The Whiteboard: Thunder are working on an all-time, championship-level defense

About 10 minutes into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the San Antonio Spurs last week, Zach Collins made the horrible mistake of trying to dribble.

The 6-foot-11 Collins had what would typically be considered a mismatch in the post, with the 6-foot-6 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his back. After Keldon Johnson threw an entry pass into the right block, Collins attempted a move into the paint. As soon as he brought the ball down, three Thunder players moved in sync to pounce. 

Cason Wallace rotated over to halt Collins’ progress, Gilgeous-Alexander slithered his way around Collins’ body to get a hand on the ball, and Alex Caruso deflected the loose ball to a teammate. Just like that, what should have been a routine post-up against a mismatch turned into a scoring chance the other way.

This is just one example that illustrates how connected and dangerous this Thunder defense has been this season. The Thunder have a defensive rating of 93.8 points allowed per 100 possessions – allowing nearly eight fewer points every 100 possessions than the next-best defense. They are on track for a historic defensive season. It’s the power source behind their undefeated start and potentially the championship.

Dribble near Oklahoma City at your own risk. The Thunder recorded a whopping 18 steals in its win over the Spurs and are averaging a league-leading 13.6 steals per game this season – nearly three more than the next team.

When they want, they can make simple tasks look impossible, like getting the ball up past halfcourt. When breaking up passing lanes doesn’t work, they'll just take the ball.

The Thunder also lead the league in blocks with 7.4 per game. Chet Holmgren accounts for 3.1 of those, but OKC also has five other players averaging at least half a block per game. The goal for the Thunder’s defense is simple – get your hand on the ball.

Seven games into the season, 20.6 percent of opponents' possessions result in a turnover. That means the Thunder are forcing a turnover on one of every five defensive possessions. Sometimes it feels like more. 

Crazier still is that the Thunder rank in the middle of the league in defensive rebounding rate. They aren’t relying on getting stops the typical way – force a tough shot and end the possession with a rebound. They are taking the ball away before you get a chance. Adding Isaiah Hartenstein to this group will only solidify them.

The result is a stifling defense that is holding opponents to unprecedented numbers for this score-first era. There have been nine games this season in which a team has scored fewer than 94 points per 100 possessions. Five of them have come against the Thunder.

The Thunder have a chance to be the first team since the 2015-16 Spurs to post a defensive rating under 100. They should overtake the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks (102.5) for the best defensive rating of the last half-decade.

Luck is part of the equation. Oklahoma City’s opponents are shooting just 28.3% from 3-point range this season, including 29.7% on wide-open looks. That will reverse at some point. But, again, the Thunder could give up another eight points every 100 possessions and still be the best defense of the modern era.

The Thunder’s defense has been the most dominant unit in the NBA, and that shouldn’t change. A big reason for this is that even when their best defenders come off the floor, there is a platoon of other great defenders to buoy them.

That’s not typical. For instance, the Spurs have a 106.4 defensive rating when Victor Wembanyama is on the court. That slips to 120.9 with Wembanyama off. Rudy Gobert, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, anchored the league’s top defense. The Timberwolves allowed just 107.8 points per 100 possessions with Gobert on the court, but that dropped to 111.3 when Gobert was on the bench.

Holmgren is putting together an early Defensive Player of the Year campaign. The Thunder have a defensive rating of 91.4 when he’s on the court. With Holmgren off, the Thunder have a defensive rating of 97.9. Both would rank first in the league.

We can do this for any Thunder player.

Take Caruso. On: 92.1. Off: 94.9.

Wallace. On: 89.6. Off: 99.

Lu Dort. On: 98. Off: 86.7.

Gilgeous-Alexander. On: 94.1. Off: 92.6.

It goes on. The Thunder come at you in waves. Most great defensive teams have an elite unit anchored by two or three high-level defenders. Opponents have to make hay in the minutes they are on the bench. But when Oklahoma City’s best defenders come off the court, they are replaced by other great defenders. 

This is the main reason why they have a chance to be the best defense of the modern era. The Thunder give no quarter or reprieve. It’s 48 minutes in a straight jacket.

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NBA news roundup

• Joel Embiid will be suspended for three games without pay for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes after Saturday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the NBA announced on Tuesday. The suspension will cost Embiid more than $1 million in salary and will start with the first game Embiid can play as he works his way back from a knee injury.

• Aaron Gordon will miss multiple weeks because of a right calf strain he suffered in the Nuggets win over the Raptors on Monday night, according to ESPN. Another tough loss for a 4-3 Nuggets team that has been without Jamal Murray for two games because of a concussion.

Trend worth watching: Grady Dick is breaking out

The second-year player is averaging 21.6 points on 47.3 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent from 3-point range on 7.5 attempts per game. Worried that’s real? He’s also shooting 92.9% from the line, a strong indicator of shooting touch.

As Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor pointed out, Dick also leads the NBA with 31 total screens and is scoring 1.29 points per screen. 

The guy just works so hard when he’s on the court. He constantly moves without the ball, trying to force rotations or switch with brush screens. He’ll relocate when his teammates drive and crash the boards when a shot goes up. He doesn’t fear contact – he almost seems to derive strength from it.

Dick is leading all second-year players – yes, including Victor Wembanyama – in points. He’s emerged as a vital player in whatever the Raptors are building.