Is NBA All-Defensive team positionless?

The All-NBA season awards have always been a position-based recognition in the league including the All-Defensive team category. This rule has resulted in mixed reactions from some players and the media. It limits the chances of other great defenders in the league to receive the same recognition as they play a position filled with tremendous defenders.

So, is the NBA All-Defensive team positionless? During the 2023 offseason, the league shifted toward a new direction when it made the award positionless. It makes for more flexibility in which players become eligible to be included.

With several players showcasing their defensive tenacity throughout this season, it remains to be seen how their production will be affected by this rule change. Interestingly, this could also lead to some elite defenders who haven't been included in an NBA All-Defensive team.

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Which NBA player never received a nod for All-Defensive team?

Throughout the league's history, several excellent basketball defenders couldn't receive NBA All-Defensive Team honors playing in the league.

So, which basketball player could never cut the All-Defensive team? Four-time NBA All-Star Shawn Marion, one of the most versatile defenders throughout his career, couldn't.

Marion played in 18 NBA seasons and earned a reputation for being one of the best two-way players. He peaked in nine seasons for the Phoenix Suns. However, the team was not the best defensively compared to how they ran their offense.

He also played in an era when several elite defenders were playing the forward position. The list included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Andrei Kirlenko, whose defense impacted their team immensely. However, despite his long professional career, he never managed to be included not even once for the accolade.

Marion had a 101.5 defensive rating in the professional league, one of the best statistical defensive ratings back then. Be that as it may, it was not enough to warrant his inclusion, which "The Matrix" wondered himself, as per The Athletic's Michael Lee.

"I'm not knocking, but how do you justify giving Draymond Green, Defensive Player of the Year?" Marion asked. "I guarded way more people than he did. It's easy to play small ball now and guard people. It's not hard now. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, the guys that got elected into the Hall of Fame, I'm guarding these guys every night."

It's challenging enough to win a game in the league but even more challenging to secure an accolade.