In today's NBA, top-tier individual defense tends to be obscure. Defensive stats still don't give a full picture of a player's performance, which means that fame often carries a lot of weight when discussing the best defensive players in the league.
In addition to those contending for Defensive Player of the Year, it usually takes a sharp eye to spot which players contribute the most on the defensive end.
In addition, due to the diversity of defensive roles and responsibilities, good defensive players each exert influence in very different ways. Some players create a huge difference by staying consistent and tangling closely with opposing players, while others may do so with great performances in key moments.
Although many great defensive players share common traits, each player's style is unique in some way.
While many of the great NBA defensive players don't get the recognition they deserve, the following five players in particular are grossly undervalued for their defensive value.
As a versatile and athletic big man, Allen always finds a variety of ways to stop opponents in pick-and-roll defense.
While sometimes overshadowed by teammates and Defensive Player of the Year candidates Evan · Mobley, Jarrett · Allen are also excellent defenders in the Cavaliers' defensive system. On top of that, he's a smart and athletic defender who can cover large areas.
Allen's quickness and ability to change direction with ease allow him to defend effectively from beyond the three-point line. Because of this mobility, Allen is very good at blocking and dismantling, and in addition to being able to defend more traditionally on the dropback, he can also be seen lunging forward to interfere with ball carriers.
In addition, Allen is usually in the right position to interfere with shots.
While Allen may not be as a top-tier defender as his frontcourt partner Mobley, Allen is also a very good defender in his own right, and he deserves more recognition.
During his career with the Clippers, Zubac has had some lows on the defensive end, especially against Doncic. But he's still a tough pick-and-roll defender who can use his multi-faceted defensive skills to deal with a lot of pick-and-roll offense.
Zubac is best at the point of defending from the drop, protecting the basket, and his size is even more dominant on the inside.
Opponents shot just 51.8 percent from the basket against Zubac's defense within six feet of the basket. But in addition to that, Zubac also had a good performance when switching defenses. He's quite agile on his feet, and given his size, he can change the direction of movement in impressive ways.
Zubac's multi-faceted defense has allowed the Clippers to use him in a variety of ways. In the past, they often changed his defensive style to disrupt the opponent's attacking rhythm.
Alexander Walker is one of the NBA's top perimeter defenders, and he contributed immensely to the Timberwolves' league-leading defensive system last season.
The Canada winger has a wide range defensively, with Walker's long stride and nearly 6-foot-10 in reach. He takes a proactive defensive approach, using frantic presses on the ball carrier and the occasional poke to keep the ball carrier nervous. Alexander Walker often disrupts opponents' offense with full-court pressing, and creates turnovers in the rotation with clever interceptions and good anticipation.
Alexander Walker has shown his defensive impact in the Timberwolves' playoff journey, and he is one of the main reasons why the Timberwolves have been able to lock down star guards like Bradley· Beal, Devin · Booker and Jamal · Murray all the way to the Western Conference Finals. An excellent perimeter defender with such a high quality of defensive ability, Alexander Walker doesn't get the recognition he deserves, and he fully deserves to be named to the All-Defensive Team.
When Jayson · Tatum entered the league, he first came as a scorer.
However, it didn't take long for Tatum to add value in other aspects of the game, especially on the defensive end. Back in Tatum's rookie season, his defense was pretty good. Still, Tatum's defensive impact throughout his career has been overshadowed by his offensive brilliance, which really shouldn't be.
Tatum's defensive dominance as a pivot was one of the key factors in the Celtics' championship last season. Towards the end of the regular season, Tatum began to defend the center of the opposing team frequently, and then in the playoffs, this was even more common.
In leading Boston to championship titles, Tatum was often paired against big men like Bam· Adebayo, Evan · Mobley, Myers · Turner, Daniel· Gafford and Derrick · Lively II. Due to Tatum's multifaceted nature, this tactic worked well.
Tatum has the size needed to defend these big men, being able to limit their scoring in the low post and prevent them from grabbing rebounds. At the same time, he is also excellent at defending smaller players alone, so when covering pick-and-rolls, Tatum can switch to the ball-handler and disrupt their pick-and-roll tactics. This tactic worked especially well in the Finals against Doncic and Kyrie · Irving, whose defense was never broken by their opponents thanks to the Celtics' successful switching strategy.
Walker · Kessler has only played two seasons in the NBA and is already one of the top rim protectors in the league.
With an arm span of 9-foot-5 inches on the feet, Kessler can build an impregnable wall on the inside, whether as a drop guard or a swim assist. Last season, Kessler had the second-highest block percentage in the league, behind Victor · Wembanyama. And, when opponents tried to complete the offense within six feet of the basket, they were limited to just 51 percent from the field by Kessler.
As an elite-level interior defender, Kessler hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves as an All-Star defensive center, largely because he doesn't have enough exposure.
Kessler has only played two seasons in the league and hasn't always been able to get a lot of playing time. Plus, he spent both seasons with a strife-ridden Jazz team that didn't get the same media attention as other teams, and he wasn't a top potential when he left Auburn.
Kessler may need to showcase his defensive brilliance on a bigger stage to be recognized as he deserves.
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