Thunder HC suggests Caruso play off Dort; Wallace can make the defense special

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s personnel is one of the many vital things that will make them exciting to watch in the 2024-25 NBA season. With youth-rich talent and multiple dependable options at virtually every position, the team can confuse defenses and match up with opposing offenses in a way that may not match.

That alone is a potent formula for winning a championship. But it won’t happen without the star play of the big names on the roster. The Thunder added defensive giants Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein over the summer, two players that have already delivered a shining impact despite it only being the preseason.

With OKC’s rising reputation as a defensive juggernaut last season, the franchise has suddenly catapulted up the ranks in this department, and it will inevitably show as the regular season is underway. Especially when it comes time to capture an essential stop in a critical possession late in a game, that’s likely where the defense will make its mark the most.

Who captains the D down the stretch?

A historical principle in the NBA is having a team’s best individual defender guard the opposing team’s best offensive player. When the game is tight and less than five minutes remain in the fourth quarter, each possession becomes a chess match. Whichever team outsmarts the other in the X’s and O’s is the team that mostly wins.

The Thunder are positioned to be the best in the association in crunch time. Absent the superstar offensive play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, three players who often prevent the score from getting close in the first place, OKC has an army of talented defensive aces that can lift their offense on any rainy day.

But when it comes time to guard unique offensive talents, especially in the stacked Western Conference, like Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Anthony Edwards, which Thunder player will step up to the task? According to head coach Mark Daigneault, the team will receive an answer sooner rather than later.

“Those are questions the season will answer,” says the Thunder head coach. “ That’s the beauty of the season. One of the things that’s exciting about Alex is his help. He understands gaps and sniffs out plays. His not being on the main matchup is always good for your defense. Lu [Dort] is great at that; Cason [Wallace], Dub [Jalen Williams], we can move Dub around. We’ve got a lot of options there, and we’re going to look at all of them.”

Having defensive options is the easiest way to approach teams with a lot of offensive firepower. In a league where scoring rules, the Thunder are best equipped to withstand an explosion of points and swallow up their opponents’ offensive schemes.

One of the focal points entering the regular season is the kind of chemistry Caruso, Dort, and even the 20-year-old Wallace can create on the backline. The returning Thunder stars have already voiced praise for their newest teammate, and it won’t be surprising to see Lu and Cason take another step up this season.

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