On Tuesday, Bleacher Report posted an article ranking the NBA’s 99 best defenders of all time. As with all lists of this nature, there has been much debate among fans about who is improperly ranked.
One active NBA player who may not be too fond of the list is Draymond Green. He may be fine with being placed as the 10th-best defender of all time, but Green probably isn’t thrilled with who is ranked directly ahead of him. Bleacher Report has Rudy Gobert at ninth.
Comparing the two isn't an easy endeavor
Ranking the best defenders of all time isn’t easy. You have to account for different eras and players of many sizes who have completely different roles on the defensive end. How do you rank a relative newcomer such as Victor Wembanyama or other active players like OG Anunoby and Derrick White? Both Green and Gobert are active, but in the back nine of their careers at the ages of 36 and 34, respectively. Both have racked up a multitude of defensive accolades and honors in their careers.
In 14 years, Green has won one Defensive Player of the Year award and has been named to nine All-Defensive teams—five first teams and four second teams. In one fewer season, Gobert is tied for the NBA record with four Defensive Player of the Year awards, and he has also made nine All-Defensive teams—eight first teams and one second team.
Minnesota Timberwolves fans have gotten quite used to how the team's defense falls off precipitously whenever Gobert is off the floor. Per Cleaning the Glass, Minnesota gave up 11.8 points per 100 possessions less with Gobert on the court, and the opposition's effective field goal percentage dropped 4.1 percent.
They are arguably the two premier defenders of the last decade-plus. Green is a menace and more comfortable out on the perimeter, but he’s not the rim deterrent that the 7-foot-1 Gobert is. So, in order to rank them, it may come down to whose strengths you value more.
Beef has lingered for years
Of course, Green would say he’s the better defensive player of all time. It’s safe to say Gobert would say the same about himself. There have been numerous jabs between them throughout the years. Green has made fun of Gobert for getting emotional after not being named to the All-Star Game in 2019.
A few years later, Gobert made a subliminal tweet clearly aimed at Green after he punched Jordan Poole in practice, saying, "Insecurity is always loud". Green posted the same tweet when Gobert swung at Kyle Anderson as the team sat on the bench during a timeout.
There was also the infamous moment in 2023 when Green caught Gobert in a chokehold after Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson got into a shoving match. Some have speculated that Draymond's disdain for Rudy comes from the fact that Gobert has four DPOYs to Green's one.
In any event, it will be interesting to see if Green addresses this on his next podcast if he’s aware of the list.
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