This season, Rudy Gobert is ranked 2nd in the NBA with an average of 2.8 blocks.
When the NBA released the second fan returns of All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&T last week, two players were conspicuously absent from the Top 10 at their respective positions.
Both of them are part of top contenders. Both possess All-Star credentials, so considering either of them as a stretch or an afterthought should be off the table. Both are experiencing seasons that are either as good as or superior to their previous ones.
Despite their prominence, Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons did not appear among the top 10 players in their respective positions – the Western Conference frontcourt and Eastern Conference backcourt – after tallying votes for two weeks. Interestingly, Simmons’ rank actually declined, falling from No. 10 in the first week to a lower position in the updated totals.
This strongly emphasizes the point: Offense is attractive, but defense? Not so much.
Gobert and Simmons are among the NBA’s most esteemed and efficient defenders, handling the crucial defensive end of the court, as it’s referred to throughout the coaching ranks in basketball. However, they’re no pushovers when it comes to offense, each serving a critical role for their respective teams – Gobert with the Utah Jazz and Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, their prowess truly lies in defense, yet they receive less All-Star voting attention than other players such as Andrew Wiggins, Christian Wood, Collin Sexton, the 2020-21 version of Russell Westbrook, and at least 16 others in their positions.
It’s almost like an updated version of the old baseball saying from 60 or 70 years ago, “Home run hitters drive Cadillacs, singles hitters drive Fords.” Or MLB’s 1999 variation (now considered embarrassing, in the wake of steroids scandals), “Chicks dig the long ball” bit.
In the current NBA scene, it’s safe to assert that fans are attracted to the long ball, with 3-pointers being shot from every angle by every player. While there’s no direct comparison in the automotive world, as NBA players under contract can drive any car they desire, one fact remains indisputable: Scoring drives not only the game but also the ratings and clicks.
Consider this: Last week, 10 players were leading in their respective positions, with three in each frontcourt, two in each backcourt, and five in each conference. Out of these 10, eight were ranked in the Top 10 for points per game. All of them were ranked in the Top 16, with LeBron James, the player with the most votes, ranked 16th with an average of 25.5 points per game.
The second returns for #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T!
VOTE NOW on https://t.co/LJPDRHEugp, the NBA App or on Twitter using #NBAAllStar #FirstNameLastName.
️: https://t.co/CXy9KEYXBe pic.twitter.com/Gv5wGSY55I
— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2021
From a certain perspective, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. All-Star Games revolve around scoring, as that’s the most definitive way to achieve stardom in this league. Furthermore, people’s voting choices are simply based on their preferences.
Many individuals consider All-Star invitations as accolades for outstanding half-season performances, victory, or a growing track record of basketball achievements. Gobert and Simmons, without a doubt, fit these criteria – yet, they failed to make it into the top 10.
They probably require more than just Simmons’ single 3-point field goal between them.
And given how much they share, maybe Simmons shouldn’t have gotten so, er, offensive about Gobert’s defense Monday night after scoring a career-high 42 against Utah (“I loved it when I saw Rudy was guarding me. … I felt like it was a little bit of a disrespect putting him on me.”). The Jazz, who went with that matchup when Sixers center Joel Embiid did not play, still won the game, after all.
Here are some statistical categories where the two defensive experts truly excel:
Simmons, a two-time All-Star as well as an All-Defensive Team selection and steals champ in 2019-20, ranked fourth in steals per game (1.7) through weekend action. He was first in deflections per game (4.1) and second in total deflections (98). The 6-foot-11 point guard also was second in loose balls recovered per game (1.5) and overall (36).
Then there’s Gobert, the NBA’s Kia Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 and, finally, a 2020 All-Star. He ranked first in defensive rebounds per game (9.8) and third overall (13.4). Second in blocks at 2.8 per game. His defensive rating (98.7) topped all NBA regulars and he ranked fourth in net rating (14.2).
The “Stifle Tower” was second in contested 2-point shots per game (11.6), per NBA.com stats, and third in contested shots overall (14.5 twos and threes). And among centers or forward/centers defending at least 10 shots per game, Gobert ranked first (18.1) and third in defended field-goal percentage, with opponents shooting 41.9% with the Jazz big man focused on them.
All of which helps to explain what we’re doing here. We already have the Kia Race To The MVP Ladder here, as well as the Kia Rookie Ladder to track the season-long jockeying for recognition among the league’s most valuable players and top newcomers. It seems appropriate that if we truly value the other half of the game, as we’re instructed constantly by coaches and many players, we have a regular round-up of some of the NBA’s best at thwarting all that marvelous scoring.
We’ll let the conference coaches decide whether to acknowledge top defenders like Gobert and Simmons as All-Stars when they vote for All-Star reserves. While we admit that analytics and its most fervent advocates have limitations in extracting numbers that wholly represent the defensive contribution of individuals in a team activity, we’ll mention but not solely rely on statistics.
We’ll attempt to measure the achievements of both interior and perimeter players, a task that voters for NBA Defensive Player of the Year face. We’ll search for a range of factors, from individual defensive performances to win-loss records, encompassing a multitude of elements such as standout plays or statistical data.
We aim to focus less on reputation and more on present productivity, though not strictly or consistently. We’ll also contemplate weekly nominees suggested by our readers, who may have been amazed by an extraordinary defensive performance that we might have missed.
There probably will be tweaks to the process and the product as we go, the way a pilot episode roughs out rather than immediately nails the eventual sitcom (remember “The Seinfeld Chronicles?”).
Temporarily setting aside the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo (current Kia Defensive Player of the Year), Kawhi Leonard (two-time Defensive Player of the Year), Draymond Green (2017 Defensive Player of the Year), Bam Adebayo, Patrick Beverley, Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday and many others who may be mentioned in the coming weeks, we present the inaugural Top 5 of the 2020-21 Defensive Player Ladder:
(All stats through Monday, Feb. 15)
1. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Understanding the defensive impact of Gobert can be quite difficult. Simply put, he’s more adept at defending pretty much anything. The statistics mentioned earlier speak volumes. His defensive prowess instills confidence in his four other Utah teammates on the court, who trust him to rectify their errors. There are innumerable shots that are not attempted and drives that are not made once opponents recall who’s guarding the hoop. Additionally, Gobert is leading the league this season in dunks, punishing others in a manner he seldom permits.
when you think you have rudy beat: no you don't#NBAAllStar | @rudygoberty27 pic.twitter.com/BoyWSgeQ4o
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) February 3, 2021
2. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
It wasn’t just Monday that Simmons dissed Gobert as a defensive frat brother. Early in the NBA shutdown last March, he took a drive-by swipe at the Jazz center while immersed in some video gaming. Hey, just like people bring different definitions to the word “valuable” when casting votes or forming opinions about MVP candidates, “defender” can be just as nebulous. The 6-foot-10 Simmons has the skills, height and inclination to tackle any defensive assignment, making nights miserable for individual scorers compared to Gobert making them long for entire teams.
Defense ⟶ Offense@BenSimmons25 x #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/6PtYyVwkln
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 13, 2021
3. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Indiana’s center led the league two seasons ago in blocked shots and blocks per game, and he’s right back there at the top this season with 90 total and a career-best 3.46 per game. That’s the third-highest average in the past 13 seasons, trailing only Hassan Whiteside’s 3.68 in 2015-16 and Serge Ibaka’s 3.65 in 2011-12. Turner and fellow Pacers big Domantas Sabonis have learned to play in tandem, proving naysayers wrong and enabling Sabonis to put up All-Star worthy numbers while Turner handles dirtier work.
️️
MYLES
SHOULD
BE
DPOY@Original_Turner | #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/tenuS8PmbT— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 16, 2021
4. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
He might slip off this list for a bit as he nurses his calf/Achilles back to health. So think of this as planting a flag before he goes for Davis, based on his body of work so far in 2020-21 and for the Lakers’ rank as the top team overall in defensive rating (105.1 points allowed per 100 possessions). There’s as big a gap in that category between them and No. 2 Utah (107.4) as there is from Utah to No. 9 San Antonio (109.7). Davis’ ability to guard all five spots if needed, while protecting the rim most nights, explains his second-place finish in DPOY voting last season — as well as why the Lakers will miss him so much as he recuperates for a few weeks from his calf injury/Achilles scare.
That Anthony Davis swat. That LeBron James finish. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/XlzrHAVOhI
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 5, 2021
5. Lugentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dort is here in the inaugural Ladder as a rep for all those players who have made and can make defense their calling card, as they work on the rest of their games. On the night last month when Dort stole the ball six times from Chicago, he also scored 21 points with eight rebounds. On Valentine’s Day against the Bucks, Dort had 19 points, seven boards and two steals. And as a 3-and-D guy, he has hit at least one from the arc in 21 of his 25 appearances. OKC has contested the most shots per game (64.7), grabbed the second-most clutch time steals (12) and rank eighth in recovering 3.4 loose ball defensively. This guy sets the tone for that.
ALWAYS BATTLING
ALWAYS ONWARD@ThunderUp | @luthebeast pic.twitter.com/0ETJjjllaV— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 11, 2021
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
