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#3 Shane Battier
Shane Battier is one of the most undermined defenders of 2000s NBA league. The guy was an absolute menace on the court. He was from a thought school where numbers and statistics did not mean a thing, impact on the game did. And even though his numbers and stats were not extraveggant, Shane's defensive impact for the Houston Rockets was intense.
One of the few defenders given the prestigious title of Kobe Bryant stopper, Shane used creative means to protect his team from a hungry Bryant's offensive assault. Battier would stick to Kobe, putting his hands up to cover the Black Mamba's eyes. He was also a tenacious ball player at the same time.
He takes third spot on this list for also being a three-pointer threat. He was obviously not as great a perimeter shooter as Kyle Korver, but his overall defensive potential and arc-shooting combined places him above Korver.
#2 Danny Green
Danny Green is a player that NBA coaches need on their roster for two particular reasons: first, stretch the opposition defense and knock down threes and second, strip the opposition off their possession.
Danny wasn't always a brilliant 3-and-D player, and surely not worthy of being second on the list of the best in the history of NBA. However, as his time in the league has gone one, Danny has become a reliable scorer from beyond the three-point line and also a great threat to the opponent's ball.
While playing for the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14, Danny Green averaged 2.1 threes per game in the playoffs. He also averaged 1.4 steals and 0.9 turnovers for the Spurs in their NBA Championship winning run.
#1 Robert Horry
In this fan video of seven-time NBA Champion Robert Horry, Horry declares the following:
Robert Horry: Here’s the thing that people are so stupid about. They measure great players by how many championships they win. It’s the stupidest thing.
That’s like saying Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing are not great players.”
The humble Robert Horry is our number one pick as the best 3-and-D role player in the history of the NBA. Horry was averaging 2.6 threes in the 1995-96 postseason, almost two decades before Curry would usher in the three-point era. To score 7.8 points of 13.1 points per game in the 1996 playoffs is incredible
.
Along with these numbers from the distance, Robert was also averaging 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.9 turnovers. A truly exceptional 3-and-D player. Along with Danny Green, Robert Horry is one of only four players in the history of the NBA to win a championship with three different teams.
