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Defense is one the most important, yet underrated aspects of basketball. Fans want to see players scoring baskets, rather than stopping offensive runs. However, a strong defense complementing a potent offense is what wins a team championships. Most greats will be remembered for scoring, but some hard-working guys should be given much more credit, since stopping the best players in the world from scoring is equally tough.
This one is actually really close, but I’d have to go with Bill Russell (with Duncan as a close second). Russell, a 6”10 center, won 11 championships in his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, and it was mainly because of his defense.
He was a prolific rim-protector and was a dominant force on the defensive end. Wilt Chamberlain once himself said that Russell's timing as a shot-blocker was unparalleled. Steals and blocks were not recorded in his time, but it is said that he would have topped those lists if they were.
His numbers that are available, however, are staggering. Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds/game throughout his entire career. He was also a 4 time NBA rebounding champion, and is one of the only two players ever to grab more than 50 rebounds in a single game (along with Chamberlain).
Russell changed the way that centers were looked at. In that period, centers were defined by their offensive output, and their defense was considered secondary. Coaches aimed at using their height and strength to score baskets rather than prevent them.
Russell, however, dominated defensively, and changed the mindset with which centers were brought onto the floor. He played defense unorthodoxly - he was told to stay flat-footed, so he could react quicker, but he always jumped to make defensive plays. He also never purely guarded the opposing center, and switched to guards and forwards. Due to his lack of bulk, he could keep up with them with ease, and become an amazing perimeter defender, since he was as tall as a center but as quick as a guard.
He was considered an unmatched defender, for the intensity with which he played, his amazing basketball IQ, and his sheer will to win every game he played. He cemented himself as one of the best two-way players to ever play in the NBA and has made his place in history owing to his defense.
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