Oklahoma City is one of the only teams in the NBA that can honestly say they have three defensive candidates on their roster. The Thunder’s rotation looks to be one of the best in the league on both ends of the floor, but the defense is unmatched.
An already formidable unit added Alex Caruso this offseason — who already has two All-Defensive Team selections. He is universally known as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and will fit right in with Oklahoma City. His versatility and ability to defend on bigger players will be a major asset with the Thunder. Marc Daigneault likes to play positionless basketball. Caruso fits the mold.
Lu Dort is another obvious defensive star for the Thunder and has been the backbone of the defense over the last few years. He’s a bruiser, the ultimate go-to guy and someone Oklahoma City has relied on to stop the league’s top stars. There’s no doubt he’ll get enough attention for a defensive award at some point in his career. Cason Wallace He might get his chance later in his career, after his promising rookie season, but his role won’t be big enough yet.
Both Caruso and Dort could be part of an all-defensive team, and each player certainly has a realistic chance, but Chet Holmgren He might just be the Thunder’s best shooter. Concerns about his weight were quickly put to rest as his elite tracking and timing abilities took over on defense. Even when bigger opponents backed him up, he was a threat to block the shot at any time.
With Isaiah Hartenstein Now that he’s on the team, the hope is that Holmgren can move further than he did last season. If he can move further, his blocking numbers will skyrocket and he’ll be able to help out even more aggressively on defense.
A season ago, Holmgren was already a force to be reckoned with and one of the best starting defenders the NBA has seen in a long time. He averaged 2.3 blocks and 0.6 steals, which allowed him to build one of the best defenses in the NBA.
With the added weight and muscle, Holmgren will only get better in the defensive end. Now that he has a season under his belt, he knows what to expect from NBA bigs and how to improve his defensive skills. He will also get more national media attention now that Oklahoma City is a title contender and has lived up to the hype.
All-Defensive teams and Defensive Player of the Year awards have loved big men like Holmgren on defense in recent years. Rudy Gobert is a perfect example. If Holmgren can build on his success from last year, he has the Thunder’s best chance of winning an All-Defensive award.
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