Defense - Every position ranked by 5 years of DRPM data

[Maf]

My man Korver ninth. Exactly where I would look for him. Maybe even higher.

[illuminati666]

Lowry, Green and Leonard top 4 defender at their position, ouhhhhhhhh this is gonna be a gooood year

[illuminati666]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

Best defensive CENTER since D12. As a complete defender its neck and neck with Kawhi and Draymond for me bc of their versitility. But all three of those guys are ridiculously good at what they do

[GregOden]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

According to the numbers(and the eye test) Gobert is the best NBA defender since Draymond Green.

ORL's Dwight Howard that got killed everytime he played Shaq, Yao or Amare and could never guard a pick a roll? Lol he was never a great defender, just a dominant rebounder and shot blocker for a couple years in Orlando. Now that he can't block shots as well anymore he's just a good rebounder.

[Zeitgeister]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

Best defensive CENTER since D12. As a complete defender its neck and neck with Kawhi and Draymond for me bc of their versitility. But all three of those guys are ridiculously good at what they do

Nah, Kawhi fell of quite a bit his last full season and even before that he wasn't the defender that Draymond and Gobert were, but in fairness to him, it doesn't seem possible for a wing. Big men, by virtue of how basketball is played, simply have a bigger impact on defense.

[jjscap]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

According to the numbers(and the eye test) Gobert is the best NBA defender since Draymond Green.

Gobert has taken it to another level. He played 56 games and still got DPOY. UTA averaged an insane 92 DRTG over two months after his return from injury. He makes his teammates better defenders too. Scary thing is he and UTA should improve defensively this season because the new starting guards will mesh better and rookie Mitchell will step up.

[Roy The Natural]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

According to the numbers(and the eye test) Gobert is the best NBA defender since Draymond Green.

ORL's Dwight Howard that got killed everytime he played Shaq, Yao or Amare and could never guard a pick a roll? Lol he was never a great defender, just a dominant rebounder and shot blocker for a couple years in Orlando. Now that he can't block shots as well anymore he's just a good rebounder.

I'm not sold that Gobert could guard any of them either....

[JN61]

Chris Paul is pretty easily the most complete point guard of all time. The Point God on offense and an elite defensive player through his entire career. I always scoff when people make excuses and say guys are too undersized to play good defense. Chris Paul. Nuff said.

Apart of John Stockton of course.

Because people understand how to look at stats and think about context. He does average 1 steal and 3 blocks per 36 so he does have some defensive instinct. Dallas’ defense also got 5 points worse with him on the bench. Combined with the fact he probably on played in favourable matchups probably means he didn’t have the opportunity to ever be bad and bring his ranking to a more true place. Similar issues with Lucas Nogueira who would play 25 minutes when hot and boost his stats and only 2 when he sucked. He never has the opportunity to be bad log enough to affect rankings.

So yeah, just try and understand stats and don’t instantly bash them.

So what’s the context of Greek Freak being so low. So it’s a minutes topic ? So David West is a top tier bench defender?

5 years of data would include Giannis underwhelimg first couple years

Of course but 5 years of data also include first few years of Roberson and Gobert. While Giannis is good player he's just not top tier level talent on that side of the ball like these guys are. These days he's probably in top 15 on such lists but still, he's certainly not the best one out there.

[The_Hater]

It’s not a perfect statistic, no stat is, but the very top and bottom of each position seems to have done a very good job of identifying the players correctly.

[HeartBreakKid]

Rudy Gobert is the best NBA defender since ORL's Dwight Howard.

According to the numbers(and the eye test) Gobert is the best NBA defender since Draymond Green.

ORL's Dwight Howard that got killed everytime he played Shaq, Yao or Amare and could never guard a pick a roll? Lol he was never a great defender, just a dominant rebounder and shot blocker for a couple years in Orlando. Now that he can't block shots as well anymore he's just a good rebounder.

yeah, clearly Howard wasn't an elite defender he couldn't guard lowly players like O'Neal and 7'6 Yao Ming.

[The_Hater]

Furthers my opinion that Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert are, by far, the best defensive players around .

Kawhi tops the SF’s too. They’ve been the 3 names at the top the last 4 years or so.

[Winglish]

Flashbacks to the days when the Jazz were starting Trey Burke and Enes Kanter and I was having daily arguments with people on the Jazz board as I longed for a trade to get rid of Kanter.

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[YogurtProducer]

Chris Paul is pretty easily the most complete point guard of all time. The Point God on offense and an elite defensive player through his entire career. I always scoff when people make excuses and say guys are too undersized to play good defense. Chris Paul. Nuff said.

Apart of John Stockton of course.

So what’s the context of Greek Freak being so low. So it’s a minutes topic ? So David West is a top tier bench defender?

5 years of data would include Giannis underwhelimg first couple years

Of course but 5 years of data also include first few years of Roberson and Gobert. While Giannis is good player he's just not top tier level talent on that side of the ball like these guys are. These days he's probably in top 15 on such lists but still, he's certainly not the best one out there.

Gobert/Roberson we’re both top 15 5 years ago whereas Giannis was like 35th positionally.

RPM has always been favourable to gobert and Andre

[everdiso]

This is a cumulative ranking based on the 5 years of data on ESPN. Minimum 100 games played so no rookies.

CENTER
1 Rudy Gobert 4.27
2 Nene Hilario 3.39
3 Jusuf Nurkic 3.29
4 Salah Mejri 3.12
5 Ian Mahinmi 3.02
6 DeAndre Jordan 2.93
7 Tyson Chandler 2.81
8 Amir Johnson 2.80
9 Hassan Whiteside 2.75
10 Nerlens Noel 2.72
11 Nikola Jokic 2.64
12 Dwight Howard 2.61
13 Joakim Noah 2.61
14 Ekpe Udoh 2.60
15 Zaza Pachulia 2.60
16 Marcin Gortat 2.48
17 Lucas Nogueira 2.39
18 DeMarcus Cousins 2.36
19 Omer Asik 2.35
20 Dewayne Dedmon 2.26
21 Clint Capela 2.21
22 Marc Gasol 2.20
23 Cody Zeller 2.19
24 Aron Baynes 1.94
25 Kosta Koufos 1.90
26 Pau Gasol 1.89
27 Kevin Love 1.68
28 Myles Turner 1.60
29 Kyle O'Quinn 1.48
30 Nikola Vucevic 1.45
31 Timofey Mozgov 1.44
32 Andre Drummond 1.40
33 Robin Lopez 1.37
34 Gorgui Dieng 1.32
35 Steven Adams 1.30
36 Alexis Ajinca 1.28
37 Boban Marjanovic 1.25
38 Alex Len 1.12
39 Domantas Sabonis 1.08
40 Dwight Powell 1.05
41 Jakob Poeltl 1.00
42 Bismack Biyombo 0.90
43 Willy Hernangomez 0.84
44 Tyler Zeller 0.81
45 Brook Lopez 0.80
46 John Henson 0.75
47 Greg Monroe 0.69
48 Jonas Valanciunas 0.62
49 Davis Bertans 0.54
50 Miles Plumlee 0.54
51 Mason Plumlee 0.32
52 Dirk Nowitzki 0.31
53 Willie Cauley-Stein 0.30
54 Meyers Leonard 0.04
55 Tristan Thompson -0.03
56 JaVale McGee -0.06
57 Cristiano Felicio -0.08
58 Karl-Anthony Towns -0.40
59 Thon Maker -0.65
60 Joffrey Lauvergne -1.11
61 Jahlil Okafor -1.15
62 Enes Kanter -1.71

POWER FORWARD
1 Draymond Green 4.66
2 Anthony Davis 2.94
3 David West 2.71
4 Paul Millsap 2.66
5 Al-Farouq Aminu 2.38
6 Larry Nance Jr. 2.22
7 Kristaps Porzingis 2.13
8 Darrell Arthur 1.96
9 Al Horford 1.95
10 Serge Ibaka 1.88
11 Luc Mbah a Moute 1.78
12 Taj Gibson 1.70
13 Derrick Favors 1.70
14 LaMarcus Aldridge 1.46
15 Thaddeus Young 1.34
16 Nikola Mirotic 1.32
17 James Johnson 1.31
18 Ed Davis 1.20
19 Markieff Morris 1.16
20 Nemanja Bjelica 1.14
21 Blake Griffin 0.97
22 Tarik Black 0.91
23 Pascal Siakam 0.85
24 Noah Vonleh 0.80
25 Kelly Olynyk 0.75
26 Giannis Antetokounmpo 0.70
27 Channing Frye 0.67
28 Marvin Williams 0.58
29 Jae Crowder 0.55
30 Jonas Jerebko 0.54
31 Jon Leuer 0.43
32 Udonis Haslem 0.42
33 Mike Muscala 0.17
34 Patrick Patterson 0.08
35 Zach Randolph 0.00
36 Anthony Tolliver -0.01
37 Jarell Martin -0.04
38 Trevor Booker -0.05
39 Aaron Gordon -0.14
40 Marreese Speights -0.15
41 Montrezl Harrell -0.34
42 Ersan Ilyasova -0.38
43 Richaun Holmes -0.45
44 Trey Lyles -0.46
45 JaMychal Green -0.49
46 Jason Smith -0.50
47 Marcus Morris -0.53
48 Marquese Chriss -0.61
49 Dario Saric -0.63
50 Kenneth Faried -0.68
51 Dragan Bender -0.72
52 Julius Randle -0.89
53 Frank Kaminsky -0.94
54 Mike Scott -1.08
55 Carmelo Anthony -1.29
56 Bobby Portis -1.63
57 Ryan Anderson -1.79
58 Jabari Parker -1.93

SMALL FORWARD
1 Kawhi Leonard 2.89
2 Robert Covington 2.65
3 Kyle Anderson 2.28
4 Thabo Sefolosha 2.12
5 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 1.98
6 Andre Iguodala 1.96
7 Kevon Looney 1.62
8 LeBron James 1.49
9 Justise Winslow 1.29
10 Jared Dudley 1.22
11 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 1.17
12 Paul George 1.17
13 Trevor Ariza 0.99
14 DeMarre Carroll 0.96
15 Wesley Johnson 0.91
16 Luol Deng 0.86
17 PJ Tucker 0.82
18 Otto Porter Jr. 0.61
19 Kevin Durant 0.45
20 Joe Ingles 0.31
21 Josh Richardson 0.19
22 Garrett Temple 0.17
23 Danilo Gallinari 0.12
24 Rudy Gay 0.08
25 Khris Middleton 0.08
26 Solomon Hill 0.03
27 Omri Casspi 0.03
28 Taurean Prince 0.01
29 Stanley Johnson -0.03
30 Dorian Finney-Smith -0.09
31 James Ennis III -0.10
32 Gordon Hayward -0.13
33 Denzel Valentine -0.16
34 Chandler Parsons -0.18
35 Kyle Singler -0.27
36 Harrison Barnes -0.29
37 Quincy Acy -0.35
38 Dante Cunningham -0.40
39 Evan Turner -0.41
40 Maurice Harkless -0.45
41 Jerami Grant -0.46
42 Sam Dekker -0.52
43 CJ Miles -0.53
44 Richard Jefferson -0.63
45 Tobias Harris -0.68
46 Norman Powell -0.77
47 Wilson Chandler -0.84
48 Jeff Green -0.90
49 Luke Babbitt -0.90
50 Will Barton -0.93
51 Darius Miller -0.96
52 Jonathon Simmons -0.98
53 JaKarr Sampson -1.00
54 Kelly Oubre Jr. -1.00
55 Lance Thomas -1.03
56 Michael Beasley -1.19
57 E'Twaun Moore -1.21
58 Mario Hezonja -1.68
59 Brandon Ingram -1.80
60 TJ Warren -2.03
61 Joe Harris -2.21
62 Andrew Wiggins -2.24
63 Tim Hardaway Jr. -2.36
64 Doug McDermott -2.69
65 Bojan Bogdanovic -3.00

SHOOTING GUARD
1 Andre Roberson 2.44
2 Danny Green 2.16
3 Jimmy Butler 1.41
4 Iman Shumpert 1.19
5 Victor Oladipo 0.99
6 Tomas Satoransky 0.74
7 Manu Ginobili 0.67
8 Vince Carter 0.52
9 Kyle Korver 0.50
10 DeAndre Liggins 0.22
11 Jaylen Brown 0.21
12 Justin Holiday 0.00
13 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot -0.01
14 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope -0.09
15 Kent Bazemore -0.16
16 Langston Galloway -0.23
17 Avery Bradley -0.27
18 Corey Brewer -0.31
19 Reggie Bullock -0.31
20 Tyler Johnson -0.33
21 Shawn Marion -0.36
22 Klay Thompson -0.37
23 Jason Terry -0.42
24 Jeremy Lamb -0.45
25 Wesley Matthews -0.50
26 Nicolas Batum -0.51
27 Andrew Harrison -0.51
28 Glenn Robinson III -0.59
29 Tony Snell -0.67
30 Bradley Beal -0.68
31 Dwyane Wade -0.71
32 CJ McCollum -0.84
33 Seth Curry -0.88
34 Justin Anderson -0.91
35 Joe Johnson -0.94
36 Courtney Lee -1.02
37 Tyreke Evans -1.07
38 Ben McLemore -1.11
39 Dion Waiters -1.16
40 Pat Connaughton -1.16
41 JR Smith -1.19
42 Caris LeVert -1.20
43 Evan Fournier -1.20
44 Wayne Ellington -1.22
45 Lance Stephenson -1.24
46 Rodney Hood -1.32
47 JJ Redick -1.48
48 DeMar DeRozan -1.50
49 Alec Burks -1.57
50 Mike Miller -1.58
51 Gerald Green -1.59
52 Alex Abrines -1.61
53 Gary Harris -1.62
54 Buddy Hield -1.64
55 Eric Gordon -1.70
56 Ian Clark -1.82
57 Allen Crabbe -1.90
58 Bryn Forbes -1.97
59 Patrick McCaw -2.02
60 Terrence Ross -2.04
61 Jodie Meeks -2.10
62 Nik Stauskas -2.14
63 Nick Young -2.21
64 Arron Afflalo -2.35
65 Jordan Crawford -2.49
66 Lou Williams -2.74
67 Markel Brown -2.79
68 Marco Belinelli -2.86
69 Devin Booker -3.02
70 Troy Daniels -3.03
71 Shabazz Muhammad -3.24
72 Jamal Crawford -3.61

POINT GUARD
1 Dejounte Murray 2.19
2 Ricky Rubio 1.83
3 Chris Paul 1.79
4 Kyle Lowry 1.10
5 Jrue Holiday 1.00
6 Eric Bledsoe 1.00
7 Marcus Smart 0.92
8 Patrick Beverley 0.84
9 Fred VanVleet 0.81
10 Mario Chalmers 0.74
11 Tyus Jones 0.61
12 Stephen Curry 0.56
13 Delon Wright 0.39
14 Yogi Ferrell 0.34
15 Russell Westbrook 0.19
16 George Hill 0.18
17 Raul Neto 0.12
18 Michael Carter-Williams 0.11
19 Shaun Livingston 0.10
20 Jeremy Lin 0.09
21 John Wall 0.02
22 Mike Conley 0.01
23 Spencer Dinwiddie -0.23
24 T.J. McConnell -0.29
25 Terry Rozier -0.37
26 Dante Exum -0.39
27 Ish Smith -0.42
28 Rajon Rondo -0.44
29 Elfrid Payton -0.46
30 Kris Dunn -0.47
31 Matthew Dellavedova -0.53
32 Jeff Teague -0.55
33 Malcolm Delaney -0.58
34 Devin Harris -0.60
35 Patty Mills -0.63
36 Kemba Walker -0.63
37 Malcolm Brogdon -0.63
38 Jerian Grant -0.66
39 Cameron Payne -0.74
40 Tim Frazier -0.74
41 Shabazz Napier -0.75
42 Cory Joseph -0.88
43 Goran Dragic -1.02
44 Raymond Felton -1.09
45 James Harden -1.10
46 Reggie Jackson -1.12
47 Shelvin Mack -1.17
48 Shane Larkin -1.18
49 Jarrett Jack -1.25
50 Tony Parker -1.39
51 Jose Calderon -1.43
52 Damian Lillard -1.46
53 Ramon Sessions -1.53
54 Ty Lawson -1.56
55 Darren Collison -1.72
56 Joe Young -1.72
57 Jameer Nelson -1.83
58 Jamal Murray -1.95
59 Derrick Rose -1.97
60 Isaiah Canaan -1.97
61 Jerryd Bayless -2.06
62 Kyrie Irving -2.10
63 Austin Rivers -2.11
64 Brandon Knight -2.30
65 Aaron Brooks -2.34
66 J.J. Barea -2.48
67 Dennis Schroder -2.53
68 D'Angelo Russell -2.55
69 D.J. Augustin -2.62
70 Isaiah Thomas -2.63
71 Jordan Clarkson -2.65
72 Emmanuel Mudiay -2.69
73 Trey Burke -2.95
74 Zach LaVine -3.46

this is so great.

since you seem to have the data in a spreadsheet, any chance you want to share the 2/3/4yr splits too?

[cupcakesnake]

So the interesting question is: how far would a team with

PG: Murray
SG: Roberson
SF: Leonard
PF: Green
C: Gobert

go?

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I would want to watch one game for the experiment.
- You could triple Kawhi in most situations.
- The opposing team would have no way to gain any matchup advantage. They'd have to force a tough shot on almost every possession - (just like this defensive team would due to lack of shooting)
- It wouldn't look like basketball as we've come to know it. It would be a wrestling match of taking tough shots.

[Chinook]

I don't like how this data is cut. Murray has only been in the league two seasons and only been a starter for one. He shouldn't get to average that time against guys who've been in the league way longer. It should be cut to account for longevity while emphasizing recent play. As it is now, it's caught in that gap where it neither works as a historical view nor as evidence for who is currently the best.

[mademan]

2 of the 5 best defensive point guards of the past 5 years have barely stood 6 foot tall (Paul and Lowry). Dont talk about undersized on D; its all about hustle, quickness and BBIQ.

[PharmD]

I don't like how this data is cut. Murray has only been in the league two seasons and only been a starter for one. He shouldn't get to average that time against guys who've been in the league way longer. It should be cut to account for longevity while emphasizing recent play. As it is now, it's caught in that gap where it neither works as a historical view nor as evidence for who is currently the best.

Agree. OP please update to show that Ricky Rubio is the best.

[Magic_Johnny12]

Patiently waiting to hear the reasoning why Steven Adams is considered an elite defender around these parts and Nikola Vucevic is considered one of the worst. Genuine question/debate. It's comical the praise SA gets and overblown hate NV gets.

[Chinook]

Patiently waiting to hear the reasoning why Steven Adams is considered an elite defender around these parts and Nikola Vucevic is considered one of the worst. Genuine question/debate. It's comical the praise SA gets and overblown hate NV gets.

When I read SA and NV, I thought you mean San Antonio and Nevada. I was originally going to come in and defend the Spurs' performances but was really confused as to which team played in Vegas.