e [ Jordan Pickford 7. A Jordan ranks 18th on the all-time leaderboard for steal percentage, a testament to the quickness of his famously huge hands (which probably played a key role in his low turnover percentage as well). He expected his teammates to do the same. The Bulls advanced to play the Indiana Pacers in the 1998 Eastern Conference finals, triggering sour memories for point guard Mark Jackson, who previously had battled Chicago while he was a member of the Knicks. * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. MJ has a 6'11 wingspan and a ridiculous 9.75 hand length, crazy for a 6'6 player. Arguably the best player in the NBA history, Michael Jordan was a dominant defensive guard for his entire career. It's a shame he played in Milwaukee and did not have a great team around him. May 6, 2021 12:31 pm ET. f In that series, Detroit averaged just 0.79 points per play with Jordan as the primary defender, and shot just 35%, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Leonard is currently the best two-way player in the NBA and has been over the last half-decade. If you combine the 1997 and 1998 Finals, the Jazz failed to score 90 points in 11 of the 12 games they played. c c ( + When critics argue against Jordan as the best player ever, they often point out that the Bulls dominated a diluted era during which the NBA added six teams in a seven-year span from 1988 to 1995. B ( The formula is: u Full disclosure: FiveThirtyEight and ESPN are both owned by The Walt Disney Company. 10:42 AM. ) Only 31 times has a player posted a season efficiency rating over 30.0 (with more than 15 games played in that season), with the highest score being 32.85 (Nikola Joki).Michael Jordan and LeBron James lead with four 30+ seasons, with Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Joki and Joel Embiid having accomplished three each, Anthony Davis having accomplished two . Clicking on a tab heading will display the specified set of statistics. G Only 31 times has a player posted a season efficiency rating over 30.0 (with more than 15 games played in that season), with the highest score being 32.85 (Nikola Joki). Also note that it is impossible to calculate PER (at least in the conventional manner described above) for NBA seasons prior to 1978, as the league did not keep track of turnovers among other advanced statistics before that year. Full Site Menu. At under 280 pounds, he's on the small side for an interior lineman but he has speed (a 4.79 40), which Moore said is becoming more important among interior defensive linemen because . P B t The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. ) T PER extends this critique of counting statistics to basketball, noting that a player's opportunities to accumulate statistics are dependent upon the number of minutes played as well as the pace of the game. 1 And for me, that was tough, because I was always going right.". K S Why was Jordan so great, though? Under the weight of all that lore, it can be difficult to cut through to what made Jordan truly great, independent of the image-making. Main Index . Hakeem also ranks 9th all time in steals. This guy said, Those are my weaknesses. And indeed, Chicago had three seasons 1992, 1996 and 1997 where its offense cleared the league average by 7 points per 100 possessions. r Jordan was the engine that powered the offensive success of the Bulls dynasty. How did a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from North Carolina, who wasnt picked first OR second in his draft class, come to dominate a league whose best players had disproportionately been big men over the three decades before he arrived? He finished his playing career with two seasons with the Washington Wizards and went on to become the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. To score under 100 career long is extremely impressive. m a Michael Jordan. All-NBA 2nd Team. A Very impressive defensive resume from Kawhi. L He had a nice IQ that he used in order to beat multiple players, and he was a versatile stopper who could switch to defend everything from the 1 to 4 positions. Michael Jordan played 15 seasons for the Bulls and Wizards. But thats only half of what made Jordan so great. Active players are listed in bold. In the 1987-88 season, Michael Jordan led the league in scoring with 35 points a game, was named the defensive player of the year, and won MVP. T Michael Jordan's reputation as the GOAT has withstood the tests of both time and science. But Jordan also excelled as a guard in an era when hand-checking them was legal, when teams like the Bad Boy Pistons could draw up physical defenses specifically designed to pummel the opponents star. Porter's 40% forced incompletion rate in 2022 led all Power Five cornerbacks. In June 1998, as Jordan's career in Chicago dwindled to its final days, he challenged his teammates to close out their "last dance" by dominating the game on the defensive end. F S Nine of them were All-First Team selections. T "He told me he was going to shut me down," Walker says, "but it was too late. T Jordan ended his career with the Bulls in poetic fashion: nailing the game-winning jumper over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the Finals, his shooting motion frozen in time. Hollinger freely admits that two of the defensive statistics it incorporatesblocks and steals (which was not tracked as an official stat until 1973)can produce a distorted picture of a player's value and that PER is not a reliable measure of a player's defensive acumen. O Making a three pointer is great, but if you cant stop the opposition from scoring a three, youre back at square one. R In some ways, as an efficient guard with unstoppable post-up skills, MJ served as a bridge between the NBAs bygone age of dominant big men and todays era of high-usage perimeter creators. g . Hakeems defensive rating of 98 career long is quite impressive. He marked the 90's as one of the top defensive players of that era, alongside Hakeem Olajuwon. * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. Journeyman guard Gerald Wilkins was once nicknamed "the Jordan stopper," yet in 39 career matchups, Jordan averaged 30.8 points on 50.8 shooting from the field. a 23 never took a play off on either end. Active players are listed in bold "Charles Barkley was the MVP of the league that year and Michael just loved the challenge of shutting him down. O We were celebrating in the hallway afterwards and Michael saw me. Hakeem Olajuwon: 9 x NBA All-Defense, 3 x BLK Champion, 2 x DPOY, All-time leader in in blocks (3,830). ( And that was not Michael Jordan's fault. explaining: You'll never be able to tell [how James stacks up to Jordan or Magic Johnson] because they didn't play against each other. This 69-point, 18-rebound effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1990. Battle had a career-high 88.2 coverage grade in 2021 when allowed 14 catches on 26 targets (53.8% . F the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. V 3 . Hollinger's work has benefitted from the observations of sabermetric baseball analysts, such as Bill James. g He owns the greatest single-game performance ever2 according to Basketball-Reference.coms Game Scores. 100 is an excellent defensive rating for an NBA players career. leaned heavily on those now-shunned tactics, Only two qualified players in NBA history, Partisan Gerrymandering Is Legal Again In North Carolina. Penalty save on the stroke of half-time prevented Everton from going in two goals down at the break as he won the battle of wits with Maddison to stay on his feet and parry his . F The amazing thing is that Jordan wasnt supposed to excel in the areas that ended up being cornerstones of his legend. P l Levis has supreme arm talent and an ultra . Incredible. Michael Jordan scored 246 points (41.0 PPG) in the 6-game 1993 NBA Finals. P ] Scottie Pippen: 10 x All Defense, 1 x STL Champ. + He was a versatile defender, as he was often called up to guard players from multiple positions. R "I liken it to a five-speed car. The player efficiency rating (PER) is John Hollinger's all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to collect or boil down all of a player's contributions into one number. E Everyone remembers the drive, pull-up and arguable push-off as Jordan freed himself from Bryon Russell and drained the championship clinching jumper. His unmatched intensity on the defensive end is what made KG such an incredible defender. Over the years there have been plenty of premier defenders in the NBA who have worn the label of best defender in the NBA. Bill Russell kind of got the short end of the stick on this one. P Jordan is a 9-time NBA All-Defensive . "In my mind, Michael was actually a defensive player who also happened to be an exceptionally talented offensive player," says B.J. Olajuwonwho marked the 90's as its top defensive player, and did nice work to out-match a much younger Shaq during the 1995 NBA Finals. ] 3 Round 7, Pick 225: Jovaughn Gwyn, G, South Carolina. l E He locked in when it mattered the most. When multiplied out and refactored, the equation above becomes: u College: Ohio St. (College Stats) Weighted Career AV (100-95-. m Michael Jordan and Gary Payton both won defensive player of the year in their career, and were defensive anchors for their respective teams. Hollinger responded via a post on ESPN's TrueHoop blog: Berri leads off with a huge misunderstanding of PERthat the credits and debits it gives for making and missing shots equate to a break-even shooting mark of 30.4% on 2-point shots. Duncan was an incredible NBA rim protector for decades, but outside of the paint, he didnt really have much of an impact. B t [ Return to Top; Players. He has earned a record 13 All-NBA Defensive Selections, including eight first teams. F Behind Smart, the Celtics led the NBA in defensive rating (106.2) and points allowed per game (104.5) and held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (43.4) and three-point field goal . Tied for second most ever. B o R g The guy's attention to detail was impeccable. Duncan is the epitome of defensive excellence. P To quote Dave Berri, the author of The Wages of Wins: Hollinger argues that each two point field goal made is worth about 1.65 points. Jordan played 1071 regular season games in his career, scoring an average of 30.1 points per game, along with 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals. r B What better way to keep track of the ball than guarding the guy with the ball? Of course, theres also been a lot of mythology built up around MJ over the past three decades, and The Last Dance is sure to add to it even as the movies director, Jason Hehir, says he took steps to humanize Jordan. ] O Biden Is Running For Reelection. O He led the league in steals and was 14th in blocks -- the only guard in the top 40 that . G ] A Career: School's all-time leader at tight end in catches (180), receiving yards (2,099) and receiving touchdowns (18) 2022: Single-season school record for receiving touchdowns (nine) by a tight end L t R He often guarded the opponent's top defender, which was his task every time on the court. We could not score against them in the last five minutes of Game 6 [in 1993]. He established himself as one of the best defensive guards in NBA history because of his bulk and rocket-launcher legs, which helped him frequently win battles against players nearly a foot taller. To end up with a league-average PER of 15.00, the actual break-even mark in this case is 48.5%, which is exactly what the league average is on 2-point shots this season. Can you name the 2 other players in NBA history to average 40+ PPG in the first 6 games of an NBA Finals series? If you had the opportunity to make your ideal NBA defender, it would probably look like Scottie Pippen. He never gave up and his best defense came against the young LeBron James, who he slowed down to 23 points on six turnovers per game in the 2007 Finals. He could also switch guarding any of the 1 to 4 positions without a problem. t He was an athletic, strong, skilled and quick defender that would often guard the opponent's top scorer while still lighting up the scoreboard. Blocked shots and steals were first officially recorded in the NBA during the 197374 season. Career PER Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, Players from different NBA generations and Career PER, "NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Player Efficiency Rating", 2012-13 Hollinger NBA Player Statistics - All Players, Jordan proclaims he could beat LeBron in prime. m 1985. Hakeem, like Duncan, was an incredible NBA rim protector but struggled to defend on the perimeter. "I've always thought players who talk trash defensively are far more devastating than the scorers who say stuff," Rivers says. Having a lockdown defender is always useful. Michael Jordan* 27.91: 2. . + Plus his ability to block shots was awesome too. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Pippen was athletic enough to defend guys on the perimeter, and strong enough to battle with the big men down low. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Defensive impact can be measured by the players versatility on the floor, and the different ways that they effect the game. Although slightly higher than Leonard, 102 is still a very good NBA defensive rating. Although he is more known for his amazing offensive abilities, Kobe Bryant marked his career as an outstanding defender too whose footwork, skills and hard work earned him that reputation. In many ways, the 1987-88 season from Michael Jordan might be the greatest individual season ever, and averaging 35.0 PPG while winning the Defensive Player of the Year award is a major part of . Now more than ever, the NBA has placed an increased emphasis on being able to play defense. P "So when I checked in during Game 3, he immediately said, 'I'll take him.' Miller, a legendary trash-talker, objected, dishing barbs of his own. They didnt start giving out all-defensive team honours until his last year in the NBA in 1969, so hes only a one time winner. Last year the average defensive rating in the NBA was 110. He could play in third gear and be better than most. However, there isnt a definitive best defensive player ever. Round 7, Pick 224: DeMarcco Hellams, S, Alabama. Who had the most wins as an underdog last season? P *Includes players listed as guard/forward at Basketball-Reference.com. m B Overall advanced defensive statistics Defensive rating essentially measures how many baskets a player gives up per 100 possessions. He was indeed in the top class of lockdown defenders, who often forced scorers into bad days. Russell was also one of the very few seven-footers in the NBA during his time in the NBA. IF THERE'S ONE thing that "The Last Dance" has demonstrated, it's that Michael Jordan was nearly impossible to guard. He often locked his man without a problem, and earned the 1998 Defensive Player of the Year award. Missing a shot was acceptable, but if you missed a defensive assignment, you would incur the wrath of His Airness. R For one thing, Jordan mixed scoring volume and shooting efficiency better than just about any player in history. m G + Michael Jordan vs LeBron James: who is better? He was going to make sure that no one could ever think they were in his category. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Pippen, however, only scored under 100 four times in seventeen seasons. Despite the difficulty and inherent inefficiency of Jordans shot selection, he still managed to make an impressive 51 percent of his career 2-point attempts, notably higher than such similarly midrange-focused players as Bryant (48 percent), Carmelo Anthony (47 percent), Russell Westbrook (47 percent) and even Dirk Nowitzki (50 percent). ) o P He locked down dozens of great scorers thanks to his hard work and skills. ( Kobe Bryant has more career points than Michael Jordan, but Jordan was the better scorer between the two. Jordan was in town as a member of the Dream Team to play exhibition games in the Tournament of the Americas. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In addition to being omnipresent in the old YouTube clips weve all been watching, MJ will also take center stage in a 10-part ESPN documentary, The Last Dance, which premieres Sunday.1 The film covers the 1997-98 season, Jordans final year in Chicago, as well as Jordans cultural significance and that of the Bulls dynasty as a whole. Although he was never a block champion, he still ranks 5th all time in blocks recorded. T O G IN HIS FINAL season with the Bulls, Jordan's ability to alter a game defensively was still on display at 35 years old. "I get to the game," Ainge says, "and I'm beat. On three pointers the break-even point is 21.4%. 15 ] Do you have a blog? Jackson warned his Pacers teammates about Jordan's uncommon defensive resolve. It's funny, [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson], neither of them was a super athlete, so we gave them all this credit for their brains. ( Michael Jordan's pure scoring ability and remarkable athleticism tend to resonate more when attempting to encapsulate his NBA legacy. Jordan matched up with, among others, Reggie Miller, an assignment he once complained was like "chicken-fighting with a woman" because of Miller's slender frame. This stat illustrates Garnetts excellence on the defensive end. But he also had a career true shooting percentage of 56.9 percent, much higher than the league average of 53.5 percent over the years of his career. T He led the league in . 2 The 2004 rule changes, which also included calling the defensive 3 second rule ("[] a defensive player may not station himself in the key area longer than three seconds"a longstanding rule which had been ignored by referees) had a major effect, opening up the game and allowing a more free-flowing offense; it encouraged aggressive inside attack based plays (to draw fouls), and has increased the number of fouls given when contact is made on players who drive to the basket. Michael Jordan was a 6'6, 195-215lb freak of nature. ) "The thing about him and Scottie was they were big enough, strong enough and athletic enough to challenge a guy like me. If a player exceeds these thresholds, and virtually every NBA player does so with respect to two-point shots, the more he shoots the higher his value in PERs. . [ Compare player statistics for: Michael Jordan career vs. LeBron James career. g F A l He earned 10 All-Defensive Selections. ): 11 (7885th overall since 1960) High School: Plymouth Draft: Cincinnati Bengals in the 4th round (136th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. 1988. He was often called to defend players from multiple positions too, anything from 1-4. Kawhi Leonard: 6 x All Defense, 1 x STL Champ, 2 x DPOY. Payton is one of the best defenders Michael Jordan ever played against, as he helped force Jordan to his worst scoring and shooting Finals series (27.3 points on 42 percent from field). Chicago's opponent, the Utah Jazz, led the NBA in offensive efficiency during the regular season (110.9 points per 100 possession), but was held to just 94.3 in those 1998 Finals. G G All rights reserved. u 1984-85 Jordan 1985-86 Jordan 1986-87 Jordan 1987-88 Jordan 1988-89 Jordan 1989-90 Jordan 1990-91 Jordan 1991-92 Jordan 1992-93 Jordan 1994-95 Jordan 1995-96 Jordan 1996-97 Jordan 1997 . GOAT (13) B His shot-blocking skills are so great. Michael Jordan. P He has played 179 playoff games, scoring 33.4 points per game. P Was Jordan actually the greatest ever? A three point field goal made is worth 2.65 points. R And he still managed to get to the line roughly once out of every three shots he took from the field, making 84 percent of his free throws. D T He took over games, even without scoring more than 15 points. Or even that defenses were simpler then. Former Philadelphia 76ers great Bobby Jones was one of the most admired defensive players ever to put a NBA uniform on. V m Garnett played his entire career with limitless energy and 100% effort. @Neil_Paine, NBA (1152 posts) 2 Im gonna figure out how to make those my strengths. And he did it.. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. What Are His Chances For 2024? T At only 29, he is already a 2 x DPOY and 6 x All Defense. KG had 12 NBA seasons with a defensive rating under 100 which is completely unheard of. Rodgers, a four-time MVP winner, departs Green Bay as the Packers' franchise leader in touchdowns (475), completion percentage (65.3) and passer rating (103.6). At the end of the day, defense is half the game of basketball. During the summer of 1984, Nike shoe designer Peter Moore and Strasser gathered in the Washington, D.C., office of Jordan's agent, David Falk.. Interpreted as: What is jordan defensive rating in his career? In four playoff games, MJ averaged 29.3 points, 5.8 boards and a career playoff high. l V Subscribe to Stathead, the set of tools used by the pros, to unearth this and other interesting factoids. Kawhi may be silent off the court, but his impact on the court is definitely heard. t A A missed field goal, though, costs a team 0.72 points. Become a Stathead Per Game Bold indicates league leader R P He was the first guard to win the Defensive Player of the Year award twice. This article will aim to find out who the best defender in NBA history is by comparing some of the greatest defenders to each other using the following categories: Defensive achievements, defensive statistics, defensive impact. n Only two qualified players in NBA history had a career usage rate of at least 30 percent with a turnover percentage under 10 percent Jordan and Dominique Wilkins (rivals in a couple of iconic 1980s dunk contests). ] He also held Jordan under 30 points five times in six games during the 1996 NBA Finals. What To Do About A Problem Like Dianne Feinstein? [12], Comparing players from different generations using PER presents several problems, this is primarily due to the rule changes and the changes in statistical data collected from different eras (although many other factors could be taken into consideration, even down to the increased sample size as the NBA grew through incorporating more teams). S l
