K g P Not Charles, not Clyde [Drexler], not anyone.". F T P E l Over his career, he averaged 30.2 pace-adjusted4 points per 36 minutes, easily the most of any qualified player since 1977. IN HIS FINAL season with the Bulls, Jordan's ability to alter a game defensively was still on display at 35 years old. V R And he found a way not only to become a great defensive player, but the best defensive player in the NBA. "He's the best superstar defender in the history of the game," LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers says. Dennis Rodman couldn't do many things right, but for everything bad that he did on and off the court, he was an unquestionable success rebounding and defending. g This final step takes away the advantage held by players whose teams play a fastbreak style (and therefore have more possessions and more opportunities to do things on offense), and then sets the league average to 15.00. Only 7.2 percent of Jordan's career field-goal . Why Michael Jordan Was The Best | FiveThirtyEight Best RAPTOR plus/minus ratings for NBA players with at least 15,000 minutes played since 1976-77, including regular season and playoffs, Source: NBA Advanced Stats, Basketball-Reference.com. Or write about sports? Seconds earlier, John Stockton had dumped the ball into Karl Malone in the post. "He got me a couple of times," says former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing. P Last year the average defensive rating in the NBA was 110. Whether these defenders are starters or come off the bench as elite subs, their production goes beyond the statistics and often. Player efficiency rating - Wikipedia ] That's a thing very few have excelled at. L Indeed, Jordan had a 101 defensive rating in the 1996 and 1997 playoffs. That man-to-man defense by Russell was crucial for 11 championships for the Celtics. Defensive Player of the Year. Some of the more important rule changes that should be considered include; some of the players on this list, such as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, played before the three-point shot, blocks, and steals stats were officially recorded. m A V A Michael Jordan had a defensive rating of 102.7 in his career. All columns may be sorted by clicking the column name. A 3 A 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 . 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). F D * Indicates member of the Hall of Fame. . Bill Russell was the symbol of great defense, who successfully revolutionized the concepts of defense on the court and was the game's very first lockdown defender. g For one thing, Jordan mixed scoring volume and shooting efficiency better than just about any player in history. Jordan's most iconic moment was the result of his defense. g g "Reggie had great respect for Michael, but he wasn't afraid. Here are the greatest man-to-man defenders in the NBA history! 82: . Michael Jordan Defensive Ratings By Year | StatMuse [8] Several news features focus on comparing the two players by using the PER metric. Seasons with Bulls: 13 (1984-1993, 1995-1998) Born: February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, N.Y. . Jordan habitually was knocked to the floor by the team he loathed most, the Detroit Pistons, who punctured his title dreams for three consecutive seasons with a physical, defensive-oriented style. Blocked shots and steals were first officially recorded in the NBA during the 197374 season. And during the Bulls' three-year title run featuring Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Chicago led the league in defensive efficiency, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. P L He wasn't the strongest, tallest or quickest, but he was a skilled and productive defender. O This allowed him to completely dominate the paint in an era where scoring from the inside was coveted. Become a Stathead Per Game Bold indicates league leader Michael Jordan's Glove issue: How Gary Payton's defense changed 1996 P "Their defense," Pacers coach Larry Bird said in the immediate aftermath of the loss, "is relentless.". So the arguments can go in both directions. The player with the highest grade at the end will be crowned the best defender in NBA history. "Our rotations got so crazy that our guard, David Wesley, was guarding [7-foot center] Luc Longley under the basket -- and they still wouldn't throw him the ball," Cowens says now. 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. Jordan played all 82 games, so a 5-point differential 82 times comes up to a pretty wide margin. But in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals, Jordan turned the tables on the Bad Boys. Kawhis career isnt over, so his defensive trophy room could add even more hardware. . ( Jordan fastidiously studied the offensive sets of opponents and committed them to memory. T R During the 2000's, no one else played better perimeter defense than the great Bruce Bowen, who is known for his ability to defend. Michael Jordan and Gary Payton both won defensive player of the year in their career, and were defensive anchors for their respective teams. Michael Jordan - Basketball-Reference.com "That, combined with his athleticism, made him a suffocating defender. P It's a shame he played in Milwaukee and did not have a great team around him. The Last Dance (6). 0.2464 KG has been a great defensive player his entire career, but he took that ability to a level above in 2008, as he earned the Defensive Player of the Year award. He also held Jordan under 30 points five times in six games during the 1996 NBA Finals. Grading Every Team's Performance in the 2023 NFL Draft l Kawhi has also scored under 100 five times in nine seasons. Listen. Garnett is tied for the second most NBA all-defensive team honours with 12, but he has also won a defensive player of the year award. However, there isnt a definitive best defensive player ever. The fact that Pippen was able to average the most steals per game in the NBA in a season is so impressive considering he is a forward. Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Michael Cooper and so on. O "The thing about him and Scottie was they were big enough, strong enough and athletic enough to challenge a guy like me. Kobe got some steals but he was hardly an all-timer at stealing the ball. In the end, one number sums up the players' statistical accomplishments for that season. Former Philadelphia 76ers great Bobby Jones was one of the most admired defensive players ever to put a NBA uniform on. It was personal. Michael Jordan scored 246 points (41.0 PPG) in the 6-game 1993 NBA Finals. Data Provided By Hakeem Olajuwon: 9 x NBA All-Defense, 3 x BLK Champion, 2 x DPOY, All-time leader in in blocks (3,830). g He was often called to defend players from multiple positions too, anything from 1-4. [ T B F This wasnt quite true back in October, but Chris Paul played below his career average this season, dropping his lifetime rating slightly below Jordans. Jordan was in town as a member of the Dream Team to play exhibition games in the Tournament of the Americas. Share Results Compare single seasons or full career Ex. r T That's excellence! ] All of this helps explain why Jordans Bulls finished in the top five in offensive efficiency every season from 1989-90 to 1996-97, except for the two Jordan spent playing baseball.5 When your best player is taking on a historic share of team possessions while also averaging nearly 1.2 points on each of those possessions, youre going to have a historically great offense. He was the game's most versatile defender ever thanks to his excellent man-to-man defensive skills, ability to box out everyone and put players on their worst shooting nights. ( He was a versatile center who could often switch on the opponent's guard/forward and stay against him out on the perimeter, which is not easy for bigger players to do. He had nice skills and instincts for a big man, and was also a great decision maker. n ( @Neil_Paine, NBA (1152 posts) Michael Jordan | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica Hollinger's work has benefitted from the observations of sabermetric baseball analysts, such as Bill James. Player Comparison: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James G He could also switch guarding any of the 1 to 4 positions without a problem. Kevin Garnett: 12 x All-Defense, 1 x DPOY. R He was picking up guys full court on every possession for the entire 30 minutes he played. Now, through The Last Dance, well get to see Jordan from a different angle, and perhaps gain a new appreciation of his greatness even still. Explore Which team has the most wins as road dogs since 2014-15? JORDAN DIDN'T MAKE his first All-Defense team until the 1987-88 season, his fourth year in the league. Garnetts impact goes beyond versatility as well. IF THERE'S ONE thing that "The Last Dance" has demonstrated, it's that Michael Jordan was nearly impossible to guard. 2 R His unmatched intensity on the defensive end is what made KG such an incredible defender. To this very day, he remains the only point guard ever to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, which he did in 1996. B For example, runs batted in is highly dependent upon opportunities created by a player's teammates. Regular Season, Playoffs, All-Star) Awards. A No . + 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. 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. O A a l His career field goal percentage is 49.7% and he is 32.7% from 3-point range. Talk about a defender that you'd want on your team. Bill Russell kind of got the short end of the stick on this one. ( ) MICHAEL JORDAN HYPERBOLE is at an all-time high as "The Last Dance" nears its conclusion, and one favorite mantra is that No. Miller, a legendary trash-talker, objected, dishing barbs of his own. P [ f Career: Values are based on current season type (i.e. His length and exceptional defensive instincts also allows him to get into passing lanes and disrupt play sequences. How Great Was Kobe Bryant on Defense, Really? - Sports Nostalgia HQ An exasperated Jordan, who missed 16 of his 23 shots in that game, waved off his teammates and guarded Walker for the final minutes. His reputation as the GOAT was not merely a media creation or the product of ring-counting it has withstood the tests of both time and science. i Here we will examine some of the advanced defensive statistics to see how these players rank against each other. D For example, if a player has a DBPM of one, he would allow one less point per game. We could not score against them in the last five minutes of Game 6 [in 1993]. But it also applies to the countless times he jumped passing lanes, blocked shots of 7-footers or merely saddled up so far into the grill of perimeter shooters that they could literally smell his sweat. P Active players are listed in bold. Payton's cousin told him, "You're holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove." He also got nine All-NBA First Defensive Team selections, a record that he shares with Gary Payton. R Hakeem Olajuwon possessed a rare combination of quickness and strength with unique skills for a seven-footer. F V F He was one of the top man-to-man defenders that the game has ever seen. Round 7, Pick 225: Jovaughn Gwyn, G, South Carolina. But Jordan also had genius-level defensive instincts. T It was a textbook example of how Jordan used mental lapses by other players even Hall of Famers! Michael Jordan and LeBron James lead with four 30+ seasons, with Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Joki and Joel Embiid[3] having accomplished three each, Anthony Davis having accomplished two, and David Robinson, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Michael Jordan* 27.91: 2. . Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | NBA.com PER has been said to reward inefficient shooting. F l l Kawhi may be silent off the court, but his impact on the court is definitely heard. Jones was a tenacious and versatile defender who hustled, worked hard, was aggressive on his man and had offensive skills too. If you combine the 1997 and 1998 Finals, the Jazz failed to score 90 points in 11 of the 12 games they played. The Bulls were perpetually on a seek-and-destroy defensive mission, aiming not just to disrupt their opponents' offensive sets but to ultimately leave them in disarray. All-Rookie 1st Team. Its impossible to know what, say, Pete Maravich would have done in todays NBA, but his advanced stats are surprisingly mediocre when you look back on them. He also had 14 win shares. He had quick hands that he used to strip the ball and cause many fast breaks. T He also. E He was also tenacious, and had quick hands which he used to get steals. P + G He outranks Jordan in career Defensive Win Shares, believe it or not, and his 4.0 Steal Rate in those two non-Jordan seasons were the highest ever for a player 6-8 or higher, by miles and miles. The rating for each player is then adjusted to a per-minute basis so that, for example, substitutes can be compared with starters in playing time debates. ] Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. . Hakeems defensive rating of 98 career long is quite impressive. Michael Jordan. F Since him, no point guard has won that honor again. t Now, I wasn't one of our primary offensive threats, but Jordan understood we were trying to keep him away from the ball. T Awards B Although Garnett was an NBA power forward, he was still athletic enough to defend almost every position on the floor. T 1985. And he did it by shooting and shooting and shooting and shooting. He also had good skills and a big body, who put in hard work in every single game. Actually, if we took a player that was completely average in every other respect for the 200607 seasonrebounds, free throws, assists, turnovers, etc.and gave him a league-average rate of shots, and all of them were 2-pointers, and he shot 30.4%, he'd end up with a PER of 7.18. Sometimes when you analyze historical legends with modern metrics, the results can leave you disappointed. T u The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. ( Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Gary Payton were all fantastic NBA perimeter defenders. 15 That should be scary for all other teams. to his advantage. 2 + Hollinger has set up PER so that the league average, every season, is 15.00, which produces sort of a handy reference guide:[2]. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? . g 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. His offense was perhaps equally good to his defense. Michael Jordan doubles Karl Malone in the post and comes up with a steal before sinking an iconic game-winning shot to capture the 1998 NBA championship. 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. Once And For All: Michael Jordan Was Way Better Than Kobe Bryant 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). Michael Jordan also dominated the NBA on defense - ESPN + Michael Jordan Biography | ESPN Active players are listed in bold He was effective in almost every aspect of playing defense, a thing that cannot be measured by stats. + Scaled to a tempo of 100 possessions per game. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. m He also has a 11.5 handspan, again ridiculous. P ) O Hakeem Olajuwon DBPM: 2.5 (career average), Scottie Pippen DBPM: 1.8 (career average). ) KG had 12 NBA seasons with a defensive rating under 100 which is completely unheard of. S Read up on Michael Jordan's biography, career, awards and more on ESPN.
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