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The greatest players in the NBA are those who are able to consistently make a difference on both ends of the floor. Without a two-way game, no player has ever been considered among the world's top talents.
In the league today, we have a number of players who are proficient on both offense and defense. They give it their all on both ends of the floor every second that they're on the hardwood, and instead of gambling for highlight moments, these players play high-IQ basketball and try to make the right basketball play every time.
Coming up, we rank the 10 best players effective on both ends of the floor through the course of this regular season campaign. The following players have been left out of the top 10 either because they're no longer at the same level as before, or because of their injury-enforced absences:
(a) Kawhi Leonard
(b) LeBron James
(c) John Wall
Also read: Top 10 NBA Players under the age of 25
Our lineup of the top 10 two-players in the league right now is as follows:
#10 Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is one of the most underrated players in all of basketball. He's steadily building his case as the second-best three-point shooter of all time to upstage the likes of Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, who were deadly two-way players on their own right back in the day.
Thompson is No.5 in three-point shooting percentage this season with a conversion rate of 43.8%. He is posting per-game averages of 19.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He is ranked 14th on NBA.com's defensive winshares per game metric, and has a net rating of 10.9 points per 100 possessions.
He passes the eye test as well. He generally takes up the tougher guard assignment of the night while sharing the floor with Steph Curry, Quinn Cook or Shaun Livingston. He's always on the move, running an average of 2.49 miles per game to rank 13th in the league on that metric. There's no doubt that he's one of the most valuable players the Warriors have.
#9 Chris Paul
Chris Paul has been recognised for a long time as an elite defender. He's the all-time leader in steals titles with six, all of which came in a seven-year span from 2007-08 to 2013-14.
He has seven All-Defensive First Team selections (he's currently on a streak of 6 consecutive seasons and is on course for a 7th) and two Second Team selections over the last 11 seasons. Therefore, there is no scope for argument about his pedigree here.
However, since we're looking at metrics from this season, let's start off with the obvious stat - Paul has 1.7 steals per game and is playing lower minutes per game than he has in the last 11 years due to the fact that the Rockets have been so dominant this regular season.
He has a whopping net rating of 15.1 points per 100 possessions and owns the Rockets' second-best defensive rating of 103.8. With his offensive production of 18.5 points and 7.9 assists per game on 45.5% shooting from the floor and 37.9% shooting from three-point territory, Paul is playing as well as he ever has, and is on his way to another All-Defensive team selection.
#8 Draymond Green
The reigning DPOY winner is having a down season by his standards but is still possibly the one irreplaceable piece on the Warriors roster today.
For what it's worth, Draymond Green has still been one of the top four defensive players in the league this season. Nobody plays defense quite like this guy, who acts as a defensive quarterback and directs the switching schemes whenever he's on the floor.
He is definitely the best shot-contester in the league: if there's a shot within the reach of his 7'3" wingspan, he's going to do his utmost to alter it.
The metrics still rank Green as a premier defender. He ranks 17th in defensive win shares per game and owns the best defensive rating among the Warriors starters at 102.8. His net rating of 10.2 is terrific as well. He steals the ball 1.4 times every game and blocks 1.3 shots.
It is on offense that Green is having a down year mostly, in terms of shooting percentages particularly. Green is averaging more points per game than last year at 11.1, as well as more assists at 7.4, but his percentages are down to 45.3% and 30.8%. He does rank as one of the premier two-way players in the league, though.
#7 LaMarcus Aldridge
Following a major victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on the back of a monster game from LaMarcus Aldridge, point guard Dejounte Murray was gushing with praise for the six-time All Star, saying
He's a beast. He's not an All-Star, he's a superstar.
It's true. Without Aldridge's dominant play this season, the Spurs might very well have been racking up draft lottery balls for the first time since the 1996-97 season given the absence of their franchise player Kawhi Leonard due to injury.
Instead, they are sitting pretty at fifth place in the Western Conference standings and could garner homecourt advantage in the first round of playoffs depending on how the rest of their fixtures play out.
Aldridge has averaged 23.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.5 steals per game while playing lockdown defense for a Spurs team ranked third in the league in defensive rating.
Aldridge has a stingy defensive rating of 101.8 points per 100 possessions and ranks 11th league-wide in defensive win shares per game. He is indeed doing it all for the Spurs this season.
#6 Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has one of the most amazing zero-to-hero stories in all of basketball. It is his work ethic, dedication to improving his fundamentals and his zeal to add to his skillset every offseason that has driven him to four All-Star games, three All-NBA selections and three All-Defensive selections in a fledgling career.
Ever since he was traded to the Timberwolves last summer, he has gone on to become the centerpiece of the Minnesota franchise.
Averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game on a field goal percentage of 47.3%, Butler powered the franchise to third place in the Western Conference standings before going down with a meniscus injury in late February, virtually ensuring their first postseason appearance since 2004.
Butler guarded the best opposition player every night this season and led the Timberwolves in defensive win shares per game. Without his presence, the Wolves would probably be worse off than the 26th place they hold in defensive efficiency this year.
#5 Paul George
The Paul George trade has become a win-win for both the Indiana Pacers as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite what the detractors might have to say about the Thunder franchise's current predicament.
George has continued his excellent play during this regular season campaign. With him in the lineup, the Thunder have an option other than Russell Westbrook who can create offense for himself, as well as for others. Averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.5 blocks, George has the ability to stuff the stat sheet like few other perimeter players.
He is also a stingy defender, with his impact backed up by advanced defensive metrics. He ranks second to Andre Roberson in defensive win shares per game in the Thunder franchise, and they are two points worse off in defensive rating with him off the floor.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the most unstoppable physical force in basketball not named LeBron James.
The man, standing at 6'11", is second only to Westbrook in points scored off fast breaks. Routinely, he pulls off dunks and blocks - the likes of which get basketball fans wondering if they've ever seen the like of it from a player who's supposed to be a big man given his size.
Antetokounmpo is the life and soul of the Bucks franchise. His season averages of 27.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks have led the Bucks to a playoff spot this season (not yet mathematically confirmed, but it's probably happening), and if the Bucks had a competent coach leading them to a finish any higher than the 7th/8th seed, he would've been in the thick of the MVP conversations this season.
As things stand, Antetokounmpo is still a fringe contender for an award heavily touted to be going to James Harden at this point in the season.
He has the foot speed to cover point guards on defense, and the size and athleticism to guard centers. His versatility on both ends of the floor is keeping the Bucks afloat this season.
#3 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid's case for All-NBA and All-Defensive team selection speaks for itself. He is one of the frontrunners for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and is averaging 22.9 points, 11.0 points, 3.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.
He is the top post-up scorer in the league, and yet his shooting range stretches out till beyond the three-point arc.
The sight of Embiid leading a fast break or knocking down an open three-pointer in transition is not too uncommon, with the 7'2" Cameroonian making 30.8% of his 3.4 three-point shot attempts per game.
Nobody in the Eastern Conference has the size or length to guard him for extended periods, making him a big miss in the first round of playoffs for the Sixers (he is currently ruled out with an orbital fracture).
Embiid's opponents shoot just 42.0% with Embiid guarding them, including a staggeringly low 50.1% on field goals from less than six feet from the ring.
Embiid ranks eighth in defensive win shares per game among all players, and his defensive rating of 99.7 ranks second among all starting centers.
Embiid is an elite two-way force and will take the league by storm in the years to come.
#2 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is possibly the most underrated player on this list, due to the fact that he plays for a Pelicans franchise that has not yet unlocked the full potential of its roster - particularly this year. But don't let this detract you from Davis' historic season.
Davis ranks second in points per game this season at 28.1 points on 53.5% shooting from the field. He is also grabbing 11.1 rebounds, dishing out 2.3 dimes, stealing the ball 1.5 times and blocking shots 2.5 times per game.
Since DeMarcus Cousins' injury, he's gone on a tear to virtually ensure a playoff berth for the Pelicans in the torrid Western Conference playoff race.
Davis ranks 23rd in defensive win shares per game. With Davis off the court, the Pelicans' net rating drops from a healthy 3.5 points per 100 possessions to a dastardly -4.6 points, emphasizing his overall value to the team.
#1 Kevin Durant
Until the 2016-17 season, Kevin Durant was considered an adequate, even above-average defender despite him showing glimpses of his ability in his final few seasons with the Thunder.
He was burdened with high usage rates, as Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan staggered his minutes with Westbrook in order to give both of them adequate shots, but consequently increasing their workload.
It was with the well-settled Warriors setup that Durant was able to focus on his defense as his primary job. And boy, has he succeeded!
Durant currently sits at fourth in blocks per game this season, while his ability to switch onto any player in the league and stifle his opponent's offensive intentions has been elevated to a whole new level this year.
It became even more apparent at the end of the 2017 calendar year following Curry's ankle injury.
During this time, the Warriors became primarily a defense-first team, stifling opponents in the second and third quarters while converting those transition opportunities, directly courtesy of Durant on several occasions.
All-in-all, Durant's impact this season has him on the DPOY honours board for several critics.
Durant's case on offense does not need much convincing, but this season is his second-most efficient campaign considering that he's scoring 26.5 points per game on 51.7/42.5/89.0 splits from the floor while dishing out 5.4 assists.
Guess the Lakers players!
