Defense! Some former players will lament that nobody in today’s NBA game plays it. With the rule changes since 2004, individual defense has become almost impossible to play. It’s not that guys don’t play it anymore; the game just isn’t set up for them to play it well. It’s great if you can do today’s version of locking someone down, but it’s a lot better if you’re the guy the defensive system is centered around. It’s a truer sign of being a defensive force in today’s NBA, in which defense is legislated against.
The problem with figuring out who the best defenders are is defensive stats suck. Blocks and steals denote activity, but they don’t exactly show good defense. Darko Milicic was once top 5 in blocks per game because he guessed correctly roughly twice a game. Allen Iverson and Monta Ellis always racked up steals. Steve Clifford, when he was coaching for Charlotte, once told me that he doesn’t worry…
