NBA Draft 2011: Kyrie Irving and the Draft's Top 15 Perimeter Defenders
The 2011 NBA Draft is filled with great perimeter defenders—Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker—so it's only natural to make a list ranking the best of these guys.
Defense may not get the spotlight in the NBA, but GMs secretly covet the player who can shut down an opposing team's superstar.
These 10 players have demonstrated the best perimeter defense coming into the draft, and they have helped their draft stock tremendously by doing so.
Whether it's forcing turnovers or just disrupting an opposing guard or small forward, perimeter defense is a huge factor in winning a game of basketball on any level.
15. Norris Cole
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Norris Cole played for Cleveland State, and he single-handedly reconstructed their basketball program. Unfortunately, the team did not make it to the NCAA tournament this season, but they did make it to the NIT.
Cole is a great player, and while his line of 21.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.8 RPG is very impressive, it is his defense that makes him truly special.
Cole plays aggressive, in-your-face defense. His speed gives him the ability to run down opponents when they have fast breaks. His agility allows him to stay in front of his man at all times in a half-court set. His lateral quickness makes opponents need to beat him off of the ball, but they will have a tough time doing that too.
Cole also has very quick hands, recording 2.24 steals per game. His disruptive style of play forces more turnovers than he is actually given credit for, but his being in the top 25 in steals per game in the country is a testament to his excellent defense.
14. Kemba Walker
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Known for his offensive prowess at Connecticut, Kemba Walker is also a great perimeter defender.
Walker plays focused perimeter defense. He never gives up on a play, and he always sticks with his man even when they don't have the ball. Walker has a nice stance, and he moves his feet well, forcing his man to go side to side and not allowing any penetration of the lane.
Walker is one of the most aggressive defensive players on this list. Walker is always close to his man, but when he sees an opportunity to steal a pass, he jumps into the passing lane with ease. Walker averaged about two steals per game this season.
Walker has great defense, and he could have been one of the top players on this list. However, Walker lacks size, and he is not the strongest of players, making it harder to rip through screens.
13. Derrick Williams
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One of the most NBA-ready prospects in the draft, Derrick Williams is a beast defensively. Williams may be listed as a forward, but he can play perimeter defense like a guard.
Williams is very smart on defense, and he uses his big body effectively. Williams gets in his man's face, and he uses his body to limit the directions that his opponent can go. His long arms also make it easy for him to steal the ball.
Williams knows exactly what he has to do on defense for a stop, and you never see him out of position or away from his man for very long.
12. Marshon Brooks
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Marshon Brooks was a guard/forward for the Providence Friars, and he is an amazing defender.
Brooks is one of the most energetic players on defense I have seen all season. His lateral speed does not seem to leave him during the course of the game. Brooks loves to play man-defense because he can completely shut down opposing guards or forwards.
Brooks is listed at about 6'5", and he makes great use of his length. Brooks averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game in his senior year with the Friars.
Brooks is one of the best defenders in the draft, and he could be one of the biggest steals on Thursday night.
11. Kawhi Leonard
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Kawhi Leonard is one of the most athletic prospects in the draft, and he uses that athleticism on the defensive side of the ball.
Leonard has good lateral quickness, and it's hard to beat him off of the dribble. Leonard also has great length, and he used it well, recording 1.4 steals per game.
The sophomore out of San Diego State has great timing, knowing when to jump into a passing lane and when to stay on his man. Leonard was one of the best shot-contestors in the nation last season, and he knows how to get into an opponent's face to disrupt their shot.
Leonard's length helped him grab over 10 rebounds and score about 20 points per game, but it also helped him cement himself as one of the best perimeter defenders available.
10. Alec Burks
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Alec Burks, shooting guard out of Colorado, plays tenacious defense.
Burks is one of the most focused defenders in the draft. Burks is not the type of player that you can "posterize" because he is always in position, and he knows how to stop a player from getting to the basket.
Burks is an all-around quick player. What I mean by that, is that he is quick with both his hands and his feet. Burks can stay in front of his man, and he can also steal the ball with apparent ease.
Burks found his way into a lot of passing lanes, and because of that, he averaged over 1.1 steals per game. Burks was only a sophomore last season, but he has proven to NBA scouts that he can shut down just about any opposing guard.
9. Josh Selby
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Josh Selby is a one-and-done player out of Kansas, and he is not making it into the NBA solely because of his offense. Selby's NBA Draft stock is where it is because of his stellar defense.
Selby possesses great lateral quickness, and he almost never gets beat. Selby stays in front of his man well, and he does not allow penetration of the lane. His quickness allows him to stay on his man with ease, and being a defender that can't be shaken off is one thing that has bothered every player in the history of the game.
Selby may not be the best at jumping into of passing lanes, but he does disrupt opponents and forces them to take a backseat role.
Selby is the type of defender who can shut down just about any guard in the league, even if he doesn't have great size.
8. DeAndre Liggins
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DeAndre Liggins is one of Kentucky's many players leaving early. Liggins has a good offensive game, but the reason that he can come out of college a year early is because of his defensive prowess.
Liggins takes great pride in his defense. Liggins has great lateral quickness, allowing him to stick with most guards he plays against.
It is always a danger passing around Liggins because he also has a huge wingspan, which allows him to pick balls out of the air. Liggins averaged over 1.2 steals per game in his final year at Kentucky, and he seemed to be in the right place at the right time too often for it to be a coincidence.
Liggins can apply great pressure on opponents, making him an appealing option for all NBA teams.
7. Shelvin Mack
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Shelvin Mack is only 6'2" but he plays like he is four inches taller than that. Mack is one of the strongest guards in the draft, and that will help him wear down opponents.
Mack is not a fast guard, and he will not be able to handle some of the fastest NBA guards, but he will be able to push them around. Mack's strength will help him force opponents into making mental mistakes.
We have seen some of Mack's unbelievable defensive plays in back-to-back national championship games with Butler, and this experience of guarding NBA-ready guards will definitely help him.
6. Nolan Smith
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Nolan Smith is a senior guard out of Duke, and while he fought for the scoring title this season, he also has excellent perimeter defense.
Nolan Smith is arguably the smartest defender on this list, and possibly in the draft. Smith is a smart player, and with a defensive-expert like Mike Krzyzewski teaching him, we knew that he would become one of the best defenders in the nation.
Smith is a heads-up player, and he not only knows where his man is and what he is trying to do, but he also knows what each individual player on the opposing team is going to do. This insight gives him the ability to step in front of passing lanes and get easy steals.
Smith plays relentless, pressure-oriented defense. Throughout the 2010-11 season, we saw Smith pressure some of the best ball-handlers in the country so well that they were throwing away passes.
Smith's excellent perimeter defense is the reason that I firmly believe that the Connecticut Huskies were lucky that they didn't play Duke, because Smith would have shut down Kemba Walker (but perhaps that is because I am a Duke fan).
5. Malcolm Lee
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Malcolm Lee is a defensive-minded player. Lee has a very poor offensive game, but he more than makes up for it with his defense.
Lee has good length, and he is very quick. Lee is listed at 6'5", and he has an even longer wingspan. Lee also has unreal lateral quickness, allowing him to stick with just about any guard in the league. Lee's size allows him to guard shooting guards, and his speed helps him keep up with point guards.
Lee played for the defensive-oriented UCLA Bruins, and it is there that he learned to guard both point and shooting guards.
Lee is not going to be an offensive player in the NBA because of his inconsistent jump-shot, but he will be able to become a defensive specialist.
4. Kyrie Irving
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Kyrie Irving is the projected No. 1 pick in the draft, and that is thanks in part to his perimeter defense. While he is obviously an offensive threat, many people forget that he plays excellent perimeter defense as well.
Irving shows great tenacity on the defensive side of the ball, and he is the type of point guard that all others aspire to become. Irving has great lateral quickness, and he can stay in front of just about any guard in the NBA.
Irving is also very skilled at closing down passing lanes. Factor in his quick hands, and we understand how Irving averaged 1.5 steals per game in college.
Irving can guard just about any point guard out there, and that could be what eventually makes him the No. 1 pick instead of Derrick Williams.
3. Brandon Knight
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Brandon Knight is a one-and-done guard out of Kentucky. Knight is projected to go to one of the first five teams in the draft, due in part to his superior perimeter defense.
Knight is probably the quickest guard on this list and possibly in the draft. Knight's quickness will allow him to stay in front of even the fastest NBA guards.
Knight also has a wide frame. His long wingspan helps him to deflect or intercept passes well. In college, most defenses learned to pass the ball only when Knight was not around, but that will not be the case in the NBA. Knight will get his chances to steal the ball by getting into passing lanes, and I expect that he will capitalize on those chances.
Knight is a relentless defender who won't back down. This aggressiveness will help him to guard both shooting guards and point guards.
2. Iman Shumpert
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Iman Shumpert is a 6'5" guard out of Georgia Tech who will be able to defend every perimeter position.
Shumpert's wide frame allows him to be very disruptive. Shumpert has a wingspan of over 6'9" allowing him to snatch the ball out of the air.
Shumpert averaged a ridiculous 2.74 steals per game in the 2010-11 college basketball season, good enough for eighth in the NCAA. Shumpert even recorded seven steals in a game against Virginia Tech.
Shumpert has great anticipation, aggressiveness and energy as well. Shumpert is the type of player who knows when a pass is coming before it happens, allowing him to jump into passing lanes. He is also the type of defender who gets in your face and never lets you get very far away.
Shumpert always guarded the best player of opposing teams in college, and he is ready to guard point guards, shooting guards and small forwards in the NBA.
1. Chris Singleton
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Chris Singleton may be a 6'9" forward for the Florida State Seminoles, but he can guard small forwards and even shooting guards extremely well.
Singleton has the length to defend the perimeter well and to get steals. Singleton averaged 2.1 steals per game in his final year at Florida State. His length also comes in handy when he is contesting shots, averaging 1.6 blocks per game as well.
Singleton actually has very impressive quickness too. His lateral quickness allows him to play small forwards and shooting guards. To go along with his quickness, he also has speed which helps him chase down opponents in transition.
Singleton is the complete player. He has quickness, agility, speed, anticipation, and he plays relentless defense. He is well-deserving of the No. 1 spot on this list.
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