Diving for a loose ball in a blowout score, Micah Peavy didn't need long to become a fan favorite. As the Oklahoma City Thunder are battered and bruised in every way, the recently-added two-way player has stabilized things. The 25-year-old is taking full advantage of his second opportunity in the NBA.

After experiencing three colossal season-altering — and perhaps, franchise-altering — injuries in one night, the Thunder have relearned the cruel reminder that the NBA goes on. There are games to play. You can't feel sorry for yourself for too long or risk nosediving in the standings.

After two blowout losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, the glued-together Thunder are back on the winning side of things. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers twice. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will grab all of the headlines with back-to-back 40-point explosions, but Peavy has built up a little bit of a fan following.

The Thunder added Peavy once Otega Oweh was lost for the 2026-27 season with a torn Achilles tendon. He replaced his two-way spot. The 25-year-old spent last year with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was the No. 40 pick of the 2025 NBA draft.

In dire need of capable point-of-attack defenders, Peavy has been an NBA body that the Thunder can rely on. No offense to Brooks Barnhizer and Josh Dix, but you can't trot out your two-way guys in meaningful minutes and expect to seriously contend. Or in OKC's case, salvage the year in the Post-D.C.C. (Dub, Chet, Caso) world.

Peavy helped the Thunder keep Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in check in their two matchups. He's averaged three points on 33.3% shooting and 3.8 rebounds in four games for OKC this season. But the small-scale stats are whatever. It's about the defensive energy he's brought.

There's a reason why Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has completely fallen in love with Peavy this quickly. The defense-first mind understands that's the side of the floor OKC has to flex its muscles. To keep that identity, the 25-year-old has served as an emergency goalie of sorts. No, he won't bring the same level of talent as guys like Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso, but there's a steady baseline there — knowing he can hold his own.

The Thunder are in an all-hands-on-deck mode. That's what happens when you lose three of your four best players for the foreseeable future before Halloween had even arrived. After some understandable initial shock, it feels like they're ready to move forward with the patched-together group they have right now.

We'll see what the ultimate ceiling is for this zombified version of OKC. But if you're an optimist, then all guys like Peavy have to do is hold down the fort until help arrives. Play .500 basketball. Stay out of the play-in range. Caruso represented that last game as he returned from a three-game absence due to an ankle sprain. And you're banking on Chet Holmgren to be back by New Year's. And who knows, maybe Williams and Wallace make a miraculous return by the 2027 NBA playoffs?

To reach that point of NBA fantasy land, though, Peavy will be required to be an unsung hero. That's quite the responsibility to put on someone's shoulders — who wasn't even in OKC on Opening Night. But those are the cards the Thunder have been dealt in their collective basketball lives.