At times, it still feels as though there’s something missing despite Vučević’s impressive point totals. The 28-year-old is their anchor in defense and is exceptional in providing cover for his teammates, ranking second in the league for blocked shots. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers. In case that wasn’t obvious, the 2020 Thunder are a shining example. The 33-year-old forward started just 45 games in 2019–20, his lowest total since his third year with the franchise, and he at times struggled to adjust back to a reserve role after becoming an every-night starter in 2017–18 and 2018–19. Donovan Mitchell remains the headliner in Utah, and Rudy Gobert could very well earn a $200 million deal next offseason. He also shot a career-high 61.7% from the field, remaining among the league’s more effective finishers, capable of overpowering a mismatch when necessary. Smart is an energy-giver in a way that few, if any, of his peers can truly match, flying around defensively to create stops, occasionally catching fire from distance, and ratcheting up the intensity level of a given moment. RPM: Player's estimated on-court impact on team performance, measured in net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions. A stylistic shift could boost both of Sacramento’s backcourt pieces in 2020–21. These limitations hardly make Beverley a liability. As for Butler? After a year when athletic departments lost millions due to COVID-19, the SEC is helping out its members. Suffice it to say, there’s a high likelihood what we’re witnessing is the emergence of the NBA’s next true alpha talent, and a player who could conceivably be in contention for the No. The NBA's regular season is nearly complete, so let's show some love to the defensive end of the court in this special edition of the NBA mailbag. The current version is still close to the top of the league. The Lakers are favorites to repeat for that reason. Perhaps to nobody’s shock, Lillard was the league’s most prolific player in the run-up to last year’s postseason. The 2008 draftee is now 32 years old. — M.S. SI NBA writers Rohan Nadkarni, Michael Shapiro and Ben Pickman provided valuable feedback and contributed to the player entries. It’s one thing to find a player who’s willing to fit in, but another entirely when the crux of his game is so well suited for just that. Nevertheless, there are very few players in the league who can effectively match up against Antetokounmpo's size and athleticism. That strain of thought completely ignores the context of last year’s Warriors roster, which was hastily reassembled after Thompson’s ACL tear and Durant’s departure. However, as he now has less defensive responsibility in the Milwaukee Bucks' team, Antetokounmpo's defensive win share could be at its lowest since 2016. After being used primarily as a power forward throughout the first decade of his career, including his first season in Toronto, the 31-year-old Ibaka played the majority of his minutes last year as the Raptors’ center. Just over a year later, Warren, who was in effect traded for cap space, emerged as one of the biggest stars of the bubble. He can lead a fast break. For all his past escapades, Butler was measured his first season in Miami, picking his spots offensively while playing his typical stellar defense on whoever was in front of him. Bogdanović also provides more than what you see on the stat sheet. Other times, the Kentucky product looked lost and unable to snap out of various funks. Stephen Curry missed functionally all of last season. Hayward is a quality shooter, to be sure, but that’s arguably the least impressive element of his dynamic skill set. —M.S. When there are great players around him, he doesn’t simply fit with them—he takes their play to another level. Butler showed a knack for controlling the game when the Heat needed him to the most. The bruising center played eight games with the Cavaliers, who later picked up his $28 million player option. He can bully smaller defenders on the block. He was an MVP candidate in 2019 before hurting his shoulder. The issue for Green is how much longer his body can hold up. He shifted between power forward and center in 2020, and he was the ultimate eraser for the Lakers. But it feels certain that this is not the time to take it from him. Dinwiddie posted a career-high in usage last season, and in the games he did play with Irving, there was a palpable tug-of-war within Brooklyn’s system. The Lakers’ championship doesn’t happen without that level of synergy. Warren has always been a prolific scorer. He dishes dimes from every conceivable angle, throwing looping passes to cutters and lasers to perimeter shooters. And that’s the scary part. Westbrook was downright dominant for a significant stretch in 2019–20. Let’s hope Murray truly takes the reins of San Antonio’s offense after an underwhelming offensive campaign in 2019–20. But Harris is still just 26, and the established value of his skill set bodes well. If there are any concerns, it’s that at 31-years-old, Butler is no spring chicken. With Chris Paul now in the fold, Ayton could very well rocket up our Top 100 entering 2021–22. But an added dose of screening action in Porzingis’s diet should help both the talented center and Dallas’s superstar guard. As his game evolves, so will the expectations. The addition of Jrue Holiday should also provide even more flexibility, as the Bucks’ newly formed star trio looks to lead the franchise to its first title since 1970–71. Few players—even some above Butler on this list—can confidently make that claim. Young’s 30-foot bombs create an obvious comparison to Steph Curry, but the conflation can be a little misplaced. With Davis and Marc Gasol, the Lakers likely won’t ask Harrell to be doing as much against bigger front lines. The past eight years have represented arguably the best stretch in franchise history thanks to Harden’s brilliance. While pricey, Drummond would appear to be more of a short-term option for a rebuilding team. Dinwiddie has shown steady growth in each of first four years in Brooklyn, emerging as the Nets’ leading man in 2019–20 after Kyrie Irving’s season ended in February. Remember that when the Jazz have gone down in the playoffs, it’s been at the hands of elite offensive talents: James Harden, Stephen Curry and, last year, an ascendant Jamal Murray. It’s hard to put a price on the type of creative optionality a player like that can afford his coach. He’s an effective spot-up shooter with serious range, able to stretch the floor from far beyond the arc. 2b scorer to Kemba Walker’s 2a. ), While George may fall short of being the true No.1 on a championship contender, it would be asinine to cast him aside as some kind of punchline. Adams doesn’t shoot jumpers, but he frees teammates for open ones with well-angled, incidentally bone-crushing picks. But the flaws in his game grow increasingly frustrating by the season. He returns to the Top 100 as a member of the Rockets, having missed the better part of the last three seasons and trying to regain his footing. He is also currently the league’s best long-range three-point shooter, taking 6.8 attempts from 25 to 29 feet last year and shooting 40% on them. Sneer at Simmons’s three-point phobia if you wish, but Philadelphia’s point guard remains one of the game’s most electric guards. Walker’s game isn’t as memeable as pull-ups from halfcourt. — R.N. Among the 208 players who have taken at least 400 three-pointers since 2017–18, only Seth Curry has a higher three-point field goal percentage than Harris. Bogdanović made a name for himself in the NBA as an effective three-point shooter, but the six-year veteran is a significantly more versatile offensive option than he’s been given credit for. The Wolves have surrounded Towns with a number of talented pieces, and the hope is that this season will offer a better gauge of where the franchise stands. He’s often unwilling to make any impact without the ball in his hands, far too content to rest with his hands on his hips in the half-court. Harris has emerged as an effective three-point shooter in recent seasons, canning 39.3% of triples over the last three seasons on fairly significant volume. Capela isn’t in the top tier of centers—largely due to his limited offensive skill set—though when healthy, he can truly be a dominant interior force. He has improved in each of his three NBA seasons, and despite playing in a crowded Western Conference, the Kings are banking on the Kentucky product to lead them to their first postseason appearance since 2006. The Wake Forest has been a prodigious offensive force and will be a part of unlocking Atlanta’s tantalizing ceiling. Now in his second season in more of a leadership role with the Raptors, Siakam will look to keep building on his upward trajectory. Ayton averaged 1.16 points per roll possession last season. Kings coach Luke Walton appeared almost too comfortable with Fox orchestrating Sacramento’s offense, considering Fox totaled more than 80 touches per game, averaging 5.26 seconds per touch, more than Chris Paul, Kemba Walker or LeBron James. (Nobody with that much of an offensive burden really is.) Don’t let what happened in the bubble convince you that Leonard isn’t still on the level of the elite of the elite. Overall, Lillard averaged career highs in points (30) and assists (8) per game, while shooting 40.1% from three. —B.P. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks. Just nine finished with more blocks. Defenses will consistently key on him for the first time, and he’ll be tested. And while the Raptors discharged the Nets in four games, the 6' 6" guard averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 assists per contest on 18 shots per game. And sure enough, once a game, that player learns they’ve made a terrible mistake as they quickly realize they have nowhere to go. Gordon is more athletic and ferocious at the tin than his reputation suggests. Anunoby is kind of the platonic ideal of a three-and-D guy. (He can also delight people—I distinctly remember Bill Hader got quite a kick at a Clippers game last season watching Beverley harass James Harden.) A table featuring defense information for each player in the league based on selected filters. He will also pair nicely with Trae Young, having shot nearly 42% on catch-and-shoot threes last year. In Year 8 of a still-underappreciated career, Beal stretched his game to its limits and walked away with another notch in his belt, averaging a career-high 30.6 points without sacrificing much in the way of efficiency. After signing a four-year, $85 million contract in the offseason—and with Lowry on an expiring deal—it’s clear VanVleet is a cornerstone of the Raptors’ future. Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester City are vying for two places in next season's Champions League on the final day of the Premier League season. There’s a reason the Pelicans are banking on the Adams effect—that his ability to physically dominate tight spaces will create better opportunities for others, as they always have. He stepped into the NBA and immediately became one of its best playmakers, capable of delivering accurate passes on the move and near-impossible to keep out of the paint. Murray is likely the franchise headliner. He is currently the closest challenger to the top two in our list for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. It all still revolves around LeBron, in a way no other player can replicate. Whether starting or coming off the bench, the 32-year-old remains a high-quality piece, providing his team with a mix of perimeter shooting and fairly versatile defending. Barnes may not be a standout player in any single metric. As Durant continues to age, the value he brings defensively will continue to diminish. Ingram’s free-throw rate continues to trend upward. He’s also a willing lob thrower, and when playing off the ball he can space the floor all around the arc thanks to his reliable shooting. It’s best to look at these rankings as short-term projections, based on performance history and the impact of a player's age—some growth can be expected from younger players, and a degree of potential decline from older veterans. It’s tough to place a premium on most bigs who present no threat to shoot from distance, and his lack of a jump shot limits his utility as such—the Jazz ought to make his minutes mutually exclusive with Rudy Gobert’s as much as possible. Ben Simmons' case for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year was made even stronger recently while he missed four games for the Philadelphia 76ers. Bam is No. Perhaps because he plays in Sacramento, it’s gone somewhat unnoticed how downright Curry-esque Hield’s shooting has been since entering the NBA in 2016–17. But those moments, people. He sports a smooth jumper off the bounce, and while he’s not the most explosive leaper, he’s one of the league’s more creative finishers for a player of his size. The Thunder’s premeditated decision to tear down a longtime playoff team came with Gilgeous-Alexander’s best long-term interests in mind. The defense remains suffocating when he wants it to be, even if Kawhi isn’t a pure stopper as he was early in his career. He’s been perhaps the NBA’s most durable star, racking up minutes without complaint. Love’s numbers indicate that he could probably still be of service to a contender, but it’s fair to wonder if time is running out. He remains outside any All-Star conversation, but Dinwiddie can be a passable engine for an NBA offense. He’s a gifted interior passer, and his midrange jumper is more refined by the year. While Embiid saw a number of his counting stats decrease this past season, he’s poised for an uptick alongside a revised core that now features a number of sharpshooters, with the Sixers’ notably adding Danny Green and Seth Curry in trades this offseason, hoping to free up more space for Embiid around the basket. He’ll take plays off defensively and weeks off mentally. Instead of trying to force his way out to a contender, Paul, who turned 35 in May, went to work and put together one of the finest individual seasons of his career. It’s a different brand of dominance now, but the impact and the weight of his influence remain unmatched when things count. The LSU product thrives off of turnovers, and he increasingly leans on his athletic gifts to generate free points for Philadelphia. As always, this is a wide-ranging exercise with a host of qualified candidates. And even in a shaky situation, Young still managed to turn in an elite offensive season for a player of his age. There will be nights he struggles to find the net, and others where one or two particularly inspired Smart shifts can swing the outcome of a game. It’s a shame Griffin has largely faded from relevance as he toils away in Detroit. With the understanding Toronto planned to vigorously defend its title, Lowry had a remarkable 2020. The race for the DPOY award has been a close one to call. — M.S. Morant’s Rookie of the Year case was a simple one. And while he’s a heady team defender, Dragić can struggle at the point of attack, particularly against quick guards. —M.S. These rankings are specifically for the upcoming season, and they do not take into account players’ long-term prospects or career arcs beyond 2020–21. He has a recent history of some postseason foibles. He looked capable of pushing the Clippers to the brink in the playoffs, before injuries, fatigue and bad luck derailed the Mavericks. “And a lot of other really good, young talented players behind them.” —B.P. Perhaps the biggest issue for Love is how he plays for a rebuilding team mired in obscurity. NBA Defense Team Rankings - 2021 Defensive Rankings We have several defensive … The 29-year-old small forward started 58 games for the Nuggets last season and was among the team’s most consistent contributors. Seemingly none of it mattered because Davis’s game largely covered up for any perceived deficiencies elsewhere in the lineup. With so many skills already in his arsenal, Tatum is building on a foundation much more advanced than a typical third-year player. Collins can put the ball on the floor in tight spaces, and he’s an elite leaper at the rim. —B.P. Young flashed his prodigious scoring talent as a rookie, but he often looked overmatched amid a concerning amount of turnovers and a shaky shooting percentage. Seth Curry will open up the floor to a significant degree. It took more than a year for Nurkić to make his return from a badly broken leg. If there’s anything holding him back, it’s that Brown’s offensive repertoire lacks a little bit of flair. Atlanta’s point guard finished fourth in scoring at 29.6 points per game in 2019–20, and perhaps more importantly, he turned in a far more efficient season. Valančiūnas posted a 60.6 effective field goal percentage in 2019–20, averaging 0.97 points per possession on post-up attempts. Harrison Barnes always felt a bit like the fifth Beatle in his time with the Warriors, and perhaps that’s led to an underwhelming evaluation of his skill set entering 2020–21. —B.P. Even with Jayson Tatum earning plaudits as Boston’s lead dog, there are moments when Walker looks like the best scorer on the team. We then compared these projections to the prop bet odds from the sportsbooks to give you the best prop bet picks of the day in the NBA. It’s not necessarily the scoring totals that makes the Harden experience so jarring. Still, shooting often ages gracefully. Perhaps it’s not his preference, but he’s more than capable of running constant pick-and-rolls to exploit matchups. 20 pace last season, limiting the effectiveness of both him and De’Aaron Fox. Expect a similar trend this season with the team looking to make its first finals appearance since the 1973–74 season. The addition of top free agent Gallinari will surely boost a Hawks team that went 20–47 last season. pic.twitter.com/WjTF8xSJDG. If anything, L.A. was too cautious with George, playing him only 29.6 minutes a night in the regular season, his fewest since his rookie year (excluding the 2015 season when he played in only six games off the bench after breaking his leg. He is also a force around the rim, scoring the third-most paint points per game in the league (10.8).
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