OKLAHOMA CITY -- With Monday's 97-85 win over the Miami Heat, the Oklahoma City Thunder are off to their best start through seven games (6-1) since relocating from Seattle. Which is somewhat surprising with, you know, Dion Waiters leaving over the summer -- and also Kevin Durant.

“I didn't know that,” Enes Kanter said of the Thunder's fast start. “But we need to keep focused on just going out there and playing our best.”

Kanter glanced over at a member of the Thunder PR staff as he spoke and got a nod of approval. The subtext of the question was clear, but Kanter, always eager to engage in lighthearted bantering, didn't take the bait.

The path to 6-1 hasn't been extraordinarily emphatic, with the Thunder beating six teams with a combined record of 18-25. They have wins over the Sixers, Suns, Lakers, Timberwolves, Clippers and now the Heat. The win over the Clippers appears to be their validation, going on the road to scrape out a two-point decision. The following night, they were battered by Durant and the Warriors.

Russell Westbrook's play has been remarkable, but teammates also are raving about his leadership. Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports

Whatever qualifications you want to put on the Thunder's start, though, all things considered, it's an impressive beginning to the post-Durant era. There were so many questions about the Thunder entering the season, starting with Russell Westbrook and how he would handle being the solitary alpha on the roster. His play has been absurd, nearly averaging a triple-double, but teammates are raving about his leadership. He's embracing his role as both superstar and mentor.

On Monday, after missing eight consecutive shots to end the first half, he made his first three of the second, sparking a 20-0 run in the third quarter to put the game to bed and earn him the fourth quarter off.

"If I could do that all year, that would be great with me," Westbrook said of sitting the fourth. "Rest is always good."

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Westbrook's relentlessness is his trademark, and his teammates are finding an identity behind it with swarming, suffocating defense generating breakneck transition opportunities. They are adopting traits of Westbrook's personality. They play with physicality, athleticism and a forcefulness that seems to put opponents on their heels. It's often a struggle in the halfcourt, which is why the Thunder are digging in defensively and looking to push pace at every opportunity.

"For us to win games," Westbrook said, "we know we have to defend."

Entering the season, there was genuine curiosity from some within the organization as to how the team would play this season. There were so many unknowns and a roster not tailored to fit the strengths of the core, as it was when it was focused around OKC's two-headed star attack of Durant and Westbrook.

But Westbrook is the constant now, and there always was supreme confidence he could bear the burden of leadership. Because as some note -- including Kanter on multiple occasions -- Westbrook was the leader of the team last season, as well. But the Thunder have six new players in their rotation, including two starters; and the shock of Durant leaving is still resonating off every wall of their practice facility.

Ask Westbrook and he's not surprised. As he rebuked a reporter in Los Angeles last week, doubting the Thunder was the first mistake. As he said, "That's where you went wrong." He said it on media day: His expectation always is to win a championship. That's the only way he's wired to think.

Still, there's hesitation to look down the road from plenty in and around the team. No one is getting ahead of themselves and shouting Ewing Theory. Most are instead cautioning against raising expectations. They anticipate a hard path still ahead, with focus being placed on steady development and growth. The Thunder aren't kicking their feet up on the desk and saying, "Here it is, this is the roster we want." There likely will be more changes as they retool around Westbrook, trying to locate new puzzle pieces to fit next to his strengths.

But they can take some satisfaction in absorbing the body blow of Durant's departure and pushing forward. They can only play the schedule that's in front of them, and there are plenty of teams that were perceived to be good sitting below the Thunder in the standings. They are playing elite-level defense, and behind Westbrook's constant war of offensive attrition, they are finding just enough to get by.

How will it hold up as the schedule turns over and their new identity gets put to the test? Time will tell, but for now, the Thunder are at least factually speaking the best they've ever been.

Through seven games.