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OKC’s 5-guard defense is unreal



OKC’s 5-guard defense is unreal

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This detailed film breakdown & scouting report explores the Oklahoma City Thunder’s super small ball (micro ball) defense, and how Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are forcing turnovers at an historic rate.

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Stats courtesy:
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https://stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

Music by Nemesis

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36 Comments

  2. @zachbeatty7845

    I worry that the SonicsCurse is getting weaker. As the time nears that Seattle gets a team again, the Thunder will continue to strengthen. Though they will not be able to be champions until a team is announced for Seattle. I read the script…

  3. @willf6856

    bro relax they havnt even played anyone good. they cant even beat denver and joker wasnt even trying…..showing clips of them locking down warriors bench, portland, and spurs? i think my grandma could lock up those lineups…..

  4. @johnlarson505

    I think Chet is going to end up being better than Wemby. He'll be playing with a chip on his shoulders over how Wemby was anointed as the next GOAT in their first year. Should be fun to watch both of them develop.

  7. @goldenbuckets23

    Hi thinking basketball.
    I would like to see a video one day where you compare who is better between Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.
    I believe AD is better as Dwight has many flaws (turnover prone, bad ballhandler, bad playmaker, belowe average clutchness, high goaltending rate, less offensive ability and leadership.

  9. @fried_riceee

    OKC hasn’t gone against tough competition with good defense and offense.

    Nuggets offense are insane but they’re bottom 10 in defense. Spurs and Clips have good defense but bottom 10 offense.

  10. @ballinboxer3676

    Caruso is struggling (ang that's an understatement) on offense right now but once he gets back to even average level shooting then this team will be very very scary

  11. @AlanSmith88888

    They havent even got hartenstein back yet too.

    As an NYC fan, I can tell you he will elevate them even further

  16. @JTMont21

    I want to see how they look against a team like Dallas, who is Big and pretty versatile. With 2 real centers and big wings.

  19. @jadedlynx

    Without him its easier to exploit their defense. I think OKC is the best team in the league by far, and that Denver has dropped off a bit. Without Hartenstein, the Nuggets were able to exploit the the open lane he'd otherwise close. Denver went to that again and again. They won without AG and Jamal Murray, they couldn't contain Westbrook and he was dialed in that particular day. A lot of things lined up for Denver's win and OKC is obviously the better team as of today, but the Nuggets exposed their one vulnerability to the league and the league saw it. I don't think this changes much, but a slim window of opportunity for some teams, to sometimes get a bit more on the offensive end when playing them.

    Their defense reminds of angry wasps swarming who've had their nest poked at. It's very frustrating to watch if your team is playing them. I stil think the have and will continue to have the best defense in the league. They literally are just grabbing the ball from your hands and running down the court in transition, but some teams will have more success with them than we've seen so far.

    Now, that other teams have seen that they can get them to rotate, and sans Hartenstein create have an open lane for a certain types of players to apply rim pressure. They also foul a lot and that creates issues. I expect they will get hit with what Denver did to beat them more often going forward and that there defensive numbers will go down a bit. Maybe not, they are really good. They are constantly stealing the ball from opposing teams. I believe they will still be the number one defense for the entirety of the year.

    Everybody has an Achilles heel. However, OKC will continue to have the number 1 defense and I think is the favorite to win the championship despite all the attention on the Celtics. OKC functions like a well-oiled machine, breaking teams down gradually over time until they are helpless and behind by 20. It reminds me of the way cats gradually wear out their prey before finally going in for the dagger. It's insane. Nobody can really stop them.

  26. @민준석-k4j

    explanation is perfect and it's so easy to listen to content becuase of great pronunciation to foreigner like me.

  27. @brojeffy

    all those teams you mentioned were from the 80s, was there anything about the rules or officiating that made this so common?

  28. @mosm17

    It would be interesting to see how Curry & the Warriors destroyed OKC's defense in the 3rd Quarter.

  30. @misterputscalls5902

    Well, at least your will be able to get a ton of data for the micro ball lineups. Very depressing to see this happen to Holmgren, and I hope he comes back as before. This micro-ball lineup is going to get tested in 4th quarters now consistently. It's really going to help this team as a whole communicate on defense, but I expect there to be a decent amount of rough patches.

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