Ask any number of fans what the object of the game of basketball is and you’ll likely hear something about putting the ball in the basket and having more points at the end of the game than your opponent. While that is not incorrect, you are less likely to hear a response that discusses limiting the opponent to as few points as possible while your team scores as many points as possible, resulting in more points at the end of the game than your opponent. This is not an incorrect answer, either. But as is the case in most sports, the offense gets the glory. In the NBA in particular, events over time have helped accentuate the idea that the other end of the basketball court–the defensive end–remains mostly an afterthought, at least until late in the postseason.
BILL RUSSELL
Not long after (translation: the same day as) the July 31st news of the passing of the legendary Bill Russell had circulated, amidst all the accolades was the predictable slithering in of the silly G.O.A.T., basketball’s Mount Rushmore, all-time rankings, and “Today’s Athletes vs. Yesterday’s Plumbers” arguments. On their faces, the debates comparing basketball eras are pointless, but Russell’s penchant for anchoring defenses while winning titles at every level remains unmatched in the history of the sport.
Either Russell’s knowledge of the opponent’s offensive tendencies, shot-blocking, shot-blocking to change possession, and defensive rebounding prowess were crucial to the United States winning Olympic Gold in 1956, the University of San Francisco’s two championships, and the eleven Boston Celtic titles, or championship trophies just tended to follow him around. Nonetheless, that buckets weren’t the strong point of his game is still, in the eyes of some, considered a flaw worthy of an all-time ranking below that of more prolific scorers who haven’t won nearly as much.
THE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
While there are no clear standards for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, some selections are obvious. Dominant scorers and two-way players–championship winners or not–and otherwise key contributors to multiple title winners are places to start, and even those latter selections aren’t without controversy. Only the “career 25 points-per-game scorer” is generally considered to be a “definite first-ballot Hall of Famer,” three full seasons after retirement, regardless of career postseason advancement, or lack thereof.
Dennis Rodman was a dominant defensive player and rebounder during his 14-year NBA career than included five championships, and he was a key player in each one. He averaged at least 15 rebounds per game during one seven-year stretch. But his NBA career scoring average of 7.3 points per game led some to believe he was not a Hall of Fame player. So there was intense debate from the time he stopped playing in the NBA in 2000 (and overseas in 2006 )until his 2011 induction, but there should not have been.
Ben Wallace was also a star on the defensive end, winning multiple awards and earning All-League honors for five consecutive seasons (2002 through 2006) despite averaging less than ten points per game in each of those seasons. He was an All-Star selection and NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-2004 season. But after his retirement as an NBA player in 2012, he had to wait nine years for Hall of Fame induction. Without much effort, you can still find articles entitled “Should Ben Wallace Be a Hall of Famer?” Of course, he should. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even drafted out of college.
Dennis Johnson was a winner. Right in the middle of three championships squads, one with the Seattle Supersonics and two with the Boston Celtics, “DJ” was a fixture on the NBA’s All-Defensive Teams earning either a First or Second Team selection in nine of his 14 NBA seasons. He wasn’t a scorer, but he could score, especially in the clutch. He was neither a point guard nor a shooting guard–he was just a guard. Did whatever was needed. The fact that his selection–posthumously–into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 came 20 years after his last NBA appearance as a player can only be attributed to his averaging “only” 14 points-per-game for his career, and that’s jacked up.
Maurice Cheeks was a pure point guard. Seldom looked to shoot, got the ball into the right hands on offense, and locked in on the opposing point guard while effectively playing the passing lanes on defense. A four-time All-Star, NBA champion with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983, and a regular on the NBA All-Defensive Team, Cheeks was not known as a scorer, averaging 11 points per game over his 15-year career. He finally got the call as a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2018, 25 years after his last NBA game as a player.
And count on it, in a few years a couple of key members of the Golden State Warriors championship runs will be the subjects of hot debate regarding their Hall of Fame credentials. Draymond Green (really the defensive anchor and ball distributor on four title teams) at less than ten points per game and Andre Iguodala (four titles and Finals MVP in 2015) do not have the offensive stats needed for first-ballot consideration, but should both get the nod based on their contributions. From conversations we’re hearing and seeing already, not everyone will be happy about that. And that’s OK.
THE RUDY GOBERT TRADE AND DONOVAN MITCHELL RUMORS
Rudy Gobert spent his first nine NBA seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz. During that time, he has been named to the NBA All-Star Team and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year three times, was the rebounding champion in 2021-22, and has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team six times. The Jazz were clearly a better defensive unit with Gobert on the court.
Last month, the Jazz traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package including four veterans, the rights to Minnesota’s 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, four future first-round picks, and the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026.
The chatter suggesting that Minnesota overpaid for Gobert and his 12 points-per-game average only grew louder when the news spread that the Jazz were having trade discussions involving veteran guard Donovan Mitchell as well. Surely, if the Jazz were able to get a package involving five first-round picks for a non-scorer like Rudy Gobert, they should be able to pull down at least six picks–and maybe more–for a career 24-points-per-game scorer like Donovan Mitchell, right?
But consider this. Gobert and Donovan have been teammates for five seasons. Both have been the team’s “go-to” guy on opposite ends of the court. During those five seasons, the Jazz have won 57 percent of their regular-season games. Though the sample size is small, the Jazz have won 56 percent (25 wins, 20 losses) of the games Mitchell has missed, and have won 42 percent (20 wins, 28 losses) Gobert has missed. Of course, there may be other factors involved in those records, but does this mean Gobert was more valuable to the Jazz than Mitchell based on the team’s performance during their absences? Is Mitchell more valuable despite that because he has a higher scoring average?
I don’t know the answer to either question, especially with the reduced offensive role of the basketball big these days, but I do know there are two ends of the court that matter, both make an impact on one of those ends, and defensive centers who impact a game like Gobert are rare in today’s version of the sport. It’s not a given that a trade involving Mitchell should pull down more draft picks.
THE OTHER END OF THE BASKETBALL COURT
Basketball did not become globally popular because of defense. Most basketball fans do not long for the days when neither team tallied 90 points for the entire game. When I was growing up, no one was emulating TR Dunn or Dudley Bradley defensive footwork during pickup games. The days of blocking a shot in a way that allows the defensive team to take possession of the ball are gone. All-Star Weekend was not designed with the defensive stopper in mind. Most of the recent rule changes in the NBA are designed to make the defensive player timid. The off-season videos we see of players getting summertime work in and participating in Pro-Am leagues are all about offense. Not many videos showing players working on defensive slides. Basketball is a sport, but it’s also entertainment, and offensive basketball, within reason, is entertaining.
But when it’s winning time, the other end of the basketball court–the defensive end–where all players spend half their time during game action, is every bit as important. Most of the league champions in recent years have given more than a passing interest to the defensive end of the court, including prolific scoring outfits like the recent versions of the Golden State Warriors. The top-performing franchises in the league have this in mind when drafting and trading for players, and when assembling a coaching staff.
As the NBA expands the number of potential playoff participants by adding the play-in tournament to include the 9th and 10th place teams in each conference, it’s already clear from the first few years with this format why the 9th and 10th place teams finished 9th and 10th.
They don’t defend.
How many times have you seen a highlight of a guy dunking on a defender’s head, his teammates jump off the bench running and laughing like Sammy Davis, Jr., then you look to the bottom of the TV screen and notice the dunker’s team was losing by 20 points at the time? Three-pointers, alley-oop dunks, and crossovers are nice but are made even more relevant when followed up with some activity on the defensive end if you’re playing to win. The record book speaks for itself.
