Rick Pitino, one of the most accomplished coaches in college basketball, has had a wealth of experiences. Although he often critiques NBA defensive tactics, he recently shared high praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following the Thunder’s victory in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which secured their place in the NBA Finals, Pitino lauded their exceptional defensive strategy on X, previously known as Twitter. The 72-year-old coach noted that Mark Daigneault’s defensive approach is the only one he has ever showcased to his teams during film review in his over forty years in the sport.
“It’s interesting, in my 40+ years I’ve never shown clips to my teams of NBA defense,” Pitino tweeted. “Offensive sets and individual moves, but never a defense. Until this season. We watched the Thunder at least 3x a week. Their switching, loading up to help, and rotations are awesome. And they are still so young!!!”
This praise came after Oklahoma City limited Minnesota to just 94 points in their closeout game. The Timberwolves, who averaged 113.6 points per game during the regular season, only managed to hit that average once in their five games against the Thunder.
Throughout the regular season, the Thunder allowed an average of 107.3 points per game, ranking third best in the league. Their proactive and adaptable defense generated the most turnovers against opponents. They also led in scoring margin, permitting the fewest points in the paint, as well as the least fast-break points and the lowest shooting percentage by foes.
Incorporating clips of the Thunder’s defense appears to have significantly aided Pitino in elevating St. John’s to a notable defensive force in college basketball. The Red Storm excelled defensively during the 2024-2025 season, using their strong defense as a key factor in securing a national championship.
In that successful season, St. John’s allowed only 65.8 points per game, ranking 25th nationally. They managed an impressive average point differential of 12.7, which was the ninth best. Similar to the Thunder, the Red Storm infused energy into their game by forcing turnovers, ranking ninth in Division I for the rate of opponent turnovers.
Pitino’s roster featured standout defenders like Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, and Deivon Smith. The Red Storm boasted six players who averaged over one steal per game, with Richmond leading the way at 2.0 steals per contest.
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