{"id":87080,"date":"2024-07-24T01:52:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T05:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=87080"},"modified":"2024-07-24T14:52:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:52:48","slug":"the-best-defender-on-every-eastern-conference-nba-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/24\/the-best-defender-on-every-eastern-conference-nba-team\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Defender on Every Eastern Conference NBA Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the famous saying goes defense wins championships. However, defense is largely under-discussed and not fully appreciated in NBA discourse. With that in mind let’s shine some light on some of the NBA’s best defenders. This article will focus on the best defender on every Eastern Conference team. The same list for the Western Conference can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Best Defender on Every Eastern Conference NBA Team<\/h2>\n

Atlanta Hawks: Dyson Daniels\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Hawks’ defense has struggled for the past few seasons notably they ranked<\/a> just 27th last year. However, as a part of the Dejounte Murray<\/a> trade the Hawks landed one of the most underrated young players and an elite defender in Dyson Daniels<\/a>. The 2022 lottery pick has struggled to find a consistent role with the Pelicans due to their loaded rotation. Daniels, six-foot-eight is a jumbo-sized point-attack-defender with the ability to guard multiple positions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Last season Daniels posted an impressive 2.2 defensive win shares<\/a> and ranked in the 88th percentile<\/a> for defensive plus\/minus. According to data from BBall Index<\/a> Daniels is the league’s third-best point-of-attack defender. With a larger role in Atlanta, more people will recognize Daniels\u2019 elite defense and he is poised to have a breakout year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston Celtics: Jrue Holiday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Celtics have several elite defenders including Jaylen Brown<\/a>, Derrick White<\/a>, Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>, and Jayson Tatum<\/a> however, Jrue Holiday<\/a> stands out as the best. Holiday<\/a> is not only one of the best perimeter defenders in the league but is also incredibly versatile. His defense was crucial during the Celtics championship run. Holiday is well-known as a clutch defender especially for his game-clinching steals against the Pacers in 2024 and against Phoenix in the 2021 Finals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notably, Holiday is a six-time all-defensive team member with four consecutive selections. According to data from CraftedNBA Holiday ranks in the 99th percentile for versatility<\/a> and the 89th for matchup difficulty<\/a>. Furthermore, Holiday ranked in the 87th percentile for defensive plus\/minus<\/a> and posted 3.0 defensive winshares<\/a>. Overall, Holiday is the complete package defensively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n