Isaiah Hartenstein believes the Oklahoma City Thunder’s day-by-day mentality and lack of “egos” is a key part of their recent success.

After winning the NBA championship last season, the Thunder extended their 2025-26 record to 7-0 with a 137-106 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The reigning champions are the only unbeaten team remaining in the league this season after the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls both lost on Sunday.

The Thunder also joined the Boston Celtics (1963-65) and Houston Rockets (1993-95) as the only teams in league history to start 7-0 in consecutive seasons.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points and seven assists, tying him with Oscar Robertson for the third-most consecutive 30-point games in NBA history (79), while Hartenstein contributed with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

The 27-year-old insisted that OKC are not looking too far ahead, while crediting head coach Mark Daigneault and general manager Sam Presti for their impact on the team.

“I think that was something Mark established really early,” Hartenstein told NBA TV. “Even last year, it was always a 0-0 mentality.

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“You got to go through steps, you cannot look too far ahead, and you just kind of have to go from there.

“You just have to approach each day the same way. I think for a lot of teams, when you think too much about winning championships, too much about the playoffs, you kind of skip steps throughout the season.

“Mark does a great job of making sure we are focused on the process, and that is what we are trying to do and go from there.

“And it also starts with Sam. He brings in guys that don’t have egos. If you look up and down our roster, there’s no egos involved.

“So, when guys are out or we have a full roster, we don’t really have a dip. Having no egos and focusing on winning is our main strength as a team.”