The Oklahoma City Thunder have completed the sweep in the first round against the Phoenix Suns for a third consecutive year.
Credit to the Phoenix Suns for deploying everything it had on both ends against Oklahoma City. Still, it didn’t matter, as the Thunder demonstrated its championship pedigree, quickly taking command and making it a short series.
Despite not having their All-NBA wing, Jalen Williams, for half the series and being without sharpshooter Isaiah Joe for a game, the Oklahoma City Thunder offense didn’t miss a beat, posting an offensive rating of 128. Here are the Thunder’s player grades from the opening round.
OKC Thunder Player Grades
Starters Grades
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G: A+
After having shooting struggles in Game 1, from then on, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he’s in the conversation as the best player in the world — averaging 33.7 points and 8 assists per game on 55.1% shooting from the floor, including a signature performance in Game 3, scoring 42 points on an eye-popping 15-for-18 from the floor, missing a single shot (14-of-15) from two.
Phoenix threw every intense defensive coverage at Gilgeous-Alexander, and it did not matter: his rhythm was not disrupted; he completely controlled the series from a scoring and playmaking standpoint.
Lu Dort, G: B+
Lu Dort’s box score numbers may not have been eye-catching. However, those who watched the games understand the impact it had on the Thunder sweeping its first round series.
Defensively, that is where he really made his presence felt. Frustrating and making Devin Booker uncomfortable, limiting his impact as a scorer and as a processor.
Offensively, Dort has done his job. Sure, the efficiency isn’t there, shot 36% from the floor but shot 36.4% from three on 5.5 attempts, made timely threes, and more importantly, the shot selection was good.
Jalen Williams, Wing: A+
He ultimately suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in the third quarter of Game 2. Jalen Williams was looking the best he had looked since hurting his wrist pre-2025 playoffs.
Williams was in attack mode offensively from the beginning of the series and an absolute menace defensively, showcasing the importance of his versatility as he was the Thunder’s best player before going down — scoring 41 points on 16-of-26 shooting from the floor, 10 assists to only 2 turnovers, while being a +39 in 52 minutes.
Ajay Mitchell, G: B+
Ajay Mitchell’s first real playoff series as a key contributor was mostly positive. He would also earn his first career playoff start in Game 3, filling in for Jalen Williams. Mitchell’s confidence and aggression throughout the series were significant for the Thunder.
Despite his inefficient shooting (5-for-20 in Game 3), he got tunnel vision at times. The way the Thunder views the second-year guard, filling in as the No. 2 creator, is telling.
Mitchell’s ability to manage the game as a scorer and decision-maker was on full display in the closeout game — putting up 22 points, knocking down 4-of-6 from three, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while being a +27.
Given his results, handling the responsibility of his increased role has Mitchell passing yet another test.
Chet Holmgren, C: A
Chet Holmgren was a matchup nightmare on both ends in this series, as he was stellar in three of the four games. With the closeout game being his best performance — posting 24 points, 12 rebounds. 3 assists, and 2 steals, while being a +21. His impact on winning was once again on full display throughout this series.
Holmgren averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks, on 59/39/91 shooting splits. If he continues to play at this level, success will continue to find Oklahoma City.
Isaiah Hartenstein, C: B
Isaiah Hartenstein, against an undersized and short-handed Suns front court, had a fine showing in the first three games, but turned it up a notch, taking advantage of their size advantage, with the double-bigs really clicking, in the final game of the series, putting together his best game of the series — 18 points on 5-of-7 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, making his presence felt in the interior + on the glass and impacted the flow of the game with his playmaking chops.
Reserves Grades
Cason Wallace, G: B
Cason Wallace continues to be special on the defensive end. His quick, active hands have caused havoc on the Suns’ offense, playing a huge part in the Thunder winning the turnover and possession battle and limiting Booker’s impact.
The third-year guard was relatively quiet on the offensive end in this series, only scoring in double figures once, in Game 4. Wallace’s efficiency wasn’t there, as he shot 40.9% from the floor and 30.8% from three on 3.3 attempts.
Alex Caruso, Wing: A
No one proved to be a 16-game player more than Alex Caruso. For the second straight season, he’s outperforming his regular-season play in the postseason.
After starting the series slowly offensively in the first two games, Caruso really turned it up offensively in the final two games — pouring in 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor, knocking down 7 threes, while being a +21 in 47 minutes.
The stats don’t fully do justice to how impactful Caruso was, as he had his fingerprints all over this series and completely flipped the energy of the games, which was especially crucial in the absence of Jalen Williams. A big reason why the Thunder were able to sweep the Suns was Caruso.
Isaiah Joe, G: C+
The big question surrounding Isaiah Joe was whether his shot would effectively translate into the playoffs. Joe averaged 7 points on 35% from three on 6.6 attempts.
Joe missed Game 3 due to personal reasons and was still mentally recovering in Game 4. Therefore, it’s hard to gauge him fully in this series. Look for Joe to bounce back and have a bigger impact in the next series.
Jaylin Williams, C: C+
Jaylin Williams played 52 minutes off the bench while knocking down timely threes, going 7-for-18 from three, and was a +34 in the series.
Williams was finding ways to make his mark — whether it was using his size to grab much-needed defensive rebounds to finish possessions, playing in the passing lanes, or communicating.
The efficiency doesn’t bode in Williams’ favor, but his ability to play and keep minutes off of Holmgren and Hartenstein was an underrated aspect of this series.
Jared McCain, G: B-
The box score of Jared McCain doesn’t stand out, having only played 21 minutes in the series.
However, when you add in context on McCain’s role for the Thunder. Being a spark plug and providing offensive boost in moments, especially in the non-Shai minutes, is his role at the moment.
McCain’s moment came in the second quarter of Game 3, scoring all of his 7 points, to help keep the Thunder’s flow. While he didn’t play a big role in his first playoff series, he provided an offensive boost in a defining game of the series.
Aaron Wiggins, Wing: C
Given Jalen Williams’ absence, Aaron Wiggins’ opportunity for his first true minutes of the postseason came in Game 3.
Wiggins has fallen out of the Thunder’s rotation due to finishing the regular season on a blistering cold stretch. However, though Mark Daigneault’s philosophy is clear: the Thunder will eventually need everyone to chip in, and you never know when that time will come.
Wiggins had rocky sequences in his minutes, but he was fine offensively. He only played 30 minutes in the series.
Incomplete: Kenrich Williams (9 total minutes) and Nikola Topic (6 total minutes) played only in garbage time in this series, which did not warrant a grade.
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
