Plenty of basketball fans have spent the last few seasons lamenting a decline in defensive intensity. As offenses continue to soar, some will ramp up their complaints about the sanctity of basketball. I hope those people appreciate the historic defense the Oklahoma City Thunder roll out every night.
The Thunder have been the best team in basketball, leading the league in net rating (plus-12.3) with the West’s best record (20-5). That success comes largely from their impenetrable defensive unit. Let’s rattle off some of their defensive accomplishments just this season:
- The NBA’s best defensive rating (104.4)
- The NBA’s highest opponent turnover rate (19 percent) and opponent effective field goal percentage (50 percent)
- The NBA’s lowest opponent rim efficiency (57.2 percent)
- Held opponents to under 100 points in 11 of 26 games and under 90 points in four of those games
- Limited Luka Doncic to 16 points (5-of-15 shooting) and six turnovers (five assists) in the NBA Cup Quarterfinal
- Limited Alperen Şengün to 13 points (6-of-15 shooting) and four turnovers (six assists) in the NBA Cup Semifinal
These accomplishments have come in spite of Chet Holmgren’s Iliac fracture in early November. Holmgren played his 10 games this season at a Defensive Player of the Year level and the Thunder have barely missed a beat since.
Elite Rim Protection
Isaiah Hartenstein’s return from injury has helped them remain a dominant paint defense. Despite an obvious lack of height — the Thunder often station wing-sized players at center — teams can’t seem to score at the hoop against Oklahoma City. Hartenstein is ninth in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (plus-2.6) and, critically, seventh in the league in defensive rebounding rate (29.5 percent)
His presence helps the Thunder survive matchups against taller teams that previously haunted them. In Hartenstein’s fourth game of the season, they held Anthony Davis to 15 points with only nine field goal attempts. Hartenstein covers more ground than most 7-footers, positioning himself to alter shots at the rim and force passes out of the paint.
isaiah hartenstein’s defense has been pretty ridiculous this year, his size, ground coverage and stout paint protection all amplify everything OKC does well.
so many rangy wings, elite x out defenders and pressure to speed up processors pic.twitter.com/cP50WdfykW
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 16, 2024
But the fulcrum of Oklahoma City’s defense has been Jalen Williams, who’s playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level. Without a true center for much of the season, Williams has taken on primary paint protection duties. Opponents shoot 13 percent worse than their average at the rim when Williams contests. That’s the fifth-best difference in the league (minimum 500 minutes played).
Williams often walls up at the basket like a normal center would, leaping from a standstill to block and alter shots. He’ll still swoop in to block shots from the weak-side, but he’s defending as a primary paint protector as well.
opponents shoot 13% worse at the basket than normal this season when jalen williams contests, good for the 5th best difference in the league (min 500 MP)
his length, timing and hand placement are all special for a wing pic.twitter.com/AR6VmVzkO6
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 17, 2024
His on-ball responsibilities haven’t faded, as Williams is one of the NBA’s best point-of-attack defenders. His 3.7 percent STOP rate (steals, offensive fouls ad blocks recovered) place him in the top-20 defenders (minimum 500 minutes played). When drivers try to round Williams, his length, strength and lateral quickness let him shut down offensive players of all shapes and sizes.
The Thunder Force Turnovers Like Nobody Else
Oklahoma City’s defense forces more turnovers than any team, clogging up passing lanes like it’s playing with a sixth defender. Eight of 13 qualifying rotation players rank in the 80th percentile or higher for steal rate. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace embody this aggressive turnover generation, placing in the 99th and 96th percentile for steal rate, respectively.
Wallace’s rare blend of physical tools and awareness let him ball hawk like an NFL All-Pro safety. The collective defensive processing and communication allow the Thunder to play as aggressively as they do, given how great they are at recovering. Oklahoma City denies perimeter actions, sends multiple bodies at drivers and rotates out to passes on the perimeter like few defenses I can remember.
this thunder defense is playing absolutely ruthless ball. no matter the lineup they’re so polished and connected, especially against second/third actions in a play
cason wallace especially wrecks this possession, the screen nav and awareness are nuts pic.twitter.com/jufUZ43mzP
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 1, 2024
Their seemingly endless arsenal of defensive talent enables the Thunder to mix up defensive coverages just like elite modern NFL defenses do. They boast the personnel to switch everything, play deep drop with Hartenstein and blitz handlers when needed. They’ll rotate through coverages within singular quarters and frazzle offensive game plans.
NBA teams have largely gone away from the hard hedge because of its vulnerability to shooting and quick extra passing. The Thunder can get away with this due to Hartenstein’s recognition and mobility alongside all of their speed and length on the wings.
we don’t see a ton of hard hedging in the NBA today but OKC can get away with it more than most team bc of their length and versatility. ihart especially is great in this covg
hartenstein reads actions so well on and off ball and everyone else is swarming and deflecting pic.twitter.com/h7lPGQpuVc
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 9, 2024
On a per-minute basis, there’s a strong argument for Caruso as the NBA’s best perimeter defender. He’s only on the court for 19.9 minutes each night, but his impact as a rim protector, passing-lane jumper and versatile on-ball defender rival any guard in league history. Caruso leads the NBA in steals per 100 possessions (4.4), forced turnovers per 100 possessions (5.5) and STOP rate (6.2 percent)
Luguentz Dort sets the tone with his physical on-ball defense, hounding and bludgeoning any handler who can’t match his size and strength. Despite his enormous on-ball usage, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander constantly jumps passing lanes, digs down for steals and blocks shots. There are no bad defenders in Oklahoma City’s regular rotation and the limitations that do exist (Dort’s off-ball awareness, Isaiah Joe’s strength, etc) evaporate within in the team’s stout defensive infrastructure.
Can OKC Reach Another Level Defensively?
Head coach Mark Daigneault has been constructing this Oklahoma City defensive ecosystem for years. Even before the Thunder rolled out elite defenders at every spot, his inventive ideas helped maximize the cards he was dealt. We still haven’t experienced this Oklahoma City defense at full strength. The combination of Holmgren and Hartenstein could form a completely impregnable paint defense.
For now, the Thunder will rely on their defense against the Milwaukee Bucks in Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final. The NBA’s scoring leader, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a revitalized Damian Lillard will cause problems. If the Thunder can limit Antetokoumpo’s scoring at the rim, as they’ve done with so many stars already this season, they’ll likely win the NBA Cup en route to an eventual NBA title run.
