Hands are everywhere, arms stretching high and wide to get in the way of the ball. The Thunder’s length has been a problem for opponents as players have helped create a wall that makes it difficult for teams to dribble, pass, shoot and create offense that gets into the teeth of the defense.
Through the first six games of the season, the Thunder has the fourth-best defensive rating (points-per-100 possessions allowed) in the NBA, holding opponents to just 43.0 percent shooting, fifth-best in the NBA including just 28.4 percent from three-point range, which is second-best in the league. With the way that NBA offenses are evolving, limiting teams to a low percentage from three-point range is crucial to success. That’s helped the Thunder build a 5-1 record so far this year.
“Our guys have done a good job from a scouting standpoint game-to-game and having a base package they’ve worked hard to execute,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said. “They’ve been really good for this early part of the season to get better and improve in the areas we feel are really important.”
“Everybody just relies on each other. We have a lot of trust in each other,” newcomer Jerami Grant said. “Even though I’ve only been here for a couple games, being on the perimeter, you know somebody has your back if you get beat.”
Coming into the season, there was much conversation around this Thunder bunch about how “disruptive” the team would be because of its length. Commonly, that disruption is thought of in terms of generating deflections and steals, but for the Thunder it also applies to contesting shots. In fact, so far this season the Thunder has contested the fourth-most shots in the NBA. Donovan’s club ranks fifth in contesting two-point shots and eighth in contesting three-pointers.
“Sometimes you have players who can shoot over top of you,” Donovan explained. “A guy like Andre (Roberson) with his length or Jerami Grant with his length, that can impact the shot.”
“You can disrupt passes and disrupt shots and potentially change shots,” Grant said. “I think just having length on the defensive end creates a lot of turnovers and helps you contest a lot of shots.”
Jerami Grant talks to the media following his first practice:
Even with a roster full of new faces and young players – 11 under the age of 25 – the Thunder has had discipline on the defensive end. Staying sharp, communicating and being responsible for their positioning within the defense has been evident amongst the entire Thunder roster. So far, that dynamic has been impressive, even to a veteran defensive guru like forward Nick Collison.
“We’ve been pleased with it. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do,” Collison said. “We’re following the game plan for the most part. We’re getting into coverage on pick and rolls, we’re in the spots off the ball. We’re guarding the ball pretty well. It’s a combination of guys doing their jobs over and over again. We can get better at it, but we’re pleased with how we’re doing so early in the year.”
Nick Collison on the team's early success on defense:
