in the season so far.

As of Monday, the Belgian guard is averaging 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game – all while shooting on 45% FG. That’s an impressive efficiency rating that only rivals SGA’s stat lines in the Thunder squad. What makes this even more impressive is that Mitchell is just in his second year after barely playing last year due to an injury.

Can these Players Win their Respective Awards?

There’s no denying that these Thunder players are shining bright in their respective individual performances. Deservingly so, if Oklahoma City finishes with yet another historic campaign thanks to their defensive success, there’s no reason why each of these OKC players should not win in their respective awards.

Now more than ever, we are seeing another juggernaut on the rise. This one’s a much better managed team – who are growing together alongside each other, which says a lot about how they managed to win the NBA Finals last year.

SGA is clearly the MVP frontrunner, and Mitchell has shocked critics as the best 6MOTY pick so far. Chet is just behind Wemby for the DPOY by a few notches, and Wallace is proving his worth to enter the conversation as well. At best, this should be yet another dominant year for Oklahoma City – not just for the team success, but also for its impressive individual performers.