Tony Allen was one of the most feared defenders of his era. Many superstar players claimed he was their toughest matchup from the moment they crossed half-court.
He was known for his tough, fierce, gritty and relentless defense. He was unafraid to do the dirty work — diving for every loose ball, playing the passing lanes, swiping for the ball on every shot attempt or weak dribble, all while guarding all five positions. He was a player you hated to go against but loved to have as a teammate.
With the revolution of the game and the three-point line, which led to a faster pace of the game, teams’ defenses started to die out, not wasting their energy on trying to stop the opposing team, but rather to counter them. Today, it is rare to see a defender with defensive skills or even the will for defense, like Allen had. Many would even say we won’t see those kinds of players anymore.
Yesterday, Allen appeared on the “To The Baha” podcast and shared his opinion on the state of defenders in today’s NBA.
“Bro, ain’t no elite defenders now. Everything is a switch, ain’t no arm bustle, the physicality part is wiped out. So, okay now what do I gotta do, I gotta let you go East, West. Now, if you a defender, you know, if I give you two options to bust my head, I might as well go and sit next to the coach,” Allen said.
Rise of skill
Today’s generation of players is becoming more skilled, which is affecting how we view defenses. In the last decade, we saw a large increase in heavy isolations and a rise in players’ talent through various skills. As a result, many argue that there is no point in guarding since almost everyone can hit a tough shot off the dribble or with a hand in their face.
That argument falls short, since Allen faced one of the best groups of individual scorers of all time: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and many more. Those were all Allen’s assignments, and it’s safe to say he did a great job in trying to mess up their game.
“Just think about all the moves they do to get by people. If you ain’t forcing them one way, and putting them into the help, or putting them in a position where you can contest late into the shot, bro, you’re gonna get cooked. They too skilled. And the new move I keep talking about, the double step back, everybody got that. It’s almost like that’s a shot off of the switch. There is no defense, I get mad watching some guys,” Allen added.
Change of rules
With all the rise in skill, there’s also a significant rise in rules, meaning defenders have to watch out for every little detail, so they don’t foul the opposing player. It seems like every little contact makes the referee blow the whistle. On the other hand, while Allen has good arguments that many would agree on, the blame can’t only be put on the players.
A point can be made that defense was “easier” to play before, since there was no real focus on the offensive player. Referees allowed the game to be more physical, with more opportunities to stop the opposing team.
With the combination of rule changes and high skill levels, today’s great defenders are rarer to find, but are valued more than before. Prime examples in today’s era that come to mind are Luguentz Dort, Marcus Smart, Alex Caruso and Jaden McDaniels.
This is a theme that every fan is familiar with and every real basketball junkie would agree with Allen. While it is frustrating to watch sometimes, the talent and skill that’s spread across the whole league can be very much appreciated.