It is well established that the brand of basketball this OKC Thunder team has been built around is defense.
For two years now, opposing players have been stifled thanks to the efforts of guys like Lu Dort and Alex Caruso.
Among these pesky guards, however, Cason Wallace might be turning into the best one.
Last year, Wallace began earning recognition for these kinds of efforts, receiving votes for the NBA All-Defensive team and even finishing as a finalist for the NBA Hustle Award.
This year, Wallace has turned his game up a notch and is further establishing himself as a defensive nightmare for opposing guards.
Cason Wallace proving to be one of best defenders for elite Thunder
Through the first three weeks of the season, Wallace leads the NBA with 2.5 steals per game and is third in deflections per game with 5.1.
As of Tuesday, he has yet to play a game this season where he hasn't recorded at least one steal.
Wallace has been crucial to how OKC has defended guards, especially out on the perimeter. He leads the team in three-pointers contested and is fourth in the league in defensive rating among guards who have logged over 30 minutes per game.
If we are going even deeper into defensive metrics, Wallace has a defensive plus-minus of 1.3, which ranks fifth among guards, according to Crafted NBA.
The best aspects of Caso's defensive skillset might not even show up on a stat sheet.
Before the season, Caruso shared some insight on what he believes makes him such a tough matchup. He sighted "physical abilities that a lot of people don't have," explaining how "he blocked more shots in a season than I think I have in my career."
When the defensive master you learned under is singing your praise, you know you possess a rare and valuable skillset.
Cason Wallace making scoring nearly impossible for opponents
We've already seen the effects of his on-ball contributions on elite scoring guards this season.
Ja Morant just had a pathetic 11 points on 3-for-18 shooting Sunday evening while turning the ball over three times.
Zach LaVine was only able to get off five shots up in 29 minutes on the floor during their November 7 clash against the Kings.
Jordan Poole was held to just 2-for-11 shooting and 2-for-9 shooting from three during OKC's hosting of NOLA earlier in the year.
With chaos-creators like Caruso and Dort manning the perimeter, Oklahoma City was already a matchup nightmare for opposing guards.
The emergence of Cason Wallace has given the Thunder arguably the best perimeter defense in the league.
Thunder go deeper than just Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso
To add insult to injury, the Thunder might have two more up-and-coming defensive studs in their backcourt reserves.
Ajay Mitchell ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating (behind only Caruso), Isaiah Joe ranks fifth, and Aaron Wiggins ranks seventh.
Oklahoma City truly has an embarassment of riches on the wings.
When every player plays in lock step, it is in large part because coaches have instilled a set of values in them, and the entire unit has bought in.
With the Thunder playing even better than last year on both sides of the ball, it is clear that coach Mark Daigneault and his staff have their fingerprints everywhere, as the Thunder look to continue their tirade on the rest of the NBA.