2019 NBA Awards Season

Who were the best defenders in the NBA in 2018–19?

Offense gets all the glory, but defense wins championships. Let’s pick All Defense teams and a Defensive Player of the Year…

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS. It’s a tried and true adage, a tale as old as time, a cliche we’ve heard a million times. But as with many cliches, we hear it so much because it’s true. Only half the game of basketball is offense. Defense matters too, and in our hurry to focus on triple-doubles and 50-point games, we often lose sight of what’s happening on the other end of the court.

Anyone that says “Nobody plays defense in the NBA anymore” isn’t watching the games. Yes, offenses are better than ever, but so are defenses. Schemes have gotten more complicated than ever before and players are constantly switching and rotating, expected to move all possession long and cover multiple guys on the same possession. On offense, the worst player can stand in the corner and hope for an open shot. The worst defensive player gets hunted mercilessly. An offense is limited by a team’s strongest link, but with defense, the weakest link stands out.

Still, some individuals are so good at defense that they rise above the rest and elevate their team. Let’s recognize those players by selecting a 2019 First and Second Team All Defense and then fill out a three-man Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) ballot.