Pioneers like Bill Russell are among the first names that come to mind when NBA fans reminisce about All-Time defenders. Almost instantly thereafter, the name of all-time block leader Hakeem Olajuwan is mentioned. The names of Kevin Garnetts, Gary Payton, and the Scottie Pippens of the world might be mentioned before the legendary Tim Duncan.
With 15 selections, Duncan has the most All-Defensive team choices ever. However, that is not how Duncan is perceived in casual observation. Duncan’s underappreciated career is mostly the result of a misplaced stone in his jewelry box.
Similar to Bam Adebayo, Tim Duncan did not receive a Defensive Player of the Year nomination during his whole career. However, that doesn’t stop others from appreciating his brilliance.
One of the biggest farraggles the league has ever witnessed is Duncan’s 19-year career of zero Defensive Player of the Year accolades. It’s even more absurd that history doesn’t demonstrate that Duncan was perhaps the greatest rim protector of all time when you take into account that he won a championship in just his second season (and was named Finals MVP). Media respect is typically earned by winning titles, but Timmy isn’t feeling that way in this race.
Duncan is among the greatest when it comes to vertical rim protection without fouling. Due to space constraints, rim protection was more crucial during the time he played; it’s astonishing that Duncan didn’t bring home that hardware at least once.
Duncan also benefited from team defense and the eye test, which are typically decisive factors for the DPOY victor. Six #1, five #2, and four #3 defenses were anchored by him. For 12(!) of his career, Tim Duncan was never on a top 5 defense; he had no idea what that meant. That’s an absurdly high degree of reliability.
Because of the people surrounding him, Duncan might not get the most recognition. Throughout Duncan’s whole career, Greg Popovich—the greatest coach of all time—was by his side. Duncan enjoyed the privilege of starting the first part of his career with 1995 MVP David Robinson. During Duncan’s tenure, San Antonio used the greatest perimeter defender in the league on two different times. Kawhi Leonard and Bruce Bowen were sneaky defensive threats.
Nevertheless, Duncan remained the man in the center, keeping everything running smoothly. Perimeter defenders may bet like they had a personal dealer with Duncan on the backline. He avoided most comers by remaining vertical at the hoop, making up for any mistakes his teammates made.
For superior rim protection, you must be able to deflect shots without fouling. Cleaning The Glass claims that Duncan’s block and foul rates among qualified big men were typically in the 90th percentile.
Duncan was always putting the new, shiny thing ahead of him, even when his film and numbers were excellent. Bam Adebayo, the center for the Miami Heat, finds himself on a similar road.
Many people consider Adebayo to be the most versatile defender in the world, and he has led the Heat to top defensive rankings. He has nearly always led the Heat to a top-10 defense since he started playing regularly. Similar to Duncan, Adebayo has led two defenses to the NBA Finals while his defense has been highlighted on the biggest stage.
Neither Duncan nor Adebayo exude a bold, haughty demeanor, nor do their defensive statistics particularly stand out. But statistics can never tell the complete story, and that’s the defense problem. Good defense does not always equate to steals and blocks. It’s better that a big man blocks shots rather than giving offensive weapons a chance to score because he’s blocking lane to the rim.
Like Duncan, Adebayo is similarly affected by excellence around him. My all-time favorite coach is Gregg Popovich, but Erik Spoelstra isn’t far behind. He is the greatest coach in the game right now, and he has demonstrated the ability to maximize the potential of unsung heroes and bring out the best in role players who are rarely seen. Much of the credit for the Heat’s routinely excellent defenses goes to Spo.
The Bam’s Kawhi and Bowen is Jimmy Butler. From his days at Marquette, Buter has been one of the most stingiest defenders and has made five All-Defense teams. Butler is an excellent player in the passing lane who repeatedly baits passes at safety, much as the legendary Ed Reed did. Butler is a nighttime thief who evades capture. The only players with a higher career steal total than fouls are him and Leonard. Butler is given the credit he merits, and this is fair.
All those points are valid, but Bam is where it all begins and ends. Butler would not be able to bet as profitably as he does without Bam’s protection. If you take Adebayo out of the game, Spo is unable to run any kind of great defense.
The new, sparkling toy of today is Victor Webmanyama. He is the early favorite to win DPOY for the 2024–25 campaign. Wemby will likely win this prize for the foreseeable future, so Bam will have his job cut out for him. Bam will definitely receive one DPOY. Having been in the running for five years in a row, he might receive the MVP award from Kobe Bryant in 2008 when he is still in his peak. If not, though, he will join Duncan as one of the All-Time defenders who did not win the prized DPOY award.
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