NBA Christmas: A gift for each team’s wish list in 2018

Oklahoma City Thunder: A mind-numbingly stingy defense

While the Oklahoma City Thunder already boast the league’s stingiest defense per 100 possessions, the scary thing is, they could be even more stifling on that end if Santa Claus decides to leave a healthy Andre Roberson under the tree.

Though he’s still about three weeks away from being re-evaluated after an injury setback, Roberson was an All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2017 and is one of the game’s elite wing stoppers. With the way Paul George is clamping down on that end, plus Steven Adams anchoring the middle, this Oklahoma City defense will be head-and-shoulders above the competition if he can come back healthy.

A key player returning to the rotation always affects chemistry during the ensuing adjustment period, but the Thunder won’t need him to do much other than lock down on D. He’s more than capable there, which could serve as the catalyst for a more dangerous contender in OKC.