The OKC Thunder managed to find yet another diamond in the rough type of talent during last year's title-winning campaign with the in-season addition of undrafted rookie big, Branden Carlson.
Through 32 games played, the 7-footer quietly established himself as a player worthy of keeping around, hence why the organization shelled out a new two-way deal in his direction this summer.
Now, coming into year two in Oklahoma City, Carlson is hoping to showcase his full skill set on a more consistent basis, and, during 2025 NBA Media Day, he specifically highlighted one area of play that he says he's "always prided myself in."
Thunder big Branden Carlson has always 'prided' himself on shot blocking
In an offense-driven era of the game, it should come as no surprise that onlookers have been fixated on the center's scoring abilities. Having a 7-footer who can space the floor is undoubtedly a coveted luxury to possess within a team's arsenal.
However, Carlson made sure to note during Monday's festivities that his size also "makes it a little bit easier to be a good shot-blocker" as well, which he acknowledged is a skill of his "that's going to help keep me in the league for a long time."
Throughout his debut season in the association, the Utah product consistently showed just how big a difference-maker he is on the less glamorous side of the ball, as he boasted a defensive rating of 106 and swatted 4.1 shots per 100 possessions, the latter of which ranked number one within the Thunder's top-ranked defense.
Of course, his contributions were not just limited to mere counting stats. In fact, with him on the floor, the Thunder let up just an average of 7.3 points in the paint (second-best on the team among those who logged 30 or more games) and ranked within the 98 percentile in opponent effective field goal percentage (49.8).
With the unfortunate knee injury rookie Thomas Sorber sustained earlier this month, GM Sam Presti has already hinted at the fact that Carlson could be in line for a larger role than perhaps some may have been expecting.
Following a standout Summer League, the consensus opinion is that the sophomore is already shaping up to be a true steal of a signing by the organization. Now, with a potentially increased role and an eagerness to further showcase his defensive-oriented style of play, there's reason to believe that a regular season breakout could be on the horizon for the 26-year-old.