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NBA players who rack up steals and blocks are often lauded for their statistical impact on the game, but deflections are another story. The stat is one that doesn't appear on the basic box-score view, making it an often-overlooked one.
Nevertheless, the impact deflections have on games can't be denied, as they help create fastbreak opportunities and defensive openings. While NBA players like reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jarren Jackson Jr get mentioned the most while discussing elite defenders, deflections are a different story.
In terms of the most deflections per game, Nikola Jokic sits tied in third place among NBA players, an impressive feat given that many overlook his defense, but what about young players?
Which young players have impacted the game on the defensive end through deflections? Let's take a look at the four NBA players under 21 with the most deflections this season.
NBA players under 21 with the most deflections this season
Here are the top four:
#4 Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers) - 35
Shaedon Sharpe may not rank in the top 10 for deflections per game or total deflections across the league. The second-year player is fresh off a season where he played a whopping 80 games, averaging 22.2 minutes per game for the Blazers.
While he only averaged .5 steals per game last season, he has made strides on defense this year, averaging 1.1 steals per game. Sharpe has recorded 35 deflections this season despite the Portland Trail Blazers' struggles in the Western Conference.
#3 Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons) - 38
Although the Detroit Pistons have posted one of the worst records in the NBA this season despite the return of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson has looked good. Through his first 18 games, Thompson has averaged 29.7 minutes per game, racking up 1.1 steals per game.
At just 20, the former Florida State champ has racked up 38 deflections, showing that he has great awareness of the passing lanes, even as a rookie.
#2 Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) - 47
A name that should come as no surprise, Victor Wembanyama, thanks to his length, hs an incredibly unique advantage on defense.
As we saw early in the season, even when the French star appeared to be too far out of position to make a defensive play on the ball, his long reach allowed him to make those plays.
Wembanyama doesn't rank in the top ten for total deflections or for deflections per game, but there's one NBA player under 21 who tops both categories.
#1 Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans) - 66
Dyson Daniels not only leads players under 21 for the most deflections this season but also leads the entire NBA in deflections per game and overall deflections. A second-year player for the New Orleans Pelicans, Daniels has shown impressive situational awareness when playing passing lanes.
In 19 games this season,Daniels has averaged 1.6 steals per game, tied for sixth place in the league.
While deflections are often an overlooked part of statistics, given that they are a part of detailed analytics, they paint a much bigger picture. While steals and blocks fill the stat sheet and make highlight reels, deflections create openings for big plays in transition.
Although the expectation may be that players like Victor Wembanyama who boast advantageous wingspans would lead the league, Dyson Daniels defies the odds. Despite the obvious physical advantages a long wingspan provides, situational awareness seems to be the major key to NBA players' success in passing lanes.
