The Oklahoma City Thunder’s offense has been predicated on drives, paint touches, and three-point shots. It is a relentless offense that often wears out defenses to their breaking point.
In the Thunder’s tough loss against the Brooklyn Nets on January 5, the victors may have unveiled a scheme that could be the kryptonite to what OKC is weaving through in its offense.
And it all went down to the simple concept of switching.
Nets Unveil Defensive Scheme That Could Derail the OKC Thunder
The Nets Switched Everything
The Nets went to this defensive scheme as early as the first quarter. There were some hitches here and there, but the switches crept into the Thunder’s offensive executions, swinging the game to Brooklyn early on.
Just look at this play from the opening period. Notice how the Nets “switch” on the initial pindowns on both sides and the guard-to-guard screening action from the top.
Defenders on both sides were ready to dig as soon as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – the leading driver in the league with about 22.8 per game – chose a direction to drive. He elected to his left, pitting himself to the active hands of Dennis Smith Jr.
The “dig” at the “nail” was the cherry on top of that defensive cake.
Providing the Nail Help
The Nets went on to a 19-1 run in the first quarter while forcing the Thunder to eight turnovers early. Having a very switchable lineup with Nic Claxton at center and Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikal Bridges on the wings allowed Brooklyn to be as successful as any other team this season.
Brooklyn is by no means an elite defense – ranked 24th in defensive rating in the NBA – but providing help or a second defender at the “nail” was crucial to the Nets’ goal of stifling the drives by the Thunder.
And it wasn’t just Gilgeous-Alexander who struggled. Jalen Williams suffered the same fate on his drives.
Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander are interchangeable – but truly, everyone in the starting lineup can play the role of each other effectively – so the same play bore the same result.
On the following possession, the Thunder opted to clear out the strong side for Williams. The Nets then deployed a second defender for him to meet at the nail. Chet Holmgren then ran towards the ball, but before he even created an advantage, Smith Jr. stripped him the ball with the same “nail dig” for a transition layup.
The Last Word
This little defensive nugget of a relatively blowout loss could spell the difference for any team looking to score a win against the booming Thunder. It is something one team will inevitably discover in the span of an 82-game season.
Oklahoma City should let this be a reference point as they position themselves as one of the contenders this season.
