In the iconic 1994 Disney animated film "The Lion King", Mufasa, in a vision, once reminded his son Simba to "remember who you are."

That would be my exact message to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have gone 6-6 over their last 12 and, overall, seem to have lost their defensive identity. When we talked about what made the Thunder great last year, and even into this season on OKC's way to a 24-1 start, it was all about the defense.

I say this not to diminish the offensive contributions of guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and more at all, but the reality is that with how bad this team is currently shooting, they simply cannot win games right now by not bringing their best on defense and relying on their offense.

Defense travels, and defense doesn't have many off nights; that is a major part, along with OKC's deep rotation, that helped them win a championship last year and dominate the regular season.

I am not ready to hit the panic button, and I still think OKC can accomplish any dreams that they have for this season, but I don't believe that will be the case unless this Thunder squad rediscovers their defensive identity that made this team great in the first place.