Best Defender from the 60’s/70’s to guard these Modern Players?

[Matt15]

Which player that peaked defensively in the 60’s/70’s would you choose to guard these modern players? You can’t choose the same player twice.

Nikola Jokic
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
Stephen Curry
Luka Doncic
Lebron James
Kevin Durant

[IdolW0rm]

Frazier on Curry
Bobby Jones on KD
DeBusschere on Luka
Thurmond on Embiid
Russell on Jokic

Unsure about the rest.

[kendogg]

Frazier on Curry, Wilt on everyone else

[penbeast0]

Wilt wouldn't chase Clyde Lovellette away from the basket according to peers quoted in Terry Pluto's Tall Tales. Having him on a genuine 3 point threat like Durant or Luca would be a disaster unless he changed his game completely. Maybe Russell on the rest as Russell was known to come out and help and show/recover extremely well.

[70sFan]

For the 1960s:

Nikola Jokic - Bill Russell
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Nate Thurmond
Joel Embiid - Nate Thurmond
Stephen Curry - K.C Jones
Luka Doncic - Dave DeBusschere
Lebron James - Gus Johnson
Kevin Durant - Satch Sanders

Wilt certainly isn't a bad choice against Embiid, but Embiid is mostly a midrange scorer and Wilt wouldn't like to come out to defend him outside.

I don't love Frazier on Curry either, because Frazier was a great help defender who often left his man to attack offense. Such kind of defense wouldn't work on Curry, you need more disciplined off-ball defender.

[Dutchball97]

Don't Jokic and Embiid typically struggle against really big guys? No doubt Russell or Thurmond would do an effective job as well and lead to overall better defenses but strictly talking about 1-on-1 guarding my bet is on Wilt doing the best job on them.

[70sFan]

Don't Jokic and Embiid typically struggle against really big guys? No doubt Russell or Thurmond would do an effective job as well and lead to overall better defenses but strictly talking about 1-on-1 guarding my bet is on Wilt doing the best job on them.

Wilt wasn't willing to go outside and contest shots, which could be concerning against both.

It's not like Jokic is much bigger than Thurmond anyway. Heavier - yes, but Thurmond was likely taller (or the same height) and his wingspan is beyond crazy.

[Dutchball97]

Don't Jokic and Embiid typically struggle against really big guys? No doubt Russell or Thurmond would do an effective job as well and lead to overall better defenses but strictly talking about 1-on-1 guarding my bet is on Wilt doing the best job on them.

Wilt wasn't willing to go outside and contest shots, which could be concerning against both.

It's not like Jokic is much bigger than Thurmond anyway. Heavier - yes, but Thurmond was likely taller (or the same height) and his wingspan is beyond crazy.

Meant weight or overall "size" more so than height and wingspan. Thurmond is listed about 60lbs lighter than Jokic. I'm not saying Thurmond definitely wouldn't be able to bang in the paint with Jokic but it's not a certainty either. It's just that Jokic never has any problems inside except for when the opposing team has a big who is too heavy to get bumped off balance that easily and there's suddenly noticeably less seperation to work with for Jokic.

[penbeast0]

Take listed weights for 60s players with a grain of salt. The NBA just used the reported college weights generally from what I've heard.

[70sFan]

Don't Jokic and Embiid typically struggle against really big guys? No doubt Russell or Thurmond would do an effective job as well and lead to overall better defenses but strictly talking about 1-on-1 guarding my bet is on Wilt doing the best job on them.

Wilt wasn't willing to go outside and contest shots, which could be concerning against both.

It's not like Jokic is much bigger than Thurmond anyway. Heavier - yes, but Thurmond was likely taller (or the same height) and his wingspan is beyond crazy.

Meant weight or overall "size" more so than height and wingspan. Thurmond is listed about 60lbs lighter than Jokic. I'm not saying Thurmond definitely wouldn't be able to bang in the paint with Jokic but it's not a certainty either. It's just that Jokic never has any problems inside except for when the opposing team has a big who is too heavy to get bumped off balance that easily and there's suddenly noticeably less seperation to work with for Jokic.

That's college weight for Thurmond, he weighed much more in his prime. Still less than Jokic, but ~245 lbs lean Thurmond should be big enough to fight with Jokic inside.

We do know that Thurmond could bang with Wilt who was bigger and stronger than Jokic.

[kendogg]

Wilt wouldn't chase Clyde Lovellette away from the basket according to peers quoted in Terry Pluto's Tall Tales. Having him on a genuine 3 point threat like Durant or Luca would be a disaster unless he changed his game completely. Maybe Russell on the rest as Russell was known to come out and help and show/recover extremely well.

If Wilt's only job was to guard this player, he could do it better than anyone. Neither of those players has the burst to blow by Wilt, and Wilt has the length and bounce to block their jumpers. Even if they did get a step or half step on Wilt he has the stride advantage to recover or just block them from behind.

In a team defensive scheme its different sure, as Wilt would clearly be optimal as a drop center paint protector like all traditional centers. But that wasn't really the question in my eyes.

[70sFan]

Wilt wouldn't chase Clyde Lovellette away from the basket according to peers quoted in Terry Pluto's Tall Tales. Having him on a genuine 3 point threat like Durant or Luca would be a disaster unless he changed his game completely. Maybe Russell on the rest as Russell was known to come out and help and show/recover extremely well.

If Wilt's only job was to guard this player, he could do it better than anyone. Neither of those players has the burst to blow by Wilt, and Wilt has the length and bounce to block their jumpers. Even if they did get a step or half step on Wilt he has the stride advantage to recover or just block them from behind.

In a team defensive scheme its different sure, as Wilt would clearly be optimal as a drop center paint protector like all traditional centers. But that wasn't really the question in my eyes.

Wilt definitely doesn't have quickness and agility to defend someone like Luka or LeBron. They would kill him in P&R.

[TT8198]

Thurmond on Jokic
Bill Russell on Giannis
Wilt on Embiid
Havlicek on Luka
Gus Johnson on LeBron
Bobby Jones on Durant
Jerry West on Steph

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[Samurai]

For the 1960s:

Nikola Jokic - Bill Russell
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Nate Thurmond
Joel Embiid - Nate Thurmond
Stephen Curry - K.C Jones
Luka Doncic - Dave DeBusschere
Lebron James - Gus Johnson
Kevin Durant - Satch Sanders

Wilt certainly isn't a bad choice against Embiid, but Embiid is mostly a midrange scorer and Wilt wouldn't like to come out to defend him outside.

I don't love Frazier on Curry either, because Frazier was a great help defender who often left his man to attack offense. Such kind of defense wouldn't work on Curry, you need more disciplined off-ball defender.

Nice choices, particularly putting K.C. Jones on Curry. While guys like Frazier and West were outstanding defenders, a big part of their value came from their help defense. K.C. Jones was known more as a man defender, and had that "get inside your jersey" peskiness that someone like Pat Beverly is known for today. Plus Jones didn't have to expend as much energy on offense as Frazier or West and could just focus on sticking to Curry. It would still be a challenge because no one in the 60's ran around as much off-ball as Curry did, but Jones had the defensive tendencies you'd want in a Curry defender.

I would be more inclined to put Bobby Jones on KD than Satch Sanders. I don't think Satch had enough length to bother KD's jumper. Bobby Jones had more length than Sanders and the athleticism to keep up with KD. The only downfall is that Bobby would likely need a tag-team partner since his health likely wouldn't give him the endurance to guard KD for the 36-38 minutes that KD will be on the court.

[70sFan]

For the 1960s:

Nikola Jokic - Bill Russell
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Nate Thurmond
Joel Embiid - Nate Thurmond
Stephen Curry - K.C Jones
Luka Doncic - Dave DeBusschere
Lebron James - Gus Johnson
Kevin Durant - Satch Sanders

Wilt certainly isn't a bad choice against Embiid, but Embiid is mostly a midrange scorer and Wilt wouldn't like to come out to defend him outside.

I don't love Frazier on Curry either, because Frazier was a great help defender who often left his man to attack offense. Such kind of defense wouldn't work on Curry, you need more disciplined off-ball defender.

Nice choices, particularly putting K.C. Jones on Curry. While guys like Frazier and West were outstanding defenders, a big part of their value came from their help defense. K.C. Jones was known more as a man defender, and had that "get inside your jersey" peskiness that someone like Pat Beverly is known for today. Plus Jones didn't have to expend as much energy on offense as Frazier or West and could just focus on sticking to Curry. It would still be a challenge because no one in the 60's ran around as much off-ball as Curry did, but Jones had the defensive tendencies you'd want in a Curry defender.

I would be more inclined to put Bobby Jones on KD than Satch Sanders. I don't think Satch had enough length to bother KD's jumper. Bobby Jones had more length than Sanders and the athleticism to keep up with KD. The only downfall is that Bobby would likely need a tag-team partner since his health likely wouldn't give him the endurance to guard KD for the 36-38 minutes that KD will be on the court.

Bobby Jones is a perfectly reasonable choice as well, don't get me wrong. I decided to pick someone else, because Satch wasn't mentioned yet.

Sanders is considerably shorter than Durant, but he had very long arms for his height and I like what I have seen from him in terms of man defense. I think he's the right type of defender to slow down KD.

[KobesScarf]

Nikola Jokic - Thurmond
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Thurmond
Joel Embiid - Wilt
Stephen Curry - KC
Luka Doncic - Sloan
Lebron James - Debusschere
Kevin Durant - Debusschere