Howard is the strongest defensive player in the 21st century? Not so, Duncan is

On May 14, in the long history of the NBA, the greatness of the defensive end is often not as dazzling as scoring, but those who truly understand the ball know that defense is the cornerstone of the championship. When people discuss the strongest defensive player of the 21st century, the name of "Warcraft" Dwight Howard is often mentioned - the three-time best player (DPOY), five rebounding kings, and two block kings. These hard honors are indeed dazzling. But if you analyze the nature of defense and its influence on the team in depth, Tim Duncan is the seriously underestimated defensive master. He did not have the crown of the DPOY trophy, but he built the most indestructible defense line of the Spurs dynasty with his stable performance for nineteen years.

###1. The defensive philosophy behind the data: Howard's limitations and Duncan's comprehensiveness

Howard's defensive peak was concentrated in 2009-2011. His exaggerated bounce and explosive power made him the "flying barrier" in the penalty area. In the 2008-09 season, his average of 2.9 blocks + 13.8 rebounds per game was indeed shocking, but if he looked at his defensive method in detail: relying on physical fitness to chase the big hat can easily lead to defensive loss, while his over-focused data also led to his high foul rate (3.4 times per game). The "one-star" system in the Magic period amplified his basket protection value, but when he encountered a technical inside line (such as Gasol's low single in the 2009 Finals), Howard's weakness of single defensive skills was exposed.

In contrast, Duncan's defensive data seem plain (2.2 blocks per game + 10.8 rebounds per game) but it contains ultimate efficiency. The Spurs' defensive system is based on "sense of position", and Duncan's position selection is at the textbook level: he rarely jumps and blocks, but instead uses his opponent's breakthrough route to interfere with his height of 2.11 meters and his wingspan of 2.30 meters. The 2002-03 season was its defensive peak. When facing the Nets in the playoffs, he allowed Kenyon Martin's shooting percentage to plummet from 52% in the regular season to 34%. What's even more terrifying is that Duncan's defensive influence covers the entire game: he can switch to outside players (a key round of defending Billups in the 2005 Finals), and can also command teammates to rotate and fill up the position - this kind of "defensive commander" role is a realm Howard has never reached.

###2. The dimension of team defense: from personal honors to championship passwords

DPOY has natural flaws: it prefers players with data explosion, but ignores the value of the core of the system. Ben Wallace and Mutombo won 6 DPOYs in total, but their team's defensive efficiency has never reached the level of the Spurs in the same period. From 2003 to 2007, the Spurs were in the top two in the league for four consecutive years of defensive efficiency, and Duncan was the soul of this system. Popovich once admitted: "Tim's defensive IQ allows us to perform any tactics, he is like another coach on the court. "

After Howard left the Magic, his defensive influence dropped sharply. When he joined the Rockets in 2013, his efficiency in protecting the rim had dropped to the middle of the league, and during the Lakers it became a loophole in pick-and-roll defense. In contrast, Duncan, even at the age of 38 (2014 Finals), he was able to reduce the Heat’s three penalty zone scores by 11% compared to the regular season through precise defense. Behind this longevity is the ultimate polishing of basic skills - Duncan's "scrubbing defense" (using rebounding angles to block shots) and "vertical jumping principle" (blocking skills that do not easily foul), which are still the gold standard for inside defense.

###33. Defensive value under the test of the times: From O'Neal to Curry, it is necessary to examine its adaptability in different eras. Howard's defensive peak coincides with the decline of the traditional NBA center. He mainly fights against insiders such as Hawyce and McGee. Duncan's career spans two eras: he took O'Neal in the early stage (limiting the Sharks' shooting percentage to 45% in the Western Conference Finals in 2002), and replaced Parker and Curry in the later stage (successfully defended the Warriors' pick-and-roll in the 2013 playoffs). This defensive elasticity that transcends the era is comparable to only Kevin Garnett in NBA history.

The core defensive indicator of modern basketball - the real positive and negative value of defense (DRPM) is more telling: Duncan's career DRPM is as high as +4.3, ranking first among all power forwards in history; Howard was only +3.1 at his peak, and has never exceeded +3.5 in a single season. When the Spurs used their team defense to dismember the Heat in 2014, ESPN's tactical analysis pointed out: "Duncan's deterrence at the weak side of the 45-degree angle is equivalent to automatically reducing the Heat's breakthrough efficiency by 15%. "

###4. GOAT without DPOY: Historical defensive legacy

Duncan missed DPOY, which is one of the biggest unjust cases in the NBA. When he lost to Mutombo in 2001, the Spurs had the first defensive efficiency in the league, while the Hawks ranked only 12th; it was even more ridiculous to lose to Camby in 2007 - the Nuggets ranked only 16th in defensive efficiency, and Camby's high block data came from the data swiping behavior after giving up the position. But time will eventually give a fair evaluation: when the NBA officially selected the 75 stars in history in 2020, Duncan ranked third in all insides, second only to Russell and Olajuwon.

Now that Jokic and Embiid are rising in the new era, their offensive skills are amazing, but they are still hard to match Duncan's defense. When Howard enjoyed the end of his career in the Taiwan League, Duncan's defensive philosophy was still continuing with the Spurs - Wenban Yama's defensive training schedule, the first one was "learning Duncan's penalty area footsteps". Perhaps this is the ultimate defensive definition: not a hot pot feast in the spotlight, but a turning the entire team into an airtight wall. As Kobe said in 2016: "The most terrifying defender is not the few blocks you see, but the fact that you can't find a comfortable phone call all night - this is Tim Duncan. "