As the NBA gets closer to the 2025-26 regular season, the annual GM survey results were posted. The league’s official website publishes lengthy survey results that ask about every storyline question you can think of ahead of the upcoming regular season.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are heavily mentioned throughout this year’s 49-question survey. The NBA champions are viewed as the consensus title favorite. They bring back mostly the same roster, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren the headliners.

The GMs responded to 49 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or personnel. Percentages are based on the pool of respondents to that particular question and not necessarily all 30 GMs.

Let’s look at the results and what the NBA’s top decision-makers had to say about the Thunder:

Which team will win the 2026 NBA Finals?

The Thunder were the runaway favorite with 80% of the votes. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets were tied for second place with 7% each.

The Thunder also received 87% of first-place votes in the Western Conference rankings. They had 10% votes for second place. Denver was ranked second and Houston ranked third.

Who will win 2025-26 MVP?

A little surprising, but Gilgeous-Alexander finished third with 8% of the votes. Nikola Jokic was the heavy favorite with 67% of the votes. Luka Doncic was second with 10% of the votes. For reference, Gilgeous-Alexander was first in last year’s survey at 40%.

Other SGA-related results

When you’re one of the best players, expect your name to be mentioned in several of these questions. Gilgeous-Alexander just had one of the greatest individual seasons ever. He won about every award imaginable. From MVP to NBA Finals MVP to a championship to a scoring title.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished second for NBA players you’d sign if you started a franchise today. He received 13% of the votes. Victor Wembanyama was first with 83% of the votes.

Gilgeous-Alexander was fifth for NBA players who force the opposing coaches to make the most adjustments. He received 3% of the votes. The four ahead of him were Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and Doncic.

Among the best international players, Jokic was the runaway winner with 93% of votes. Only Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic were under consideration with him.

Best NBA players by position

The GM survey broke down all five positions and identified the best players in those groups. The Thunder had a couple of representatives among the five spots.

Gilgeous-Alexander was voted as the best point guard with 73% of the votes. He was also voted as the third-best shooting guard with 73% of the votes. He was tied with Doncic in the latter. It just goes to show that there’s still debate around the NBA about what position he truly is. Spoiler alert — it’s PG.

Gilgeous-Alexande received the third-highest total vote percentage among the positional questions. He was the answer for 16% of the five questions. Only Jokic and Antetokounmpo were ahead.

The other Thunder player to receive votes was Williams. He finished outside of the top five among the best small forwards. Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard were ahead. Jaylen Brown and Jimmy Butler also received votes.

Quiet Thunder rookie class

It’ll be another year where the Thunder won’t rely on rookie players to help them win. That’s what happens when you graduate from a rebuild to an NBA champion. That said, Brooks Barnhizer received a vote for the biggest draft steal. Miami’s Kasparas Jakucionis was the winner.

How is Thunder’s defense viewed?

A handful of defensive questions featured the Thunder. That shouldn’t be a surprise. They led the NBA in about every defensive metric last season and leaned on that side of the ball to dominate the rest of the league. You could make a sound argument that the 2024-25 OKC squad is one of the best defenses in basketball history.

The Thunder were the runaway winner for the best defensive team in the NBA with 83% of the votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic were tied for second place with 7% each.

Lu Dort received votes for the best defensive player in the NBA. But Wembanyama was in first place with 80% of the votes. Evan Mobley and Rudy Gobert were tied for second place with 7% each. Antetokounmpo also received votes.

Among the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, the Thunder had two entrants among the six players who received a vote. Alex Caruso was in second place with 24% of the votes. Dort was in fourth place with 14% of the votes. Dyson Daniels was in first place with 31% of the votes. Amen Thompson was in third place with 22% of the votes.

Dort was also tied for seventh place with 7% of the votes among the most versatile defender in the NBA. He was tied with OG Anunoby. Thompson was the top result with 18% of the votes.

Thoughts on Mark Daigneault?

It’s been quite the ascension for Daigneault. He went from an unknown in the local market to a national household name. He’s made the rare jump as being both a rebuild and a contender head coach. Usually, it’s one or the other in the NBA.

Daigneault finished in second place for the best head coach in the NBA. He had 34% of the votes. Erik Spoelstra was in first place with 52%.

Daigneault also finished in second place for the head coach who makes the best in-game adjustments. He had 23% of the votes. Ty Lue was in first place with 40%.

On both sides of the court, Daigneault received love. He was tied for fourth place for the head coach who runs the best offense with 7% of the votes. Steve Kerr also received 7%. Rick Carlisle was the winner with 53% of the votes. Kenny Atkinson and Chris Finch rounded out the top three.

Daigneault is recognized as the best defensive mind. He received 37% of the votes for the head coach with the best defensive schemes. That was good enough for first place. Ime Udoka was second with 23%.

Miscellaneous questions

The Thunder were tied for first place as the most fun team to watch. Both OKC and the Nuggets received 27% of the votes. Denver and OKC also tied for first place elsewhere. They each received 43% of the votes for the best homecourt advantage.

The Thunder also had believers in their offense despite a shaky playoff run. They finished second with 30% of the votes for the most efficient offseason this season. The Cavaliers were in first place with 40%.

Despite an NBA championship, the Thunder still have the sixth-youngest roster in the league. The rest of the NBA still respects their room for growth despite a historic season. They were the popular answer for the most promising young core at 50% of the votes.

Gilgeous-Alexander also received buzz for his intangibles. He was tied for fourth place as the best leader. Antetokounmpo and James also received 7% of the votes. Curry was the top answer at 43%.

Williams also received buzz for his ability to play all five positions. He was tied for third place as the most versatile player in the NBA. James and Mobley also received 7% of the votes. Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama were the top answers at 30% each.

The NBA also views Gilgeous-Alexander as a clutch player. He finished in fifth place as the player you want taking the final shot with the game on the line. He received 7% of the votes. The four ahead were Curry, Kevin Durant, Tyrese Haliburton and Doncic.