Devin Booker breaks down OKC's all-time defense: 'The secret is out'

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had the NBA's best defense for the last two seasons. Whatever defensive stat you want to look up, they're at the top or near it. It's the side of the ball that led them to an NBA championship last season and has looked primed to go back-to-back this season.

Bringing back mostly the same roster, the Thunder have been the NBA's clear-cut best team so far this season. They sit at a historic 19-1 record. And in their 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns, they welcomed back one of their All-Defense team members.

Jalen Williams finally returned from his two wrist surgeries. He played OKC's playoff run with torn wrist ligaments. While the offense will need to catch up as he refinds his touch, the defense remains elite. He's shown he can hound perimeter players and step up as a shot-blocker when needed.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Devin Booker was held in check for the most part. He's historically struggled against the Thunder. In their last four matchups — dating back to the start of last season — he's averaged just 18 points on 36.5% shooting and 6.8 assists.

In their 2025 NBA Cup group game, Booker was held to 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting, six assists and eight rebounds. Not a bad night, but well below his standards as one of the NBA's best scorers. A couple of costly turnovers caused by doubles in the final possessions helped the Thunder avoid the upset.

Booker won't have to wait long to see if the Suns can get a signature win against the reigning NBA champion. The Thunder will host the Suns in the eight-team knockout tournament of the 2025 NBA Cup. Both teams advanced as OKC won West Group A and Phoenix was the wildcard berth.

Taking turns matching up against Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, Booker broke down what makes the Thunder the NBA's best defense today and one of the best defenses in league history.

"The secret is out. They do speed you up. They play aggressive. They'll grab, they'll hold, but it's never like when you're in a shooting position," Booker said. "It's always on the handle or on your drives when they get away with it."

While Thunder fans might interpret that as Booker being salty, I think it's his way of giving them props. They play in an aggressive style of defense. That's how they dominate the possession battle by forcing a league-best turnover rate. It might irritate other fanbases with how physical they get, but being near the top in fouls called is a worthy price to pay for OKC.

"Actually, tonight, they probably called 40 to 50% of them, which is good. For real. For real. They have multiple defenders out there," Booker said. "They have their switching partners. Guys that will get after it every time. They're a tough matchup."

Booker is the latest NBA superstar who can't get his usual 30-plus points against the Thunder. Having a trio of some of the best perimeter defenders paired with some of the best paint protectors has helped OKC be in the same conversation as some of the all-time teams in league history.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Devin Booker breaks down OKC's all-time defense: 'The secret is out'