So, Who in The NBA STOPS The OKC Thunder Now?

So, Who in The NBA STOPS The OKC Thunder Now?

last season anchored by the elite Rim protection of Chad hren the all NBA caliber lock down ability of Lou Dort and a roster full of lengthy and switchable guys the OKC Thunder has produced the fourth best defensive rating in the entire NBA while also being the best team in the league in terms of forcing opponents to commit turnovers on a perame basis and after succeeding as the top seed in the Western Conference now the Thunder have double down in that Elite defensive identity even further by adding two of the best and most physical defenders in the NBA regardless of position OKC now has 6’5 all defense guard Alex Caruso who they acquired from the Josh gidy trade a few weeks ago as well as newly signed 7 foot big man Isaiah hardenstein who has been the interior muscle of the New York Knicks top 10 defense well one of the most widely used metrics to determine defensive impact is the defensive estimated plus minus metric and last season hardenstein and Caruso finished with a second and the fifth highest defensive EPM rating in the entire NBA so when you got those two top caliber Defenders and add them to this already Elite defense that OKC has the obvious question for NBA teams is how are you going to score against this OKC Thunder Squad as presently constructed although it’s worth noting that both Caruso and Harden Stein’s impact for sure isn’t just going to be limited on the defensive side of the ball as both of them also have skill sets that could further Elevate the Thunder’s number three ranked offense so what’s good everyone it’s R balls here and in this video Let’s talk about about how Isaiah hardenstein and Alex Caruso are about to become total game changers for the Thunder and how they’ll bring this team closer to potentially winning an NBA title as soon as next season let’s get to [Music] it in the OKC offseason primer video I made about a month ago I already talked about the fact that if the Thunder we going to go after a big man in free agency or in the trade market to address their interior needs Isaiah hardenstein would be the most workable fit with OKC’s existing core among all potentially available high-profile big man this off season and I’m just really glad that he actually landed with the Thunder well sure it’s worth reiterating that OKC was able to succeed defensively even with a relatively small lineup during the regular season but in the playoffs particularly in the second round against a big Dallas Maverick Squad when 7 foot one Chad hongren was on the bench without a vertically capable big man to back him up OKC just couldn’t really prevent the Mavs big man from getting offensive boards or from Catching Lums at The Rim but now Isaiah hardenstein comes right in as that much needed backup big for OKC who shouldn’t only help address their interior size and rebounding issues but who could also be someone that can function as a cog in their offensive system but for sure the main appeal of hardenstein right off the bat would definitely be seen on the defensive end the 26 yearold German big is a hyperd disruptive rim protector who’s able to alter a lot of shot attempts in the paint despite not being a prolific shot blocker last season among all 131 players who defended at least a thousand shots in the restricted area hardenstein held opponents to the second lowest field goal percentage only behind Chad hongren well I believe hardenstein would still mainly come off the bench for OKC but I can definitely see stretches where he and Chad placed together on the floor he’s definitely not as Elite as Chad on the defensive end but at the very least hardenstein is still more than capable of being a reliable weak side rim protector who also very adapt at defending traditional drop coverages and while he also doesn’t have unicorn type foot speed when guarding in space he still has great recovery instincts and just enough Mobility that you can actually deploy him in soft switches against quicker players in the perimeter coincidentally though Chad homr already thrives when defending all those types of coverages so I can definitely see him and hardenstein having interchangeable defensive roles when they’re together on the floor with one defending the drop coverage in the pick and roll while the other one acts is the last line of defense around the basket just imagine how hard it would be for opposing teams to score an OKC with these two mobile seven-footers sharing the floor plus with those two bigs OKC also would no longer be at a disadvantage when playing teams with solid two big man lineups like the Timberwolves with cat and Rudy goar but in addition to the tough and physical defense that hardenstein brings very few big man battleing the boards as hard as he does he averaged more than eight rebounds per game in New York last season with with 3.3 of those boards coming off the offensive glass hardenstein is just a tough high energy big man with a high motor who just constantly hustles to secure possessions in fact he registered the 10th highest contested defensive rebounding percentage among all 46 centers who played at least 1 th000 minutes on the floor last season he should be able to provide that vertical pop and boxing out that OKC needs from a legitimate 7ft big man when Chad homr is on the bench well moving on to the other end of the floor sure Harden isn’t the cleanest fit with OKC’s 5 out offense as he doesn’t really shoot threes and he doesn’t have a jumper outside of 10 ft but as I’ve already talked about before the way I see it there are still vital things that he could bring to OKC’s offense his wide body will allow him to set solid ball screens for OKC’s ball handlers you can also ask him to roam around the dunker spot where he can be a drop off outlet for OKC’s drivers and Des spite on low volume he is a very effective scorer with his back to the basket as last season he ranked in the 94th percenti of the NBA in terms of points per possession produced out of Posta Place only behind christops porzingis Kelly Olen and Kevin Love well that ability to score on the post should already give OKC a different Dynamic to their offense but hardenstein can also score facing up he has an Unstoppable push floater that he loves to deploy from around 10 to 12 ft which could be a very ideal weapon against more traditional drop coverages similar to the one we saw Dallas deploy against OKC in the playoffs although my favorite part of his offensive game right now is still his passing ability for a big man hardenstein has Advanced playmaking Vision and in New York he displayed the ability to make solid passing reads especially out of short rols as well as the ability to operate as a dribble handoff option at the top of the key I’m actually very intrigued on how this part of his game could be utilized in OKC especially with the team having a ton of capable off ball Cutters on the roster overall OKC’s offense is built on quick decision making and hard Stein is a quick ball screener who also makes quick passes and who makes timely cuts to the basket he would at the very least be a solid high impact utility big man who can function in Mark Deal’s offense even without the ball in his hands well sure they landed him for around 29 million annually which to be honest is a bit more than what I expected the team to offer him but the fact that hardenstein outright addresses a number of the team’s needs I think makes him a great free agent acquisition who I think could even potentially go down as one of the best free agent signings in Thunder history but even before landing hardenstein OKC already acquired one of the best perimeter Stoppers in the league last week in Alex Caruso who I think should be even more of a cleaner fit outright in OKC right from day one as a lock down Defender with Super Active hands and superb Mobility Caruso will provide the Thunder with high level disruption from the point of attack similar to what they already have in Lou Dort and just like Dort Caruso is capable of locking down both quicker guards and lengthier wings as well as a number of bigger forwards but what I love about Caruso is that despite his very aggressive brand of Defense he only averages 3.3 fouls per 36 minutes for his career while Dort is actually close to four fouls per 36 minutes well this could be expected since Caruso wasn’t a consistent starting primary Defender for his career unlike Dort but I think his low foul rate is still very impressive considering how much his previous teams like the Bulls and Lakers relied on him defensively from from the point of attack nonetheless in OKC he and lud Dort are going to take turns hounding and pressuring opposing team star back cour tandems the Thunder now have the luxury of deploying two elite point of attack Defenders who play bigger than their size against Elite perimeter Duos such as Tatum and Brown from Boston and Luca and Kyrie from the Dallas Mavericks for instance the Thunder will now be empowered to stick D on an opposing team star guard even more because Caruso can now defend that team star forward with the roll actually being interchangeable as well the downstream possibilities of adding Caruso I think are relevant for OKC to as his arrival should also enable Jay dub to play more off the ball defensively well for sure Jay dub is a tremendous point of attack Defender but given the load he has to shoulder offensively as OKC’s number two shot Creator I think scaling down a bit on defense and acting more off the ball should be ideal to help him conserve his energy although in instances when you want Caruso to play that off ball defensive role he should also be able to drive he is a highly instinctive off ball guy who constantly switches and rotates on defense and who loves to jump off passing Lanes to get steel her deflections in fact kuso ranked in the 90th percentile of the NBA in terms of Steel rate over his past six seasons his just Tailor Made for This OKC team who forced the most opponent turnovers in the NBA last season and as if deploying him alongside a combination of Dort Jay dub KAS Wallace and Chad hrand isn’t scary enough just imagine the chaos that a Caruso and Shay gilis Alexander defensive back court can generate on the floor because despite him carrying a tremendous load on offense Shay is also a consistent defensive playmaker especially off the ball and last season it’s crazy that he actually ranked second in the NBA in steals per game while Caruso ranked fourth and in terms of deflections per game Shay also ranked third while Caruso actually ranked first so with Caruso OKC should be able to ignite their top 10 transition offense even more but for for sure it’s not just in transition where Caruso could impact OKC offensively he would also step right in as a capable floor spacer who has been a career 38% shooter from Deep who last season even shot almost 41% from behind the ark well sure he’s never been a high volume catch and shoot guy but I think it’s already good enough that defenses can’t leave him open in the perimeter the way they did with Josh giddy in the playoffs and obviously Caruso isn’t as good as giddy as a playmaker but he certainly has some passing chops as well and his is someone who can make quick decisions with a ball in his hands but overall I’m curious how if at all his complimentary ball handling will be featured in OKC given most of the team’s actions will be flowing around Shay jdub and Chad but given correct usage I think Caruso’s ball handling and passing can still be useful on the team especially in early offense situations or in empty corner sets but more importantly on the financial side I love the fact that Caruso is also owed just one and a half million more than Josh giddy this season and the Thunder also owns his bird rights which will Aid their efforts of potentially retaining him in free agency next summer well the NBA offseason has technically Just Begun but with the Alex Caruso trade and the Isaiah hardenstein signing at least on paper it seems like the Thunder have already landed enough pieces to complete their potential Championship core it’s now up to Mark dagal and the coaching staff to incorporate these two guys to that same system that led OKC to the top seed last season so thank you guys if you’ve actually made it this far into the video drop your thoughts into the OKC Thunder offseason moves so far in the comment section below and also if you haven’t checked it out yet I also made a breakdown video of Thunder drafty nicoa topic and Dylan Jones here in the channel and again if you’re new to the Channel please consider subscribing as well again this has been roll balls and I’ll see you on the next one peace

#NBA #OklahomaCityThunder

The OKC Thunder were the top seed in the Western Conference and they look even stronger after their NBA offseason moves. The Thunder just signed big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a 3-year 87 million deal just a week after Sam Presti and the OKC front office acquired defensive all-NBA guard Alex Caruso in exchange for Josh Giddey. The NBA draft has also been a strong area for the Thunder after they selected potential draft steal Nikola Topic with the 12th overall pick. With a core that already features NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, unicorn big man Chet Holgmgren, borderline all-star Jalen Williams, and lockdown specialist Lu Dort, OKC’s roster looks built for a potential NBA championship next season. But what will Hartenstein and Caruso bring to Oklahoma City?

Okc also made significant roster moves by signing high-level role players Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to long-term deals before the Hartenstein signing. The NBA offseason has been exciting. We’ve seen the Mavs land Klay Thompson, Paul George to the 76ers, Chris Paul to the Spurs, and even the much talked about Bronny James to the Lakers. But the Thunder’s additions are some of the best in the entire league. Will OKC now be considered championship favorites for next season? This could be an NBA dynasty waiting to happen specially with all the draft assets Sam Presti has accumulated throughout the years.

The Alex Caruso and Josh Giddey trade as well as the Isaiah Hartenstein signing is a big win for the Thunder but could they make some other moves this offseason? Is this enough to put them on top of the West again ahead of contenders like Luka Doncic and the Mavs, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, or Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and this OKC Thunder core go head to head with defending champions Boston Celtics. There’s no one that’s having a better offseason than the Thunder for sure.

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NBA news, OKC Thunder, Isaiah Hartenstein signs with OKC, Alex Caruso Thunder trade, Josh Giddey, Nikola Topic OKC, Sam Presti, NBA offseason, Bronny James drafted by Lakers, winners and losers of the NBA offseason, Paul George to Philadelphia, Klay Thompson Dallas Mavericks trade, Chris Paul to the Spurs, NBA free agency, Josh Giddey Alex Caruso trade, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

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