Kobe Bryant was a good defensive player who was wildly overrated during his career. Bryant has good, but not great, career defensive statistics. Kobe’s strengths on defense happened to line up with what impressed voters and he made 12 NBA All-Defensive teams despite not always being an elite team defender. Kobe Bryant on Defense: Stats […]
How Great Was Kobe Bryant on Defense, Really? Read More »
Tracy McGrady’s defense, like his career as a whole, did not live up to the immense talent he possessed. McGrady actually posted decent career statistics on defense but he also had a reputation for coasting. Given his immense tools, T-Mac was always considered a disappointment on defense. What do stats say about Tracy McGrady on
Tracy McGrady on Defense: A Ton of Talent and Coasting Read More »
Dominique Wilkins was a Human Highlight Film on offense but he was a poor defender. Wilkins’ offense sent him to the Hall of Fame, but his weak defense kept him off the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Dominique did not have a well-rounded game and defense was his biggest weakness as a player. Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins on Defense: He Was a Great Dunker! Read More »
Dirk Nowitzki was a poor defender early in his career. After gaining some strength and experience in the NBA, Nowitzki improved into an average or slightly below-average defender. In his prime, Dirk used his length and instincts to avoid being a liability on the defensive end and to help his Mavericks teams win games. Dirk
Dirk Nowitzki on Defense: He Was a Great Shooter! Read More »
While Charles Barkley made the Hall of Fame for his skills on offense, he was a below average defender. He did not have a natural defensive position and struggled to guard both quicker and longer forwards. Only Sir Charles’ outstanding rebounding kept him from being a truly bad defensive player. Charles Barkley on Defense: Stats
How Good Was Charles Barkley On Defense? Not Great! Read More »
Standing just 6’1”, John Stockton had some clear limitations in defending the giants littering NBA rosters. But, given those limits, Stockton maximized his skills to become a great defender. He made five all-NBA defensive second teams and retired as the all-time leader in steals. John Stockton on Defense: Statistics While the use of advanced statistics
John Stockton on Defense: Amazing Height to Defense Ratio! Read More »
Earvin “Magic” Johnson was mostly an average defender throughout his career. Johnson led the league in steals twice and had outstanding size for a guard. But Magic was not very quick for his position and the Lakers mostly relied on better defenders to cover the other team’s best offensive players. Magic Johnson On Defense: Stats
Magic Johnson on Defense: Not Quite Magical Read More »
People remember Celtics Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird for his offense, but he was good on defense as well. Bird had great awareness and instincts on the defensive end and played strong team defense. Bird was named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd team three times before injuries slowed him towards the end of his career. What do
How good was Larry Bird on defense? Better than you think! Read More »
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