Defenders of the Moon | Chet Holmgren succeeded Cason Wallace
The Thunder as the NBA’s best defense, and by far, it’s another Oklahoma City player who has been named the Western Conference’s “Defensive Player of the Month” since Chet Holmgren Casona Wallace succeeds!
The interior is second in the conference in blocks (2.0 per game) and is also in the top 10 in contested shots (8.5). After that, Oklahoma City sports the best “defensive rating” (points conceded per 100+ possessions) in the West over that span (106.2), the conclusion of a collective machine that protects the rim while always remaining extremely aggressive at the passing lanes. Despite the defeats against Spurs.
In the east it is Isaiah Stewart who was selected for his impact near the basket, with 2.2 blocks per game (second in the East) and 9.4 contested shots per game (also second). What to keep Clips among the top defenses in their conference, ranking second in “Defensive Rating” (109.8), behind the Nets.
Beyond the numbers, this difference highlights two ways of putting weight into the racquet: Chet Holmgren, long and mobile, deflects by maintaining a vertical position to encourage recovery, while Isaiah Stewart is more combative and takes position. Two interiors still young, but defensive barometers of their projects.
2026-01-02 19:47:00
