Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the heavy favorite to repeat as league MVP because Nikola Jokic’s injury effectively knocks him out of the race. But it’s not the only accolade that should be on its way to Oklahoma City. 

Check out which Thunder players are on pace to earn All-Defensive honors. 

Protecting the rim was the most valuable defensive skill when the NBA began in the late 1940s, and it’s still the case today in the pace and space era. Although Victor Wembanyama wears the crown for best rim protector, Chet Holmgren has a strong claim as the second-best player in this department. 

He’s a dynamic help defender due to his length, mobility, instincts and fearlessness. Holmgren also thrives when guarding pick-and-rolls or post-ups, and he can adequately defend on the perimeter unlike the vast majority of elite rim protectors. 

Holmgren’s ability to seamlessly oscillate between power forward and center without a significant dropoff gives Oklahoma City a ton of lineup flexibility, which is incredibly valuable. 

Overall, he is the current favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, so he’s logically in the driver’s seat for an All-Defensive First Team berth. It would be shocking to see Holmgren get snubbed assuming he plays at least 65 games to qualify. 

The most likely Thunder player to join Holmgren on the All-Defensive Teams is Cason Wallace. 

Wallace leads the NBA in steals per game and ranks third in deflections per game. He instills chaos and derails opponents with well-timed swipes. 

It’s also nearly impossible to screen him out of the action, as he consistently worms his way through tight spaces and somehow manages to recover. Wallace deserves his flowers for growing into the best pure perimeter defender on a team that rosters Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort. 

Matchup data puts into perspective how effective Wallace has been at neutralizing stars this season. For example, he held Luka Doncic to 2 points across 29 possessions when directly guarding him, Stephen Curry to 3 points across 23 possessions and Deni Avdija to 0 points across 37 possessions. The list goes on and on, too. 

Outside of Holmgren and Wallace, it’s unlikely that Oklahoma City receives another All-Defensive berth. Missed games have hurt or disqualified cases for Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso. Luguentz Dort has missed games, but he also has not played at an All-Defensive level this season. 

Overall, expect only Holmgren and Wallace to make an All-Defensive Team.