The Oklahoma City Thunder have spent the last few seasons building something that goes beyond star power. Their defense has become the calling card, the backbone behind a 2025 title and a big reason Mark Daigneault’s team sits among the NBA’s elite.
That defensive identity is what makes a ranking like this possible. The Thunder don’t just have one stopper - they have layers.
Some are already established high-end defenders. Others are reliable pieces who fit the system.
A few are still trying to prove they can hold up at the NBA level. Put it all together, and the picture is pretty clear: Oklahoma City is loaded on that end of the floor heading into 2026-27.
At the top of the list is Chet Holmgren. He averaged 1.9 blocks per game in 2025-26 and finished runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Victor Wembanyama.
Beating Wembanyama for that award is a tough climb, but Holmgren has the kind of tools that keep him in the conversation for more Hakeem Olajuwon Trophies. His Western Conference Finals showing dragged down some of the buzz around him, but the 24-year-old still belongs in the league’s upper tier of defenders.
Right behind him are Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, a trio that has already collected All-Defense recognition and still looks the part. Wallace turned in 1.9 steals per game in 2025-26 and earned his first All-Defense selection.
Williams picked up his All-Defense nod in 2024-25 after averaging 1.6 steals per game, and his value comes from how many different jobs he can handle. He can check forwards inside or chase perimeter players around the arc.
Caruso, meanwhile, was All-Defense in 2023 and 2024. He has not played enough regular-season games in either of his seasons in Oklahoma City to add another selection, but his impact has still been huge, especially in the postseason.
A tier below that sits a group of defenders who may not land on All-Defense ballots, but still do enough to keep Daigneault from worrying about a weak spot. Isaiah Hartenstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams all fit there.
On a different roster, Hartenstein’s defensive work - or even Gilgeous-Alexander’s - might stand out more. In Oklahoma City, the depth is so strong that those contributions can blend into the background.
Then there’s the group that has more to prove. Jared McCain, Nikola Topic and Bennett Stirtz fall into that tier, with McCain the only rotation player among them. He showed he could be decent defensively during the Thunder’s 2026 playoff run, while Topic and Stirtz will likely need to sharpen that side of the ball before they become regular rotation pieces.
Mara and Sorber round out the list. Both should bring solid defense because of their size and length, but neither has appeared in an NBA game yet, so they still have to prove it once the lights come on.
In Other News...
Thunder Title Push Now Rests On How Their Core Responds
The Thunder enter the 2026-27 season still carrying the sting of a Western Conference Finals loss to San Antonio, but their blueprint for another title run remains intact. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a second straight regular-season MVP, and Oklahoma City has plenty of reason to believe its core can keep driving the franchise forward after a postseason that ended before the finish line it wanted.
Jalen Williams has been working through a productive offseason as he looks to get back to full strength, and Chet Holmgren is spending the summer trying to turn a difficult playoff stretch into a reset under Mark Daigneault. For a team that has already established itself among the Wests elite, the next leap depends less on adding noise and more on how those familiar names answer after a spring that left room for a lot of unfinished business. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder May Already Have A Better Short-Term Answer Than Aday Mara
Thomas Sorbers arrival has already given the Thunder a different kind of frontcourt conversation than the one that followed Aday Maras selection a year later. Sorber came into the organization as the 15th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after missing his first college season because of a torn ACL, but the early read on him has centered on what he can do defensively when hes on the floor. For a team that keeps thinking long term while still trying to win now, that kind of immediate utility matters.
Mara, taken 12th in the 2026 draft, still has plenty of upside, but the adjustment to NBA speed and physicality can take time for a young big man. That is why there is already some belief around the Thunder that Sorber could wind up ahead of him in the short-term pecking order. The larger question is whether Oklahoma City sees Sorber as a useful piece right away or simply the first answer while it waits for Mara to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Added Another Big Man With One Roster Question Looming
The Thunder have added another layer to their frontcourt depth by signing center Christoph Tilly to an Exhibit-10 contract, a camp deal that gives Oklahoma City some extra size for preseason while keeping the long-term picture flexible. Tilly arrives as an undrafted free agent and, barring a surprise turn, should spend most of his time with the OKC Blue while serving as a depth option as the Thunder work through the early stages of camp.
What makes the move more interesting is that Oklahoma City still has an open standard roster spot, which leaves the front office with a decision to make before the Oct. 20 season opener. An Exhibit-10 can be a useful bridge, especially for a player trying to carve out a place in the organization, and the Thunder have the ability to turn one of these training-camp arrangements into a standard deal if the right fit emerges. [Read more 🡒]