Thompson, who beat the Nets 110-106 at home today and Thompson said In a post-game interview, He said Payton should be named The Defensive Player of the Season (DPOY). Thompson's words are not empty, and Payton has been very good defensively this season. In this game, the Nets wanted to devise a tactic in the final moments to create a three-point shooting opportunity for Irving. Unexpectedly, he was recognized by Payton at a glance, and he lost suspense after stealing.
Without talking about this game, let's take a look at Payton's defensive performance against several stars this season. The Warriors have two direct competitors in the West, the Suns and the Grizzlies. The former is first in the West and third in the West, with both teams having two excellent defender stars, Booker and Morant. How did Payton defend against these two stars? The Warriors and Grizzlies have played three games this season, in which Morant hit just two of his 12 shots in front of Payton and conceded all three of his three-point shots, which was very inefficient.
The Warriors have played two games with the Suns this season, in which Booker conceded six of seven shots in front of Payton and three-pointers again. Payton and the two stars have played a total of 5 games, and the sample size is not low. What level Booker and Morant are we all know. The slump of these two stars in front of Payton was enough to show Payton's defensive ability.
Shine at The Warriors Payton this year, the team has given him a lot of opportunities, and Payton has not wasted. Peyton has averaged just 17 minutes per game this season, but he has a staggering 1.3 steals, and if converted to 36 minutes, his number of turnovers will be close to three, which is a very terrible performance. As a defender with a height of only 1.90 meters, Payton has had 0.3 blocks this season, which can be close to 0.8 if converted to 36 minutes. And Payton has a very strong rebounding ability, this season he did not play much time, but he can grab 1.1 offensive rebounds. Payton's defensive efficiency this season is 99.1, which means that Payton has conceded less than 100 points per 100 possessions per 100 possessions. There are only 4 players in the league who are more efficient defensively than Payton.
Payton inherited his father's defensive talent, and when defending, Payton was diligent and aggressive. Although Payton is not very tall, he has a low center of gravity, moves his feet quickly, and his hands are more agile. Opponents will be snatched by Payton if they are not careful, and Payton's explosiveness and strength confrontation are not bad. Therefore, Morant's speed advantage in the face of Peton cannot be reflected, and Booker does not have much advantage against Peyton's strength. Payton was like a piece of brown candy sticking to the two stars, making them play very badly.
The NBA hasn't had a point guard voted The Defensive Player of the Year for too long. Competition for the NBA's best defensive player this season is also fierce, and Payton has a hard time standing out. But let's not forget that Payton's father, Gary Payton, was voted the best defensive player. Peyton has defensive blood flowing through him, and this season Payton has unsurprisingly been named to the all-defensive team, even for a while. Combined with his solo defensive performance and the team's defensive contributions, Payton does deserve the best defensive team. Morant and Booker are two stars in front of Payton 3-of-19, how many guards in the NBA can do it? Dear readers, how do you evaluate Payton's defensive ability?