The Bruce Bowen-led Spurs and Tony Allen-led Grizzlies are the best perimeter-defending units of the 21st century. It’s time to include the current iteration of the Thunder in that class.
In Wednesday’s 118-112 win over the Celtics, the Thunder’s perimeter defenders held the reigning champions to 20-of-63 shooting from three. Luguentz Dort clamped down on Jayson Tatum, Cason Wallace did a number on Jaylen Brown and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was all over Jrue Holiday. The stellar guard defense meant the C’s had no driving lanes, and the rare times they got to the rim, they were met by Chet Holmgren, who held Tatum, Brown and Al Horford to a combined 5-of-14 as the primary defender.
The defensive clinic wasn’t surprising since OKC produced a similar performance when the powerhouses last met on Jan. 5. In that game, Joe Mazzulla’s men were held to 92 points, 37 percent shooting, and 20 percent 3P shooting — all-season lows, per ESPN Stats & Info.
OKC’s perimeter defense is so elite that Dort, Wallace, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Holmgren are all worthy of making All-Defensive teams this season. The numbers bear it out. SGA ranks No. 1 in defensive win shares (min. 25 minutes), Williams is third and Holmgren is seventh. Dort and Wallace are also among the top 25. All of them also rank within the top 15 in defensive rating.
Why Dort is the DPOY
It would be a travesty if Dort doesn’t win Defensive Player of the Year. His advanced metrics aren’t as good as those of SGA and Williams because he takes on the most challenging assignments every night. Just gaze at the following numbers, and you’ll agree.
As the primary defender, Dort has held Anthony Edwards to 6-of-16, Kyrie Irving to 7-of-22, Donovan Mitchell to 3-of-13, James Harden to 2-of-8, Tatum to 3-of-10, Brandon Ingram to 4-of-13, Stephen Curry to 8-of-15 and Lauri Markkanen to 2-of-12. We’re talking about a bunch of All-Stars who got fits when put in The Dorture Chamber.
To all those complaining about the lack of defense in the modern NBA, watch the Thunder. They’re holding teams to 33.5 percent shooting from three in a league that lives and dies by the deep ball. Good luck to teams trying to score on them in the playoffs when the game slows down.
