ESPN analyst boldly calls Alex Caruso the NBA's best defensive player

When you win an NBA championship, expect an entire summer's worth of praise from the national talking heads. That's what the Oklahoma City Thunder have experienced fresh off one of the greatest campaigns the league has ever seen.

The Thunder had a historic 68-14 regular-season record. They broke the NBA record for the largest point differential. That dominance carried over to the playoffs as they brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy. They destroyed the opposition with their defense, as most of their game-sealing runs happened from turnovers created.

A key contributor to their championship run was Alex Caruso. Being load-managed in the regular season, the 31-year-old was finally able to play his all-out effort style of defense that included diving for the ball and emptying his tank as an energizer off the bench.

The two-time All-Defense Team member might've had a pedestrian regular season, but Caruso showed why the Thunder were universally beloved for acquiring him last offseason in the playoffs. He was one of OKC's five best and most important players through four playoff series.

Ranking the five best defensive players, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins loved what he saw from Caruso in the Thunder's championship run. The role player stepped up on the biggest stage and singled out for an individual performance that you could argue won OKC the championship before the NBA Finals even started.

Perkins shocked his "NBA Today" colleagues when he put Caruso at the No. 1 spot. Thunder teammate Lu Dort was at No. 5. Evan Mobley, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama rounded out the top five as the second-to-fourth best defensive players.

"The eye test doesn't lie. What I saw what he did in the postseason, in a crucial Game 7, guarding Jokic... And locking him up," Perkins said. "When you're talking about a defensive specialist that can go out there and cause havoc in the game with four or five steals was the key reason, outside of SGA and J-Dub and Chet Holmgren, when you talk about franchise guys, on why OKC is set to hang a banner this upcoming season."

The sticker shock is definitely there, but it's not outrageous to say Caruso is in the conversation. He's one of the greatest defenders of his era. There's a reason why all the advanced metrics love him. He has played an important role in two NBA championships now.

Taking on Nikola Jokic in a Game 7 might be Caruso's Mona Lisa. It was a legacy-defining performance that saved the Thunder from a disappointing Round 2 exit. The 31-year-old was a savvy enough defender to overcome the serious size disadvantage.

Being one of the best defenses the NBA has ever seen, the Thunder deserved to have multiple entrants on Perkins' top five current defensive players list. Caruso and Dort are valid choices that have the championship ring to back up the ESPN personality.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN analyst boldly calls Alex Caruso the NBA's best defensive player