"But it was the defense that made Chicago special. Former Philadelphia 76ers great Bobby Jones was one of the most admired defensive players ever to put a NBA uniform on. An unknown player for the youth generations of basketball, Sidney Moncrief was one of the most complete players during the 80's, who also marked that era of competitive NBA hoops with his phenomenal defense. O Although he is more known for his amazing offensive abilities, Kobe Bryant marked his career as an outstanding defender too whose footwork, skills and hard work earned him that reputation. We could not score against them in the last five minutes of Game 6 [in 1993]. ( Round 7, Pick 225: Jovaughn Gwyn, G, South Carolina. Why was Jordan so great, though? This is enough to consider him in this debate. Let me also mention that Jordan's scoring average is 5.1 points more than Bryant. He was an athletic, strong, skilled and quick defender that would often guard the opponent's top scorer while still lighting up the scoreboard. This article will aim to find out who the best defender in NBA history is by comparing some of the greatest defenders to each other using the following categories: Defensive achievements, defensive statistics, defensive impact. T had a defensive rating of 106.8 in his rookie season in 1984-85. Defense should be valued and regarded just as highly as offense, no matter how difficult that might be. It's a shame he played in Milwaukee and did not have a great team around him. Bryant won eight All-First Team Defensive selections and two All-Second Team selections, which adds volume to his great ability to lock down his man. l + That toughness, energy, hustle translated to his team and Celtics fans. The midrange and post games have fallen out of favor in the modern NBA because they are not as efficient as a drive-and-kick, three-crazed offense, yet Jordan leaned heavily on those now-shunned tactics to build his rsum as the greatest player ever. The lower your defensive rating is, the better. Only two qualified players in NBA history had a career usage rate of at least 30 percent with a turnover percentage under 10 percent Jordan and Dominique Wilkins (rivals in a couple of iconic 1980s dunk contests). A P F Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Now, through The Last Dance, well get to see Jordan from a different angle, and perhaps gain a new appreciation of his greatness even still. P Compare multiple combined seasons for up to six players Search Criteria Im gonna figure out how to make those my strengths. And he did it.. Michael could take that initial bump. g He expected his teammates to do the same. m Of course, theres also been a lot of mythology built up around MJ over the past three decades, and The Last Dance is sure to add to it even as the movies director, Jason Hehir, says he took steps to humanize Jordan. Jordan habitually was knocked to the floor by the team he loathed most, the Detroit Pistons, who punctured his title dreams for three consecutive seasons with a physical, defensive-oriented style. ) In October 1993, after leading the Bulls to their third consecutive championship, Jordan retired briefly and pursued a career in professional baseball. 3 Kawhi Leonard, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Scottie Pippen and plenty of other defensive juggernauts come to mind. Kobe finishes nowhere near Michael Jordan (3.1%), Chris Paul (3.2%) or John Stockton (3.5%). All-NBA 2nd Team. P Over his 18 year career, Olajuwon only scored 100 or over six times, and actually had the best defensive rating in the NBA for five consecutive years. F F 1984-85 Jordan 1985-86 Jordan 1986-87 Jordan 1987-88 Jordan 1988-89 Jordan 1989-90 Jordan 1990-91 Jordan 1991-92 Jordan 1992-93 Jordan 1994-95 Jordan 1995-96 Jordan 1996-97 Jordan 1997 . Having a lockdown defender is always useful. Over the years there have been plenty of premier defenders in the NBA who have worn the label of best defender in the NBA. 1988. T The defensive rating of an NBA player is a statistic used to measure the individual players efficiency in preventing the other team from scoring points. Michael Jordan had a defensive rating of 102.7 in his career. E Antoine Walker experienced his forcefulness on opening night of the 1997-98 season. Even Jordan said that Joe Dumars was the toughest defender he has faced, and we all know how terrific Jordan was. Here are the five NBA players in the conversation for being the best defensive players ever (In no particular order). P F NAME SEASON TM GP DRTG MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV PF +/-Michael Jordan: 1984-85: CHI. R ] Once uPER is calculated, it must be adjusted for team pace and normalized to the league to become PER: P t So the arguments can go in both directions. . 0.1936 P Also note that it is impossible to calculate PER (at least in the conventional manner described above) for NBA seasons prior to 1978, as the league did not keep track of turnovers among other advanced statistics before that year. V Not Charles, not Clyde [Drexler], not anyone.". He could run over to play help defense and still catch up to his man. L He led the league in steals and was 14th in blocks -- the only guard in the top 40 that season. l T His recovery skills were exceptional. Some of the more important rule changes that should be considered include; some of the players on this list, such as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, played before the three-point shot, blocks, and steals stats were officially recorded. Chicago's opponent, the Utah Jazz, led the NBA in offensive efficiency during the regular season (110.9 points per 100 possession), but was held to just 94.3 in those 1998 Finals. S 3 Hakeem was a bit more agile than Duncan and was able to somewhat defend on the perimeter. G Duncan may not have any NBA defensive player of the year trophies, but his 15 x all defense is the most ever. P f A B Take, for example, the sequence that set up his iconic final shot as a Bull against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals. Neil Paine was the acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight. He often guarded the opponent's top defender, which was his task every time on the court. That man-to-man defense by Russell was crucial for 11 championships for the Celtics. In reality, he was most effective defending only centers and power forwards. This category isnt measured by a single NBA stat, but is too important to be left out of this discussion. Jordan and Co. always seemed to ratchet up the intensity, especially during the playoffs. T Michael Jordan played 15 seasons for the Bulls and Wizards. In the three seasons that Duncan did eclipse 100, he scored 101, and 100 twice. He was a versatile center who could often switch on the opponent's guard/forward and stay against him out on the perimeter, which is not easy for bigger players to do. His length and exceptional defensive instincts also allows him to get into passing lanes and disrupt play sequences. Jordan posted higher rates of steals, blocks and defensive rebounds than Bryant, and team-based defensive metrics like Dean Oliver's defensive rating consider Jordan far superior (101.1. Hakeem Olajuwon: 9 x NBA All-Defense, 3 x BLK Champion, 2 x DPOY, All-time leader in in blocks (3,830). You throw him at the opponent's most productive and best player, where all night long he produces quality defense, locking him down and forcing him to turn the ball over. Garnett played his entire career with limitless energy and 100% effort. K And for me, that was tough, because I was always going right.". Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. l m Jones was a tenacious and versatile defender who hustled, worked hard, was aggressive on his man and had offensive skills too. T O And he told me, 'I don't want anyone thinking they belong on the court with me.'". O S He outranks Jordan in career Defensive Win Shares, believe it or not, and his 4.0 Steal Rate in those two non-Jordan seasons were the highest ever for a player 6-8 or higher, by miles and miles. The game is different now than when it was played in the 1980s or even before that". Main Index . At the end of the day, defense is half the game of basketball. "I get to the game," Ainge says, "and I'm beat. [ Clicking on a tab heading will display the specified set of statistics. T PER strives to measure a player's per-minute performance, while adjusting for pace. Making a three pointer is great, but if you cant stop the opposition from scoring a three, youre back at square one. r O a Bill Russell was the symbol of great defense, who successfully revolutionized the concepts of defense on the court and was the game's very first lockdown defender. Kevin Garnett is the best defender in NBA history. R Who had the most wins as an underdog last season? Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon are the only other players to reach that milestone once. Defensive impact can be measured by the players versatility on the floor, and the different ways that they effect the game. "When he was averaging 38 a game, and even later, when he 'slowed down' to 30 a game, Michael was still talented enough, savvy enough and prepared enough not to exert too much energy defensively," Ainge says. He also held Jordan under 30 points five times in six games during the 1996 NBA Finals. m 1 He could also switch guarding any of the 1 to 4 positions without a problem. Each of these players dominated games through their defensive presence and helped their team win championships as a result. He has a chance this year to tie with the defensive greats of the game, Gary Payton and Michael Jordan, with nine All-First Team selections. O [ T It would be nice, however, for Kawhi to show some more fire on the court. Kawhi Leonard: 6 x All Defense, 1 x STL Champ, 2 x DPOY. Garnett is tied for the second most NBA all-defensive team honours with 12, but he has also won a defensive player of the year award. l t m That's a thing very few have excelled at. Michael Jordan Position: OL 6-6, 315lb (198cm, 142kg) Born: January 25, 1998 in Cincinnati, OH. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. {\displaystyle uPER={\frac {1}{min}}\times \left(3P+\left[{\frac {2}{3}}\times AST\right]+\left[\left(2-factor\times {\frac {tmAST}{tmFG}}\right)\times FG\right]+\left[0.5\times FT\times \left(2-{\frac {1}{3}}\times {\frac {tmAST}{tmFG}}\right)\right]-\left[VOP\times TO\right]-\left[VOP\times DRBP\times \left(FGA-FG\right)\right]-\left[VOP\times 0.44\times \left(0.44+\left(0.56\times DRBP\right)\right)\times \left(FTA-FT\right)\right]+\left[VOP\times \left(1-DRBP\right)\times \left(TRB-ORB\right)\right]+\left[VOP\times DRBP\times ORB\right]+\left[VOP\times STL\right]+\left[VOP\times DRBP\times BLK\right]-\left[PF\times \left({\frac {lgFT}{lgPF}}-0.44\times {\frac {lgFTA}{lgPF}}\times VOP\right)\right]\right)}. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. And no one relished that assignment more than Jordan.
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