The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Denver Nuggets in Round 2 of the 2025 NBA playoffs. After waiting a week, the first seed finally learned their opponent after the Nuggets blew out the Clippers in a 120-101 Game 7 win on Saturday.

But OKC has five perimeter defenders (Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort) who ranked in the 89th percentile or higher in defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices). And all five will get their shots at Murray.

Waiting is the hardest part and the Oklahoma City Thunder are once again in the holding pattern. The Thunder featured a long lay off between the end of the regu