You know, there might be something to the old "defense wins champions" adage. Just ask your banner-raising Oklahoma City Thunder for proof.
Or maybe a simple scan of the 2026 NBA trade deadline would suffice. Because when you start searching through some of the (surprising) biggest buyers, like the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, you'll notice the steep prices they just paid for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Anthony Davis, respectively (five first-round picks and three second-rounders in all).
All in the hopes of eventually getting their defenses up to a championship level. Or following the OKC banner-raising blueprint, if you will.
The NBA has rightfully noted how the Thunder's defense allows them to dominate.
In basketball's analytically-driven age, offense has so often driven much of the discourse around the league. That old "jump-shooting teams can't win championships" nonsense went out the window when the Golden State Warriors splashed their way to four titles in eight years, and the Denver Nuggets even managed to buck the notion that a top-10 defense is required for a title team a few seasons back.
But OKC's climb to last season's crown—and the sustained success that's followed—has put disruptive defense front and center for winning formulas again.
The Thunder are great in a lot of ways (when the injury report allows them to be, at least), but their real superpower is their comically stingy defense. Last season, they allowed 3.5 points less per 100 possessions than the second-best defense, per NBA.com. This season, they're somehow even less generous.
You get why teams would want to try following suit. That's usually how things work in this league—as soon as someone wins it all, other franchises scramble to copy their formula.
All of that said, don't expect to see a ton of Thunder clones sprouting up around the league. It's one thing to try to mimic Oklahoma City's approach, but it's quite another to actually pull off a convincing impression.
The Jazz should be plenty stingy with a Jackson-Walker Kessler backline—assuming the latter returns in restricted free agency—but they won't have anything remotely resembling the Thunder's wave of plucky perimeter defenders. The Wizards, meanwhile, will soon learn how tricky it is to build a functional defense with Trae Young at the forefront (and how uncomfortable it can be relying on Davis).
Credit them for making the effort, I suppose, but OKC's defense has true 1-of-1 rarity. Still, it's the sign of ultimate respect for the Thunder's dominance that the league is suddenly zigging back toward the defensive end again.