When NBA fans reminisce about All-Time defenders, pioneers like Bill Russell are among the first names to come to mind. All-time block leader Hakeem Olajuwan's name comes up almost immediately after. The Scottie Pippens' of the world, Gary Payton, and even Kevin Garnetts' name might appear before the great Tim Duncan.
Duncan has the most All-Defensive team selections ever, with 15 entries. But Duncan isn't looked at in that light from the casual viewpoint. A missing gem in his jewelry box is the main culprit of Duncan's underrated career.
Like Bam Adebayo, Tim Duncan went his whole career without winning a Defensive Player of the Year award. Yet that doesn't stop people from recognizing his greatness.
Claiming zero Defensive Player of the Year awards in Duncan's 19-year career is one of the biggest travesties the league has seen. When you consider that Duncan won a championship in just his second year (Finals MVP, too), it's even wilder that history doesn't show that he was maybe the best rim protector ever. Winning titles is usually a recipe for media respect, but not for Timmy in this race.
Duncan's ability to protect the rim vertically without fouling is up there with the best of them. He played in an era where rim protection was more valuable than today because of the lack of space; it's mindboggling that Duncan didn't take home that hardware at least once.
The eye test and team defense (usually a driving factor for the DPOY winner) were also in Duncan's favor. He anchored six #1, five #2, and four #3 defenses. Tim Duncan didn't know what it felt like to not be on a top 5 defense for the first 12(!) seasons of his career. That's an insane level of consistency.
Duncan may not receive the lion's share of the credit due to the pieces around him. The greatest coach of All Time, Greg Popovich, was by Duncan's side every year of his career. Duncan had the luxury of playing alongside 1995 MVP David Robinson for the first portion of his career. San Antonio employed the best perimeter defender in the league on two separate occasions during Duncan's tenure. Bruce Bowen and Kawhi Leonard were devious defensive menaces.
That said, Duncan was still the man in the middle, making everything go. With Duncan on the backline, perimeter defenders could gamble like they had a personal dealer. He cleaned up any mistake his teammates made by staying vertical at the hoop, deterring most comers.
Detering shots without fouling is essential in elite rim protection. According to Cleaning The Glass, Duncan was in the 90th percentile in block and foul rates amongst qualified bigs more times than not.
Tim Duncan was incredible pic.twitter.com/dajGsK7utq
— Brennan Sims (@SmokeSolezNBA) September 11, 2024
Though his stats and film were elite, Duncan was always set to the side for the new, shiny toy. Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo finds himself walking a similar path.
Adebayo has led the Heat to high defensive rankings and is lauded by many as the most versatile defender in the world. Since becoming a full-time starter, he's practically led the Heat to a top-10 defense every year. Like Duncan, Adebayo's defense has been illuminated on the brightest stage, anchoring two defenses en route to the NBA Finals.
Duncan and Adebayo don't carry themselves with brash arrogance, nor do they have the most eye-popping defensive stats. That's the defense issue, though; stats will never tell the whole story. Blocks and steals do not automatically equal good defense. A big may never get blocks because he's shutting off lanes to the rim, that's better than offensive weapons getting a shot attempt.
Adebayo also suffers from greatness around him, just like Duncan does. Gregg Popovich is my GOAT coach, but Erik Spoelstra isn't far behind. He's the best coach in the league today, and he's proven he can help superstar talent gel together and get the most out of out-of-sight, out-of-mind role players. Spo receives a lot of credit for the Heat's consistently great defenses.
Jimmy Butler is Bam's Kawhi and Bowen. Buter, who's made All-Defense five times, has been one of the stingiest defenders since his Marquette days. Butler is sensational in the passing lane, constantly baiting passes like the great Ed Reed did at safety. Butler's a thief in the night who never gets caught. He and Leonard are the only players with more career steals than fouls. Butler receives the credit he deserves, and rightfully so.
Those things ring true, but it starts and ends with Bam. Butler can't gamble successfully as he does without Bam covering up for him. Spo can't run any type of defense at an elite level if you subtract Adebayo.
Victor Webmanyama is today's new, shiny toy. He's opening the 2024-25 season as the DPOY favorite. Bam has his work cut out for him, as many pundits believe Wemby will dominate this award for the foreseeable future. I'm confident Bam will get one DPOY. He's been in the race for five straight years and may get the 2008 Kobe Bryant MVP treatment later in his prime. But if he doesn't, he'll join Duncan on the list of All-Time defenders without the coveted DPOY.