Top 10 Greatest Defenders of All Time
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2023
- A breakdown of my top 10 greatest defenders in NBA history.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
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I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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Top 2 defenders of all time? GO...
Hakeem Bill
Rodman and Draymond
Russell first, Hakeem second
bill russell n hakeem
Bill russell and Hakeem Olajuwon
Despite Pippen on being known for his defensive prowess, he is ALL OFFENSIVE now
Lmao 🤣
Lol 😂
Sheesh🤣🤣
He was a horrible player, he was horrible to play with
@@kingpin785510Not true at all, where do you got that from?
Personally I’d take Hakeem as the greatest defender of all time a center who’s in a category of blocks and steals is impressive
Bill Russel stopped Wilt... Nuff said
There is far more to defense than stats. Hakeem is for sure elite tho
@@gswonlockswilt averaged 30 and 28 against bill on 50% FG, bill averaged 13 and 22 against wilt on 37% FG. The CELTICS and their 11 hall of famers stopped wilts TEAM, not wilt
@@gswonlocksabsolutely not 😂
Yh but can he switch on to guards?
The fact that 3 of the Greatest Defenders of all time played in the same team is mindblowing..
Kinda makes sense why they went 72-10. Imagine an inside presence more impressive than Luc Longley. Wouldn’t even be fair. Lol
@@jonnyarnetthow Close Was Payton to making your list?
That’s crazy. And it’s crazy that both Pippen and Rodman were waaaaaay better defensively, and Jordan was far from a slouch on defence. Easily the best defence of all time. Those years Jordan rarely had to guard superstars on a regular basis which meant he could preserve a lot more energy for the offrence then previous years.
@@MrABN86and harper was good too, they could switch 1-4
@@jonnyarnett Yet, no one wanted Rodman at the time. He was on his way out of the league after San Antonio.
It's videos like this that make me so thankful for alternative sports media. There is so much more that can be discussed than MJ vs LBJ. You tend to forget about some of these other player's greatness because the mainstream media won't touch any of these topics. Thinking about how Rodman could literally D up anyone, no matter the position, is crazy.
PAUSE
@@brandonszczech6516
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
My guy it's a "top 10 ____ of all time" video, which is about the lowest brow debates you can have in the sports world, because it's all completely subjective and you're comparing a bunch of guys who most never even played one another and played in completely different eras of basketball with different context. I'm not even knocking the video at all, just saying even the creator would probably tell you it's not exactly the most intellectually demanding kind of discourse.
@@brandonszczech6516 Are you gay?
@@brandonszczech6516😂😂😂😂😂
Something that’s not talked about enough is the fact that Mj actually guarded magic in most of the series in 91 even the last dance didn’t include that
Exactly. Jordan guarded Magic for the majority of that series yet Scottie’s greatest defensive claim to fame is that he guarded the best opposing perimeter player more than Jordan. Jordan girded the opposing best perimeter player during their bulls tenure together just as much as Scottie did (20/39 series they played together). They were certainly equal defensively during their time together except Jordan was much better during his time without Pippen than Pippen was during his time without Jordan.
@@TheShiningMewtwoMagic was cooking MJ tho 😂😂😂😂 Pippen was the one actually disrupting him
Thank you. When I first heard bout this year ago, I was like huh. I watched those games live. I had to rewatch it so I didn’t think I was crazy. What Pip did do was pressuring Magic early messing up his flow. In his later years, MJ would pace himself. He played smart defense and went into lockdown mode at key moments. That change in intensity threw players off. It was beautiful to watch. Also, there is no doubt in my mind that MJ would have had 11 defensive selections if he didn’t retire the first time and came back at the end of the following season.
@michaelbarnes2126 right and Pippen had his hands full guarding James Worthy lil fella.
Jordan guarded Magic majority of the Finals Series fella.
Pippen guarded Magic in game two because Jordan got into foul trouble in the 1st quarter lil fella. Jordan started all five games against Magic lil fella lol. Don't 4get about James Worthy lil fella lol
@@michaelbarnes2126 saying Pippen guarded Magic more or better than Jordan is like giving Andre Iguodala finals mvp in 2015. It’s giving undue credit to a lesser player for overachieving in their limited role.
Jerry West should be worth an honourable mention as well
I agree! I thought the same! I was actually even thinking that he could have been part of the top 10.
Great list. I would’ve had Jordan above Pippen for the simple fact he had a DPOY award, and MJ wasn’t just blocking guards. He was blocking centers as well.
That's bad logic though. Rudy Gobert has multiple DPOY awards and Duncan doesn't have one but nobody would say Gobert is the better defender
@@Slapshot544EXACTLY 😅😅😅 THEY OVERHYPE THAT DPOY NONSENSE
Still waiting for Mike who gambled wayyy too much on Dee to take a charge and sacrifice his body for the team!
In 1987 Jordan was the first player to record 200 steals and 100 blocks. But he did not make the All-Defensive 1st or 2nd team. His defense was completely ignored because he had such a great offensive year becoming only the 2nd player to score 3000 points. Michael Cooper won the DPOY as a 6th man. Cooper recorded 78 steals and 43 blocks. The following year Jordan again recorded 200 steals and 100 blocks. The voters, embarrassed that they overlooked Jordan in the previous year, voted him DPOY. So actually, Jordan should have been on TEN 1st team All-Defensive team instead of 9.
True true!!
2 DPOY in a row and runner up on a couple more occasions really.
Bro i think MJ came from all of that meat sucking
One addition to the top 10 I'd make is The Logo, Jerry West. West didn't have the benefit of the all defensive team until the end of career but when it came along, West was on it. West had long arms, he was super quick, he was fast, and he had an extremely high basketball IQ. West was also an excellent shot blocker at the guard position because of all the above reasons. West is listed at 6'2" or 6'3" depending where you look but he was actually around 6'4" barefoot so with shoes on (as players were measured from '73 on) he was over 6'5". Mr Clutch made a lot of big defensive plays when it mattered most and there were times when Elgin Baylor was hurt and West carried the Lakers on his back and great defense was part of how he did that. West is one of the greatest guards of all-time and definitely one of the greatest I ever saw.
Jerry West and Kobe Bryant were both the best defensive guards in the league for 12 straight years. Why did you only mention Jerry and not Kobe?
@@thsu8 My mention of Jerry West is not a knock on Kobe, Kobe was a great defender, of course. West tends to not get the attention he deserves because he played in an earlier era and recency bias is prevalent. I understand because younger fans didn't have the opportunity to see Mr Clutch, but I did and West was great on both sides of the ball.
Kobe and Gray Payton as graud 9x all defense still pretty good
Sad to see Alvin Robertson didn't even make the honorable mention list. He was 3x steals champ and a 6 time all defense and a former defensive player of the year. Averaged almost 4 steals a game one year. I guess he wasn't a big enough name this list was basically all mainstream well known stars.
This is a good call. Alvin Robertson was a MENACE defensively and a tough s.o.b.
That's what I'm saying bro, these videos are influenced by so much personal bias and pressure from subscribers or the algorithm.
Only player in history to record 300+ steals in a season the only player to record a quadruple double with steals, and there hasn't even been a player record 200+ steals since 2009
@@hakeemolajuwon4352 Michael Jordan himself said he thought Robertson was the best perimeter defender in the league in the 1980's.
That’s fair. He should have got a mention. I might do a video like this in the future, but just for Guards. It’s way too hard for the smaller perimeter players to stand out amongst the rim protecting stars
feel like actual defense skill isn't adequately represented by steals & blocks alone... defense is really a black box that has so many more intangibles that are ignored in terms of analysis
All top 10 should be bigs, all. MJ isn’t a better defender than Dwight Howard. Even if you wanna do stats and DPOYs he wins 3 straight with league leading block and rebounding numbers. But if you know ball you know it’s all bids j off of impact. Love Jonny and his content and channel but I gotta disagree with him here
Duh
Anyone else notice that most of Wilt's block highlights are hard blocks out of bounds, with the other team keeping the ball. But most of Russell's block highlights are soft blocks to himself or a teammate to start the fast break. Its the little things that separate Bill and Wilt.
Well you also have to consider the momentum that a hard block brings in. Like I’m gonna be a lot more demoralized if I got swatted into the stands vs if someone taps it away
@@TheHaas123 IDK I'd say that Russell soft blocking a shot to himself and then taking the ball down the court for a quick dunk is more demoralizing than your shot getting sent to the 2nd row.
I bet you watched the video snippet of coach Auerbach, where he commented on this exact same topic. Auerbach is a great coach, no debate about it! He was also blessed with an absolutely stacked team from the late 50s through the entire 60s. He was also the biggest homer coach I have ever heard. If you did not play for Red, you were then sh*t to him.
Auerbach’s beef with Wilt goes way back to his late high school and college days. Red would have absolutely LOVED having Wilt on his team. Don’t believe me, then read the following:
Auerbach wanted Chamberlain to go to a New England university so the Celtics could draft him as a territorial pick. However, Chamberlain did not respond and went to Kansas instead.
Having seen Wilt play, he did not block all shots out od bounds. For example, in '72 when wilt was the Finals MVP, quite a few of his blocks started fast breaks.
@@jingqi9106 Wilt finally figured it out late in his career. But you are right, the few highlights that are soft blocks came in a Lakers jersey. I would rather have '72 Wilt on my team than '62 Wilt, despite the stats.
Bobby Jones deserves AT LEAST an honorable mention… He can easily be argued as being a top5 all-time defensive forward!
In 10 seasons, Bobby made the All-Defensive team 9 times (that’s tied for 6th all-time), and he was 1st team 8x, with 9 being the most!
He would’ve been named DPOY if the award was given out back then!
In 1977 he was 1st in votes for the All-Defensive team, anchored the best defense in the NBA, was 1st in the league in DRtg, 2nd in DWS, 1st in Defensive Box plus/minus, 6th in steals, 9th in blocks. Just one of the GOAT defensive seasons.
You got Rodman at 3rd.. well, Bobby was like a young Rodman when it came to being able to lockdown players on the perimeter while also being great at guarding the post; both being lanky, long, and athletic.
Bobby was also a beast at racking up those steals and blocks though. One of the most underrated players ever! And he offered much more than “just” defense.
And yeah, Bill Russell is the GOAT defensive player, no doubt. Also got Hakeem at #2!
Not to mention his teams were always very good.
@@jackearl5093 I think he (or the teams he was in) ALWAYS made the Playoffs, every season of his career. Also was great in the ABA (in his 1st two years), and had a very good college run.
Exactly...The Secretary of Defense ..says it all
The fact that Moses Malone wasn't even included in honorable mentions tells us how much he is underrated
I was also thinking about Moses. So dominant!
His defensive ability was greatly overrated by his rebounding numbers.
Aways surprising to see MJ at #10 of a top 10 list...but it's accurate. I'm always dubious about comping from the 50's and 60's. It was literally a completely different set of rules and athleticism. I've only been watching the NBA since 1982....but my eye test of the last 41 years says The Dream is #1.
The age doesn’t denote the impact or value. They deserve their love just as much as anyone else. Defense wouldn’t be where it is without them. And they are placed correctly because of HOW those guys dominated. We can’t look at bill russel any different than anyone else because of when he was born. Especially considering all the things bigs that guys like Hakeem were great at only exist because Bill quite literally invented modern day defense. There would be not shot blocking records if bill didn’t start the trend of vertical shot blocking. That alone earns bill and wilt their places in history. Not even mentioning just how accomplished overall they are as defensive anchors even without having the privilege of their major defensive stats counting. The advanced numbers and game film showcase defensive abilities and iq that translate to any time in history, not just theirs.
@@TheIcemanthomas Great points ALL ☺️ Obviously great thought was put into ur comment....i respect that 😜
Mate, I did not watch Bill Russell either, but when you look at the accomplishments, hear the opinions and watch a few old games on TH-cam, not giving him the top spot feels wrong. Hakeem is a great number 2
Bobby Jones.........Bobby gave everyone the business on that side of the ball.......Cooper and Moncrief during that time held it down but the Secretary of Defense for those Philly teams, plus his ABA time........shout out to Mo Cheeks as well........Come on man!!!!! Love your content Bro!!!
Good call on BJ, he was a beast
No doubt, Bobby deserves AT THE VERY LEAST an honorable mention!
Why does everyone think Pippen was the one guarding Magic the majority of the time for the 1991 NBA finals? His whole claim to fame against MJ as a defender rests on guarding the teams best opposing player for the majority of the time AND IT EVEN ISNT TRUE.
MJ was the one guarding Magic. MJ was the one guarding Drexler. MJ was the one guarding Gary Payton.
Because if you watch the series. Magic was posting up Jordan scoring over either shoulder. Pippen turned the series in Game 3. Pippen up Magic full court at times . Disrupting Lakers offensive. That's why!
@@bryanttisdale2446 Uhhh Magic in gm1 dropped 10pts on Jordan on 4/5 shooting. What are you talking about?
He literally averaged 18fga, and 20ppg dishing out 10apg against Pippen
@FrokuBabayy I said game 3. Lakers where in finals with most efficient offensive in the NBA.
What are u taking about. Watch gm 3 .
Slow deliberate offensive replaced the showtime offensive showing how great Magic was. He could get to the Finals either way.
@FrokuBabayy magic finals stats
19pts , 11 as ,10 reb
14pts, 10 as , 7 reb
22pts, 10 as, 6reb
22pts , 11as, 6reb
16pts ,20as , 11reb
Classic Magic series. 🎩
I watched those series recently (again), and Pip guarded Magic ... So, what are you hating about?
Probably the hardest list to compile
When Kobe, Gary Payton & Sydney Moncrief dont make the cut.
Shaq is underrated defensively because its too complex to measure his defensive contributions but Shaq just being in the paint or Even Rotating altered Shots or even prevented them...
Shaq cant block shots if no one drives the lane.
Shaq could play defense on most centers because he just cancelled most out except of the Elite Ones and they play Stretch 4's & 5's when ever they faced him.
Joe Dumars should have made Honorable list.
The Bulls 96-98 had 3 players from this list. Wow. I think Rodman, Pippen, and Garnett are the most versatile defenders ever. Alvin Robertson deserved an honourable mention.
Pippen was a great team defender. But not a great man-to-man defender.
@@RatedRex1 Magic would disagree lol
Ow about Hakeem???? Pippen isn't the most versatile, he can guard only from perimeter, he wouldn't be good defender if he was asked to guard centers.
@hristijandimitrovski8664 Pippen was able to defend the 1 - 4 positions. That's versatile
@@robs9237 Hakeem was able to guard all possitions. He just does everything that KG does, but better
I did not know Robinson was such a good defender (but I do know playing the Spurs in the 90s was always really tough). You always learn something new from Jonny.
How? That’s most of what he’s known for. Lol
@@TheIcemanthomashe's also known for scoring leader over Shaq, 71 point game and the quadruple double, which includes both offense and defense
But if I recall, Robinson. Scored more points in his quadruple double than the other 3 guys who got quadruple double did.
All these guys are worth mentioning, but Alvin Robertson, and Sidney Moncrief are worth mentioning. Mark Eaton deserves a top 10 spot when he’s kinda like Dennis Rodman, built his career solely on defense and rebounding. And he was quite durable for most of his career until his last season in the league.
Yeah this list is straight trash.
Michael cooper
Eaton was a great shot blocker but wasn't a great rebounder.
Wildest thing about Russell was he was so quick off his feet he'd often tip the ball straight up on his blocks and then catch it for the rebound. Can't imagine how he knew the guys he was guarding so well to be able to anticipate their shots so accurately before the days of videotape, which is a lot of the reason Rodman was such a great rebounder for example.
It helps when nobody was leaping up for high jump shots and nobody was dunking in the game
They played like 10x Times against the same team every season
He was beast of a defensive player and insanely athletic. Imagine if his blocks and steals were recorded he might have averaged a triple double in blocks at least close to it 😵💫🐐
@@michaelbarnes2126 no he wouldn't. If he was playing against real athletes he would not even be mentioned
@@hakeemolajuwon4352 sure buddy 😂😂😂 he was an Olympic high jumper but whatever you say lmao
I just wanted to say that I know that you put a lot of time into these videos and I don't know how often you're appreciated but thank you for consistency, hard work, and dedication to your channel 🙏🏾
Jerry West and Walt Frazier both absolutely need to be honorable mentions!
Add Jerry Sloan from that era
Shocked the Glove didn't make the list, but it's very hard to argue against any of those top 10. Great list.
The Dream is criminally underrated. It’s actually disgusting how little he’s talked about.
Michael Cooper was an exceptional defender who was frequently asked to defend much bigger players (Bird, Doc J) than Coop was
Imagine the "weak" era having the most best defenders of all time. The fact that the Jordan era misrepresented the 90s and made alot of players underrated makes me appreciate that era even more.
Not weak just different. Couldn't double team on the perimeter. But you could be more aggressive in the paint. There were lots of rules that both made the era weaker and stronger. The game was just different. It was much more ISO oriented with man to man play.
@@AustinMulkaMusicthe players were undeniably less skilled though
Not a weak era of players but definitely of weak owners. Patrick Ewing did not have a single guy on his Knicks teams that could have even been a sixth man on the Willis Reed Knicks. He was not the only star player left alone on an island.
@@othgmark1Agree with this. The 90’s Knicks teams were really good, but weren’t nearly as elite as the Willis Reed Knicks. You have to think about just how LOADED the Reed Knicks were as a team. Reed had so many great wingmen on those teams (Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Cassie Russell etc) and no one on the Ewing Knicks were really on that level the Reed Knicks were aside from Ewing himself. Oakley and Starks were both solid, but I’m going Frazier and DeBusschere here in terms of backup.
@@ashuprice9719depends on how u define skill. Most of these defenders are in the “less skilled” era, but defense is definitely a skill.
I’d want to add John Stockton to the honorable mentions due to his multiple all defense team selections, 2x steal leader and all time leader in steals
Sidney Moncrief and Dikembe are pretty tough omissions...
As a very old man I remember mookie Blaylock being right there with Payton for the steals lead. Was a huge pest
Mookie was a beast
Day 1 of asking for a video on who would be your top basketball team of all time. 15 players, 3 players per position. It's not just about talent, but also chemistry. To make it more interesting, you can also pick which year of that player you'd decide on. The ultimate dream team.
I wouldn't have left off Kobe, Dwight, or Coop. But, if we talk about Rodman's impact on Defense. You can't not talk about his rebounding. He was 6'8 and lead the league in rebounding multiple year's during the Era of the big man.
Nah. I’d put in Wade to have more blocks than MJ is crazy. If comparing to Kobe Howard and what not but really if we had to add someone it would be Mutombo. Had 4 defensive player of the year awards
@@anthonyurso3554 facts. He was a serious presents aline in the paint. But, he might get left off because if that 2001 finals. DPOY, said he didn't need help guarding prime Shaq. And well, that might kinda hurt your case.
@@anthonyurso3554 Thats a myth..stop saying that lie..
Jordan has 893 blocks
Carter 888.
Wade has 885.
@@onlyfacts3178you’re wrong Wade is first.
@@FirstnameLastname-qb2bg ???
SO i am going to believe when you bring 0 FACTS 🤣🤣🤣🤣
WHY is he 1st???
JORDAN 893
CARTER 888
WADE 885
MAYBE you skip math classes or maybe you are the typical american who REPEATS what others say without THINKING.
"DUNCAN is a PF"
"WILT never lead the league in assists"
Those are other MYTHS that people repeat like parrots without THINKING...
Rodman is the ONLY guy I Saw guard Magic, bird, Jordan, shaq, Malone, barkley... He is my NR 1 defender and rebounder, dude was AVG 17 rebounds with David Robinson on his team!
Hey dude, i have watched so many hours of your content when im just zoning out but you have a really calming voice and have solid basis for all your opinions. Enjoy your channel immensely!
I'lll keep bringing it up any chance I get, Hakeem is the most complete center in NBA history. He had the deepest offensive bag out of any big and controlled the paint, while being comfortable switching to defend perimeter players and disturb the passing lanes.
kareem the GOAT center. skyhook all day RIP hakeem
@@shmogaoh you mean like when Hakeem on a team of John smiths beat the showtime Lakers in 5 in 86 and bitched Kareem?
@@tropicmix8765 hakeem still had worthy and better depth then the lakers. what makes sports great is any team can win on any day. no doubt hakeem won that matchup. we alomst splitting hairs but kareems slighty better imo. tbh chaimberlains maybe the GOAT and were not even mentioning his name!
Totally agree mate, Hakeem is the most complete, and the best IMO. but when It Game to D, Bill Russell is the GOAT.
@@shmogaskyhook, yes, but Hakeen was nowhere near the defender The Dream was. Both have a strong case
I can respect this list, but Joe Dumars deserves a mention. He was a switch guard that could lock up both positions.
I think Mutombo should have made into the top 10 over Duncan or Pippen. If Ben Wallace is in top 10, then Mutombo should be aswell because they are both 4x DPOY winners. Mutombo is also 2nd in all time blocks.
I would have added Sidney Moncrief into the top 10 aswell. He won the first 2 DPOY awards and was one of the reasons the whole trophy was created. The stories tell that Moncrief was so good and versatile in defense that the leaders of the league decided they need to come up with a trophy to give to Moncrief and DPOY was thus born.
Being voted "dpoy" became irrelevant when Gobert "won" three times while giving up twice as many ppg than he averaged.
I need the drugs you’re on. Dikembe isn’t anywhere near the defender that Duncan was. Dpoys and blocks don’t denote impact on the game. Timmy’s impact on defense was far greater than blockiny a bunch of shots. Check the numbers, check the metrics. Watch some games. Ben and Duncan led some of the most dominant defenses in basketball history in the 2000s. Dikembe did no such thing. Great rim protector. But that’s about all he did. Duncan did a lot more on that end than camp under the basket and swat shots all game.
@@TheIcemanthomas you saying you want to do drugs makes everything else you say irrelevant.
Mutombo can block shots like Gobert and Eaton but they are not as versatile and mobile like Duncan, Garnett, Wallace and Pippen. Guys like Mutombo, Eaton and Gobert can be made ineffective by playing the perimeter since they camp under the rim to block shots but defenders like the guys I have mentioned can really shot your whole team down by their aggressiveness, versatility and work ethic on defense.
Mutombo over Pipen or Duncan??? Are you for real??? No mate, no
Great list. I truly agree with your top 4. The list after top 4 could have been different order. But top 4 was exactly correct!!!
Thanks for your absolutely amazing BBall videos. I love them!
I love the video after seeing timmy d on your list i didnt think you would include the admiral so mad respect that you did. Im not sure who id remove from your top 10 but not having kareem in the top 10 feels wrong to me
Great video as always! My top 10 is slightly different but yours is great and absolutely arguable.
Draymond tearin his house up rn😂
I feels like Jerry West is getting short changed because the NBA didn't track steals until his last season. As an old player struggling with injuries, he averaged 2.6 per game. He was definitely the best defender of his era after Bill and Wilt (when he was motivated to play defense).
West is One of the best defensive players ever..but you Also have G.payton and Alvin Robertson at Guard positon.
At Forwards people are forgetting Ron Artest and Kirilenko and B.Bowen..
Jerry West is a great mention.
34 year-old Kobe Bryant was also an "old player struggling with injuries" in the 2012-13 season while killing himself on both ends to will the Lakers into the playoffs as he made his 12th all-defensive team. Why did you only mention Jerry and not Kobe?
@@thsu8 because in the 2000s all defensive teams were a popularity contest with no fixed positions..if it was by positions like for example when Kobe got in the NBA (97) Kobe would never got an all defensive team.
@@thsu8 all defensive teams are for low IQ people.. Kirilenko one season was by far the best defensive player and he wasnt even named all defensive because he was Rússian.
And how can you explain a center averaging 4 blocks per game not making all defensive teams in the 90s? All defensive teams are like i Said really dumb argument..it was ok to use it for Guards and Forwards untill the 00s.
I'm glad to see the admiral getting love! Severely underrated player.
Dikembe Mutombo and Patrick Ewing didn't win a championship in their playing days, but they were very good centers.
In particular, Mutombo was a very strong center who won four NBA Defensive Player Award and six NBA All-Defensive Team award during his Hawks days.
Ewing was good but not that great on the defensive end despite he averaged 2+ blocks. Do you remember the 6th man movie when Marlon Wayans said about him that he's only 7' who makes layups 😄 It is so he wasn't too agile to be mentioned as a good defender here.
@@romank.5261casual. Ewing is a top ten defender that led some of the greatest defense in NBA history
@@sideshowbobsaget8876 Show me some video proofs of his defensive prowess. I'm 40 y old so i saw how Ewing was playing. During that era his defensive abilities were average to extent that even Zo overshadowed him.
@@romank.5261you just haven't been looking,Ewing played defense,he was known for his defense before his offense when he first started playing basketball.
@@lydellconner7451 i know he did play D. I'm telling his ain't the top 10 greatest
Great content keep up the good work.
Spurs had beautiful offense. Pistons with Ben Wallace had BEAUTIFUL DEFENSE!
It should be mandatory that every coach teaches their attacking team defense. Five guys rotating simultaneously? 26 blocks verse Pacers game? Clamped Lakers into 11 shot clock violations in Finals game? Held Nuggets 22 straight possessions without a FG made? Held five Consecutive NBA teams UNDER 70pts? Locking down 06 West All Stars - literally? ...Tear in my eye just thinking about it.
Best times to be alive as an NBA fan. As a kid, I was glued to tv during that playoff run. Matter, fact I still go on TH-cam those moments.
The spurs also had beautiful defense. They were typically one or two right with Detroit l.
@@TheIcemanthomas it was but not as Electric and fun as Detroit's defense.
Great video and list, Jonny! I knew Hakeem was great at stealing the ball and was familiar with Robinson's blocks and rebounding, but did not know that Robinson was great at steals.
The late Harvey Pollack the one who unofficially tracked Wilt's blocks, correct? I learned about him through your videos :)
Awesome video, Jonny! I felt some nostalgia as you discussed the players, especially Jordan, Duncan, and Garnett 😊. Have a nice week.
I would put Wilt number one as he not only had to carry the team on offense but as well as defense. He did not have five other HOFers around him like the great Russel did. Russel had one primary job and that was to defend.
I came to the comments looking for the most casual take. Here it is.
So great! Love it
Michael Cooper, I do see you gave him an honorable mention. Bird said he was the toughest defender on him, not Rodman, and he was generally guarding the other teams star. I know there's a clip of Cooper, in his last year, doing a pretty good job on Jordan.
Michael Cooper more like Diapel Pooper
Johnny, have you considered an episode on ranking leaders by "secondary" assists, "screen" assists, deferred defensive rebound chances, contested defensive rebound percentage, value over replacement player (VORP), etcetera. I.E., categories beyond 5 major statistical categories?
I love the list! My only change I would make is bumping Garnett into the Top 5 based on his insane versatility (effective at guarding all 5 positions if needed) and intelligence on the floor…I might just switch him and Robinson. Hard to argue with the top 4. I like you had Rodman high, as his intelligence on defense is off the charts AND played the perfect role to what his team needed. One thing I will say, and this is not hating on Lebron, he isn’t even an honorable mention to me. I think he has more off seasons then seasons he was on…quit on his team way too many times.
sound like you hating my guy
I agree 100%. While some players can switch or slightly guard most positions, KG could literally guard EVERY position on the floor as his main assignment regardless of their height in an ‘elite’ level.
KG can legit guard small/quick PGs the entire game and shut them down.
KG can shut down elite perimeter defenders with no problem, then switch on 7 footers and shut them down as well.
It wouldn’t be just a few plays or on switches like many players on this list. It wasn’t like he just sagged off players and used his length on smaller ones. He got up on them, moved his feet with them, then recovered like a 2 guard. Shit was unreal, unlike I’ve ever seen before even Hakeem didn’t do this as well.
And huge eye roll on LBJ being included. I believe he did so to appease the onslaught of LBJ stans.
Agree on LeBron should have been mentioned, but then I think those guys in the list played consistent D all their careers,vand LeBron kinda cool It off since 2017
Jonny pumping out the fire content ❤
Scottie Pippen is the greatest on ball defender I have ever seen. Injuries ruined Alonzo Mourning's chance of making this list, but he was the shortest of the great centers in the 90s and he more than held his own defensively. He would challenge every shot. Loved watching him play.
Great video.... you should do a video on the best perimeter defenders of all-time❤
Honorable Mentions
- Dikembe Mutombo (Mt. Mutombo)
- Gary Payton (The Glove)
- Kawhi Leonard (The Claw)
- Tony Allen (The Grindfather)
- Draymond Green (Dray)
- Rudy Gobert (The Stifle Tower)
- Dwight Howard (Superman)
- Sidney Moncrief (The Squid)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabber (The Captain)
- Michael Cooper (Coop)
- Bruce Bowen
You telling me Kawhi and Tony Allen are not in this video👀 I’m shocked
Sad to see Tony Allen have no mention Kobe, KD, and Curry have said he was the toughest defender they went against.
Almost all of these are better than mj lmao I love Jonny but idk why he’s inflating mjs defensive impact
Giannis, mark eaton, bill Walton, Nate Thurmond, Ron Artest, shaq,Bobby jones, hondo Havlicek, moodier blaylock, Alvin Robinson, cp3, jrue holiday, mo cheeks, dr j, Dave debuscherre, Walt Frazier
@@TheIcemanthomasBobby Jones AKA The Secretary Of Defense. Very good
AWESOME list! This was virtually impossible to dispute, but lets give it a try:
#9 - Kareem Abdul Jabbar (1.0 SPG/Playoffs; 2.4 BPG/Playoffs; 4x Block Leader; 5x All Defensive First Team; 6x All Defensive Second Team)
Given the era of guards that he played in, I really think Kobe should be on the list. He holds the most all defensive team selections among all guards. Additionally, most of the defensive importance of centers in past eras came from the fact that a lot of offenses were paint and big man focused due to the lack of spacing. So if a guard in the post 2000s era was considered one of the best defensive players in the nba consistently as a guard then I think it’s fair to say that he has a place among the centers who were placed on the list for the same reason
Over who? Just saying he should be here doesn’t really say much because there’s plenty of players that u could make a case for. Who would he be over on this list?
Factsss.
@TheIcemanthomas I think more so this list which just like nba dpoy voting, I feel is a lil bias toward big men and rim protection and not so much on ball defense. There is really only 3 legit on ball defenders ok this list which to me, shows that people don't seem to value on ball defense. I definitely feel kobe and Gary Payton should've made this list and I feel you can remove David Robinson and Ben wallace in my opinion.
@@TheIcemanthomas I personally would put him around the 6-8 range
@@nicholashackie1407hat’s because no matter how valuable a on ball defender is, the front line will always be more valuable given that the most efficient and most utilized shot in the game is a layup or dunk. Therefore defense will always favor bigs. And that’s fine. Why can’t it be that way? Offense favors guards nowadays far more than bigs and no one complains that bigs don’t get as much mvp love because they don’t play as much on the perimeter to score in huge spurts like guards. We’ve taken enough from them. The one thing that they’ve always ruled over is defense. And that isn’t gonna change. They just cover more ground and effect more space than a guard can.
Video idea: If there had been an all defensive third team, just like All-NBA, what players would get recognized for their defense?
Could be recently, or you could go over some specific years you find interesting.
Shawn Marion is the first name to come to mind
Considering that basketball reference has all-defensive vote shares going back to at least 1991, this wouldn't even have to be that speculative - there's 3 decades worth of data he could comb through and present to see who gets extra selections and how that changes their totals. I'd love to see a video like this!
Shaq probably would have snagged a few of those. As it stands he got 3 all 2nd team nods, between his raw BLk/REB # and his name recognition he would have gotten a lot of votes from people scratching their heads looking for people to vote for 3rd team all defense. I don't think a 3rd team all defense is a nessacary award/accomplishment I think limiting it to 2 puts some extra merit on making the cut.
@@colebanville3372yup same for me
@@timtresch4848 definitely agree considering how hard it is to evaluate season long defensive accomplishments via the eye test without something like raw counting stats to give you somewhere to start with apples to oranges comparisons (steals and blocks are obviously insufficient on their own). We don't need a third team all defense, but it would still be interesting to see folks who were regularly considered worth recognition by some and if that runs counter to or better supports the narrative of their careers.
One thing I disagree in is Pippen taking Magic in 1991, it was Jordan who guarded him for most of that series Pippen only took game 2
Sure, but to be fair, I did describe that as a “moment”.
@@jonnyarnett fair
@@jonnyarnett Bro, that’s a poor take. Even in that “moment” Magic was scoring on him. Go back and rematch that “moment” and while Pip did good in 2-3 possessions he was getting beat the rest of the time. There’s a reason why MJ continued to guard him my dude. There’s TONS of moments in their career in which MJ had to cover Pip’s man as instructed by the coaching staff because Pip was getting beat. Pip was a free safety that roamed the floor, that was his strength not being a suffocating defender like you described. Sure he was still good, but he’s become highly overrated.
It’s just disappointing that you made this oversight based on disproven narratives and myths. Still appreciate your effort tho.
@@jonnyarnett PLEASE a video on Dream Team 2 (94 FIBA Team)
Look at bill Simmons rewatch a bulls. Lakers vs Bulls. Pippen turned the series guarding Magic. Jordan was getting scored on. Phil gave the tough playoff assignment s to Pippen when it was on the line. Pippen guarded magic 91 finals.
Pippen guard Gary Payton 96' finals (when Seattle won games 4,5)
Pippen guard John Stockton the end of 97' finals. Jordan was unbeatable or without flaws.
Great video as always! Any plans for best two-way players in history as well? And while breaking down the best of the best defensive players is already daunting enough, I can only imagine what it's like for top two-way players; criteria might be be subjective though, but it would put the shine on players with the total package.
Great video!
Tim Duncan is also one of two players (Bill Russell) with 100+ defensive win shares and he’s one of six players with 3,000+ blocks.
Tim was a beast.
Real hoopers know Timmy D the true 🐐
Great list and video, as usual. Would have liked separate lists, one for guards/wings and another one for bigs. BTW, guys like Wallace and Rodman had the "advantage" of not being required to contribute much in the offensive end. Can you imagine Rodman being the same relentless defender if then he had to give his team 20 points as well every night?
That’s not really a good case considering we don’t do that in the opposite direction.we don’t talk about the guys that benefit from only scoring to downplay them. They play the role they are tasked with. Nothing wrong with knowing ur role.. that’s the point of a team in the first place. That’s why guys like Duncan, kg, Hakeem, etc are a luxury. Being elite on both ends isn’t normal.. most players are really good at ONE or two things. Very few are good enough at multiple things to have the responsibility of being not the teams top scorer and defender.
I'm missing Jason Kidd, at least on the honorable mentions. 11th all-time in defensive win shares, 9 all-defensive teams, 4 of those 1st team - pretty nice for a point guard.
Great list. 🙏🏾👍🏿
Good list. I'd rather go against Duncan or Russell than a prime Shaq. Can't believe you forgot Alvin Robertson.
Super unfortunate how much people overlook Dr. J's defense. He's the best defensive SF ever over Pippen, over LeBron, over Kawhi.
I agree. He is the only player with 2000 steals and 1000 blocks.
@@RatedRex1 hakeem,karl malone, and bron are the only players with 2k steals and 1k blocks
Dr J was not the defender Pippen was, so stop it
@@javigar133 Depends on what you value more-on ball or off ball. In todays switch everything, Julius is the best off ball defending active defender at his position and the best help defending /weakside shot blocker ever at his position-something LeBron gets known for and doesn't come close to Doc.
Dr. J doesn't need to be allowed to play physical to be a good defender.
All that said, Pips on ball defense has been overrated a tad. People rememebr the 91 Finals vs Magic. People remember him fronting Chuck. People remember him picking up point guards full court. Issue is, that Magic narrative is hype over 1 play where he picked up Magic 3/4 court and yet Magic still got by him and Pip needed help D to stop magic from scoring at the basket. Michael defended Magic most of that series.
Chuck is shorter and could be fronted by any taller longer mobile F. He was a the mercy of the entrance passer.
The point guards Pip would pick up weren't exactly explosive guys. We're talking Mark Jackson, Derek Harper, John Stockton.
Mike on the other hand had to constantly run around screens and stay active off ball to defend his man of that era. Mike is the best off ball defender at his position and on ball, the stocks, advanced stats at his position. Mike meets more(all) criteria at his own position as best defender at his position ever than Pip does his own position b/c Pip is neither the best off ball(Dr.J), nor the best shot blocker(Dr.) nor the best def. win shares(DR J), nor the most versatile(LeBron), nor the best on ball(Kawhi). At his position, Pip is only the best at steals at his position.
Great list
I've been waiting for this . I love defense , its what made me truly love this game .
1 bill russell , 2 scottie pippen
Jordan was actually a better on ball defender than Pippen. In the 98 season, Pippen got schooled by Iverson and Grant Hill. Phil Jackson switched and put Jordan on them, and he shut them down. He is the best perimeter defender of all time. Pippen was more of a help defender and plays great team defense.
Jordan isn’t the best perimeter defender of all time that goes to either Walt Frazier or GP
@@dododump3144 fr im so confused why hes on the list
Didn't Pippen have back injuries in 1998? Never seemed like he was the same player after them.
@@etanabu2232 because the list is mainly based on steals blocks and reputation as a defender and not how they actually played defense
He did not shut down iverson. And how can Kobe and GP have the most all the defensive teams but not be on the list ?
According to a lot of reporters who observed Wilt play, Wilt also got a lot of steals. It's too bad Wilt's blocks and steals were not recorded for his entire career. His numbers would have been off the chart! He would have been Defensive Player of the Year multiple times had they had that award back then. There will never be another Wilt.
I have no problem with your list! Very good list!
I love your takes because you are very unbiased. Even when I disagree with you, you still bring up solid points that I can’t deny.
You do understand a center is always you’re best defender at least it was the case till the age of position-less basketball. Ewing is a must in a list like this but once again he is missing replaced with people like pippen and others. You should of looked at Defensive win shares and defensive ratings. Ewing makes top 10 in both!
Dope video man! My View: I personally believe it's way harder to be an excellent all-time defensive guard than center/pf. As a guard you're literally chasing people all around the court, and defending again many more moves and skilled players. As a center (especially in older eras) you're only guarding post ups and lay-ups, so of course they'd have better stats.. Like, if you put some of the centers on this list on island with a point guard they are getting cooked. Stats aside, so thats why I'm including people like Kobe, Tony Allen, Bowen and Payton on the list instead of KG and Timmy.
Love your videos!!
You wrote Nate Thurmond twice
Keep up the great work 👍
I think that Dikembe should’ve made the list because he was blocking dudes a lot and made scoring difficult for the other team
This casual left out a fucking four-time DPOY.
Also left out Dwight Howard. Put in MJ though.
Blockiny is great but it isn’t the only thing that defense entails. He wasn’t as impactful a defender as anyone on this list.
@@alecboulton3537do I have any real reason Dwight should be over mj? Just saying it doesn’t make it true. U gotta have something to back that up.
@@TheIcemanthomas Dwight is a three-time DPOY. That alone should put him over MJ, imo. MJ was not even the best defender on his team.
another video idea - who are the best "Box Out" guys, not necessarily best rebounders but players who prevented offensive rebounds and indirectly contributed to defensive rebounds.
Great list.
Excellent. I had Payton on my list. Didn't have Rodman, but you sold me with his versatility. Some really fine defenders on the near misses. I forgot all about Howard. He was a monster.
Jordan was a better defender than Pippen.
It’s not even close
I find it mind blowing that Kawhi wasn’t even an honorable mention, he and Scottie are the two greatest perimeter defenders ever
He was there though? Under Gary Payton.
Kawhi played3 years at that level. Not anywhere near enough time to be on that list. And he is NOT the greatest or even second greatest perimeter defender. Stop it.
@@TheIcemanthomas kawhi has made the all defensive team 7x along soth 2 dpoy .. stop it
Kawhi is not better than MJ... And he was 10th
Being a solid on ball defender to me is much appreciated then being a great shot blocker
But being a great shot blocker is not the same thing as being a great rim protector. And no amount of on ball defense is more valuable than being a great frontline defender. Bigs just cover more areas defensively and have more responsibilities as they guys charged with being the last line of defense, and closing up everyone’s messes. So they are inherently more impactful. Obviously you’d take an elite defender like Kobe over someone just camping to block shots like Hasaan whiteside. But as great as a Kobe is, his defense is just not gonna impact the game as much as a Tim Duncan.
Hey Jonny; love the list! Would like to know why you didn’t include Dikembe Mutombo in your top 10? He is a 4x DPOY! Keep up the great content man! God bless!
Number 1 is absolutely correct!
Been waiting on this video for 2 years
Great Video
how much better would Draymond be if he played in Rodman's era? He can barely touch anyone today and still does well
I am confident we wouldn't even know his name he almost completely relies on the notoriety of his teammates
He’d be too small against the true bigs back then. He’d find a way to be solid for sure with his skillset. But I don’t think he’d be better than he is today. His role would be significantly different
Dray should be good, but in that era you had... Well, look at the list... He would be just good
I would have put draymond green because his defense individually is close enough to the bottom of the top10 but the thing he does best is making his team's defense way better, not just by being a help defender like every other big men out there but actively ordering his teammates around to break up plays and anticipating what the opponents are doing, I feel like these kind of lists are based mostly on numbers and accolades but not the actual game, too bad draymond's biggest strength doesn't show up in the numbers outside of like defensive rating which isn't an individual thing, and I don't even like the warriors but I still have to praise draymond because I feel like he deserves it and he doesn't get praised as much as he should.
The list still had rodman in it which means numbers aren't everything but he's like the only one there who isn't just raw block and steal numbers and all-nba defensive teams which I don't think is as relevant as people think outside of showing longevity and even that is depending on how good the others were at that time, for example duncan's impressive 15 all nba teams were only pssible because there were less competent big men late in his carrer so it was easier to get the accolade than if he played with a lot competition for that award, if there were more than just dwight howard as a great defensive big men in the late 2000s early 2010s I think it might have been a different story.
Obviously I am young and I wasn't around to watch the older players but there is a reason that pretty much all players here played either during the very early days of the nba or between 1990 and 2010 and I feel like it's because they're the ones that just had the biggest numbers thanks to how the game was played during that time, I truly believe defensively speaking that there is very little difference between gobert and pretty much all the big men in there in terms of how they play and what they did on the defensive side of the court but because offense is better now gobert isn't recognised as a great when he's pretty much a 1990 big men that got transported to this era, not saying he should be on there because longevity was a criteria and he still has a big part of his career to play out but if someone took the time to read all this and wants to argue with me that draymond shouldn't be here and that the centers in the 1990 weren't just the same as dwight howard and rudy gobert I'd be glad to talk with them
Comparing gobert with Hakeem is like comparing mark eaton with wilt. Don't even waste the time.
@@laz0rama defensively speaking, gobert is obviously worse than hakeem because even for his time hakeem was faster and more fluid but you can't tell me the centers in the 1990s, even the best ones didn't function the same way that gobert does now, of course it's more complex especially for ccertain players but they're all big dudes who help when there's a drive to the basket and shut down people inside the paint by blocking shots, if I had to choose who I would pick as the defensive anchor of the team between gobert and hakeem I'm gonna obviously look at their abilities and not their stats over their career so please don't make arguments based on "hakeem has more blocks than gobert", if we compare them hakeem was more mobile and could follow wings which gobert has a harder time doing which is the main reason you would want hakeem, gobert is taller, longer(wingspan) and probably stronger ( though it's not by much for all three it's still significant enough to be mentioned for me) so he is better at guarding bigger players and protecting the rim against drives if he is on the help side, however the pass to the corner he leaves open becomes available and he doesn't have the capability to get a steal on that, hakeem didn't have that problem as the player he was guarding was probably not even outside the three point line and even then he would be faster to recover or be able to block the pass because he had faster hands but let's be honest it doesn't really make a difference because it would be their teammates job to rotate and stealing that pass isn't something hakeem would do very often, his fast hands were good for getting steals and bothering the player he was guarding that had the ball but the end result is still a pass or a block/steal.
If you put hakeem in today's league he's gonna suffer from the same problems as gobert have right now though not as much and if you put gobert in hakeem's era he wouldn't have the problems he has now of having to guard the three point line sometimes and getting hunted on switches by fast guards.
All things consider I think the better defender comes down to the matchup on the opposing team, if you're against a stretch big who's decently fast for his size and not too strong with a good shot ( like tim duncan ) I'd pick hakeem, especially because his hands were able to bother the dribble of opposing bigs, if you're against a force of nature who relies on the post and doesn't shoot threes or at least long twos ( like david robinson and shaq, not saying he would lock them down but he's probably the one doing the best job at it between the two) I'd pick gobert.
Obviously if you had to choose someone for your team you would pick hakeem because he also brings something on offense whereas gobert is just here for lobs and putbacks, I also didn't say that gobert was better but that he was similar, if you put him in the nineties he would probably be just fine and you would happy to have him on your team ( not on a max contract but you get the point), there's a chance he makes an all-nba defensive team in that era, not saying he would but that it is very much in the realm of possibilities, of course he would need to adapt to the style of play but that's not the biggest problem ever considering rim protectors with no shot were thriving in the nineties
Dude, Dray is very good, but he is not at the level 😂😂😂😂
@@javigar133 individually maybe not quite there butwhat he brings to a team I'd argue he does, for me he is the best team defender of all time, he's not going to get 3 blocks per game but he still is a great on ball defender, where he shines is predicting plays and breaking them up before they happen, he would position himself where a cutter should go to stop him from getting the ball, he would roam off of his player to block a passing lane essential to a play, he's telling his teammates where to go and to switch a certain way so the opponent can't mismatch hunt like they want to and more, for me this is worthy enough of getting him in the top 10
Thanks Jonny!
You nailed the top 2. Well done
What do you think of the phase on Twitter when LeBron’s defense was being compared to MJ’s?
Mistaken
Pathetic is what I would call it
Scottie Pippen ahead of Jordan in defense lol? Jordan would have made more defensive teams had he not retired 93-94 and most of the 94-95 season. He should have made it the 86-87 season, he finished 7th in DPOY voting.
Timmy has more seasons played than total goaltends. The most absurd defensive stat of all time
I feel like dikembe should b in the top 10, but I can’t find anyone in your top 10 who should b bumped out! Great video yet again Jonny!
Bill is number 1 or i riot
Played against plumbers and janitors