Charles Barkley v. Amare Stoudamire -- DEFENSE

[penbeast0]

Amare is the only really great offensive big that I can think of with a worse defensive rep than Barkley. How do they really compare during their primes?

Barkley advantages (career numbers):
Defensive rebounding 23.7 v. 19.5 (def reb rate)
Steal %: 2.1 v. 1.2 (though steals can be deceptive if you make bad gambling decisions)
Lower body strength, tough to move off a spot

Amare advantages:
Height 6'10 v. 6'6
Shotblocking 2.9 v. 1.4


I would also say Amare made less bonehead plays defensively, but played with less energy overall. I wouldn't trust either to guard a great big man, and I'd trust Amare more on a normal sized PF with the average type of game that each faced during their career (rather than try to measure them against a 2020s type stretch 4).

[SHAQ32]

Over the years, I've seen posters claim Barkley had stretches earlier in his career where he played defense. I've never seen anyone say anything remotely positive about Amare, defensively.

[penbeast0]

When he went to NY in 2011, there were articles on how he was more focused on defense.