The NBA's Designated Closer, Thunderstorm Defense, Splash Buddy, Coaching Tactics, and More!

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Welcome to the NBA Librarian Weekly, where we curate and summarize the best NBA content each week.

<1000 words each week. I consume so you don’t have to.

In Today's Edition:

1. OKC’s Defense is a Thunderstorm

2. The NBA’s First ‘Designated Closer’

3. No Rookie Wall for Alex Sarr

4. The Warriors’ New Splash Buddy

5. Jordi Fernandez’s Impact on the Nets

6. Atkinson’s Accelerator

7. More NBA Load Management?

OKC’s Defense is a Thunderstorm

• Historic Defensive Start: The Thunder are allowing only 97 points per 100 possessions—an outlandish 16 points better than league average. Even crazier? They’re forcing a whopping 21 turnovers per game, a stat line that hasn’t been seen since the ‘80s.

• Chet Holmgren: Opponents shoot 6% worse at the rim w/ Chet on the floor.

• Micro-Ball Magic: Their “micro-ball” lineups—40 possessions without a traditional big, including defenders like Caruso and Dort filling in as ‘“centers”—are forcing turnovers at a ridiculous 33% rate.

The NBA’s First ‘Designated Closer’

Tom Haberstroh explores the unconventional yet effective role Chauncey Billups has crafted for Dalano Banton with the Blazers: a basketball "closer." Just as baseball teams rely on closers to finish games, Billups has exclusively used Banton in the fourth quarter of recent games, with eye-popping results:

• In three games, Banton has played only the final quarter, scoring 33 points in 33 minutes on an impressive 16-of-19 shooting.

• His presence has turned close games around, as the Blazers outscored opponents 98-54 during his fourth-quarter appearances, including against the Pelicans, he came in with the Blazers down three and scored 20 points, helping the team secure an 18-point victory.

This experimental role highlights Banton’s ability to exploit fatigued defenses with fresh legs and relentless energy. Billups’ decision to save Banton for these high-stakes moments raises an intriguing question: Could basketball embrace the idea of a closer, a player who specializes in the late-game push?