A common criticism of the modern NBA is the lack of defense. Many consider the style of basketball being played today to be “softer” defensively, and that teams have far more emphasis on scoring and shooting than anything else.

But when you look closely at the top teams in the league, a strong defensive unit is a common parallel between them.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is right at the top of the list, coming off a season where it finished in the top five in defensive rating. It’s a huge reason why it climbed up the ladder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, backed by strong play from the likes of Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports ranked Oklahoma City as the third-best defensive unit heading into the 2024-25 season, and it’s no surprise as to why. Not only did it retain all of the key defensive contributors from last season, it also made some massive upgrades.

It started with the addition of Alex Caruso, a veteran guard who was just selected to last season’s All-Defensive second team. He’ll be a wonderful player to add to an already stacked perimeter, forming a monster defensive trio with Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort that can be thrown at opposing guards.

Caruso will replace Josh Giddey, who became much of a defensive liability during his time with the Thunder. It won’t worry about having a weakness on the court that can be targeted by its opponents any longer, which is enough to place higher expectations on its defense alone.

It gets even more intimidating when looking at the acquisition of Isaiah Hartenstein to Oklahoma City’s big man rotation. The 26-year-old really came into his own with the New York Knicks last year, playing an integral role in their playoff run. His strong interior defense became a catalyst for the Knicks, and one it’ll likely miss.

Having both Holmgren and Hartenstein in the paint — separate or at the same time — is a luxury that the Thunder will have. His rebounding will be a huge help in addressing the rebounding issue that brought it to its demise against the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, while allowing it to have an elite rim protector on the floor at all times.

Oklahoma City accomplished what any contender should do during the offseason: improve without making too many sacrifices. Both Caruso and Hartenstein are players that should fit into the system it has in place, but also help build it to be stronger. Defense will be a major part of that, so it should have no problems being one of the best units in the entire NBA once again.

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