OKC Thunder failed to replace Alex Abrines and its hurt them big time

Defensive sieve to defensive monster

When Abrines arrived to the NBA, he was a sub-par defender at best. His footwork was poor, he overplayed opposing ball handlers, got lost on switches and simply couldn’t hold his own against above average athletes on the perimeter. Over time, however, Abrines improved his defensive awareness and became one of Oklahoma City’s best defenders by the numbers.

During his 31 appearances in a Thunder jersey this season, the Spaniard had the best defensive rating of any Thunder player with 99.1 and was at one point, rated the second best defender in the NBA by the numbers.

In three short years, AA had morphed his game from a defensively challenged 3-point shooter into a buddy three and D wing. OKC continued to be a stout defensive unit with him on the floor and his contributions on the defensive end were underappreciated.