Fansided

Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert highlight the NBA’s All-Defensive teams

By Akash Anavarathan

Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) passes the ball out against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) passes the ball out against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The NBA announced its All-Defensive teams ahead of the NBA Awards show on Monday night. Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert had the highest voting totals.

The NBA Awards are coming in far later than most years. The NBA Finals are over, a champion has been crowned, new rookies have been drafted, yet we still don’t know who the MVP is.

The first set of awards have started to roll in, starting with the NBA’s All-Defensive teams. All season long, the question was who Defensive Player of the Year was, but there wasn’t much doubt who would be on First Team All-Defense.

On the All-Defensive First Team, Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert were neck and neck for the highest voting totals. This might signal that Warriors’ star has the edge over Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year, but we’ll have to wait till Monday night to find out.

Green has been on the All-Defensive First Team for three years in a row now, as he shows off his dominance on that end of the floor. This was Gobert’s first selection to the All-Defensive First Team.

Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and Patrick Beverley round out the five best defenders in the NBA. Chris Paul has continued to be on all-defensive teams, while Leonard is the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Beverley is known for his tenacity and harassment on defense.

The Second Team All-Defense features Danny Green, Tony Allen and Andre Roberson. All solid wing defenders for their respective teams. It also has newcomers Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Next: 5 offseason targets for the Oklahoma City Thunder

Some snubs for the all-defensive teams include Klay Thompson — who showed off his prowess in the NBA Finals and Avery Bradley who’s as good as anyone on the list. These are the NBA’s best defenders, so opposing offenses should beware and scheme away from these players.

Home/NBA