In the NBA, those who have super individual ability and cut down high-scoring players are bound to get more attention from the outside world. But no matter what the era, every team has to have players to do the dirty work of defending hard and fighting hard to get good results.
Amen Thompson, who is the Rockets' backup guard, is very energetic on the court, and he ranks ninth in the league in the number of shots he interferes with. In addition, the Thunder have two people on the list, in addition to star Shay Gilgeous Alexander, including Alex Caruso, who has just joined.
Although Amen Thompson played off the bench for most of last season, he was able to interfere with 3.6 shots per 36 minutes, which is enough to show Amen Thompson's awareness, positivity and defensive attitude. Amen Thompson, meanwhile, grabs one floor ball per 36 minutes, tied for fourth place on the list behind Alex Caruso, TJ McConnell and Paul Reed. This proves that Amen Thompson is not only aggressive, but also has an advantage when he does fight with the opponent thanks to his long arms.
Shay Gilgeous-Alexander is not only sharp offensively, but also dead on the defensive end, and in a way, his style of play is a bit like a mini version of Kawhi Leonard. Shay Gilgeous-Alexander can interfere with 3.7 shots per 36 minutes, and is also tied with Amen Thompson on the floor ball with one per game. And the Thunder are now on the move, as they traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso, who is probably the league's best 3-and-D two-way guard, with 4.7 shots per 36 minutes, the second-best in the league.
And Alex Caruso is so good that he still doesn't rank at the top of the list, because the Trail Blazers swingman Mattis Thybulle is so terrifying, he can interfere with opponents' shots 5.3 times every 36 minutes, and Mattis Thybulle is simply full on the defensive end. Other players on this list include New Orleans Pelicans youngster Dyson Daniels, Utah Jazz guard Chris Dern, Indiana Pacers tough guy TJ McConnell, 76ers interior player Paul Reed, New York Knicks shooter Donte DiVincenzo and Sacramento Kings core Daron Fox.