What has made Thabo Sefolosha such a good defender for so long?
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George joked: “Officials let him get away with a lot of stuff.”
Barbs aside, George acknowledged that Sefolosha, 33, has carved a niche as one of the better wing defenders in the NBA during his 12-year career. That role likely will be at the forefront of Saturday night’s game as the Jazz take on the Thunder at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Tribune reported Saturday morning that starting guard Rodney Hood will be out with a calf strain suffered the previous evening against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a report the Jazz confirmed on Saturday afternoon. That likely puts Sefolosha, who started 42 games for the Atlanta Hawks last year, in line to start his first game with the Jazz.
So far he’s been quietly efficient. Sefolosha has scored 16 points while shooting 63.6 percent in his first two games with Utah. Sefolosha has been even-handed as a wing while rookie Donovan Mitchell has shown some growing pains in the NBA regular season.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his players respect the Jazz defensively, understanding that defense is one of coach Quin Snyder’s core tenets. George was specifically complimentary of Sefolosha, who has spent more than a decade guarding some of the best scorers in the NBA.
“Every team wants a defender,” he said. “I think what makes him elite is he wants the big matchups. Not a lot of guys want that and can come out with a game plan to make it tough.”
That being said, who does Sefolosha stay in front of? Reigning MVP Russell Westbrook? George? Carmelo Anthony? Oklahoma City’s offseason has loaded the Thunder with scoring weapons, and there’s only one Sefolosha. All three players have scored at least 40 points against the Jazz in a previous game.
With Hood out, it will be something for Snyder to chew on ahead of Saturday night’s tip.