Top Ten Best Defensive NBA Teams Coming Into the 2019-20 Season
Defense wins championships. Even as the NBA goes closer to offensive dominance, defense will always be the number one priority. A defensive scheme can make the difference between a win and a loss. The teams on this list will be based off the coach's systems and the players themselves.
The Los Angeles Clippers, often abbreviated as the LA Clippers, are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers have a stacked team defensively. They are lead by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (Who should have won DPOY last year). They Patrick Beverley who truly made a statement last year when he defended KD and Steph. Doc Rivers is a great coach, so this team should be the top team defensively. This team is going to be impossible to score on and they are ahead by a large margin in terms of defense compared to every team.
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association, as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division.
Head coach: Frank Vogel
Arena/Stadium: Staples Center
NBA championships: 2020, 2010, 2009, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1982, 1980, 1972, 1954, 1953, 1952, 1950, 1949
Owners: Philip Anschutz, Ed Roski Jr., Patrick Soon-Shiong, Joey Buss, Johnny Buss, Jesse Buss, Jim Buss, Jeanie Buss, Janie Buss
Did you know: The Los Angeles Lakers have the second-highest all-time NBA regular season win-loss record percentage (.598) among all current NBA teams. This lineup is very underrated defensively. LeBron can be a great defender when he wants to. AD is a DPOY candidate and Danny Green is one of the best defenders ever. Rondo is a great defender as well. Only weakness on this squad in DeMarcus Cousins. Frank Vogel is a great defensive coach and Jason Kidd makes very unique schemes.
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Sixers have a great team defensively. Led by Joel Embiid. They have Ben Simmons who can play D. They also have Tobias Harris who is decent. Then they have two high level defenders in Josh Richardson and Al Horford. Brett Brown is also a great coach.
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. They are led by reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert who really shouldn't have won DPOY. They have a great defensive unit around him like Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovich. Plus they have one of the best defensive coaches ever.
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball franchise based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a member team of the Eastern Conference Central Division. The best defensive team last year and they could be a top team next year. They got DPOY and rening MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Brook Lopez also played great D last year. This team has always been good defensively, so I don't know how much he adds.
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team located in Sacramento, California. Competing in the NBA, they belong to the Western Conference Pacific Division. Although championship success has been elusive, the team has a dedicated fan base. Their colors are purple, silver, and black. I think this Kings team is the most underrated team in the league. They have energy and high level defenders in De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley. This team will be really good next year and Luke Walton is a very good defensive coach.
The Miami Heat is an American professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. Two all defensive players in Jimmy Butler and Justice Winslow. They have Bam who is steadily improving into a great defender. Eric Spoelstra is a great coach as well.
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They Magic are just long and lengthy with Jonathan Isaac and Mo Bamba. They also have Fultz, who is a decent defender. Plus they added Aminu.
An American professional basketball team, the Indiana Pacers are based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are a member of the Central Division in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. The Pacers have seen significant success in the league playoffs and sport navy, gold, and white as their team colors. The Pacers would be a lot higher if they had Victor Oladipo for a full year. They don't, so Myles Turner will have to carry the load. Nate McMillan is a great defensive coach, so we could see some good defense.
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The Nuggets have improved credit to Mike Malone. Jerami Grant is now on the squad, so this team should be good defensively again.
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are specifically known for honing infamous players such as Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Paul Pierce, and more. They are also known for having the most championships in NBA History, with 17 total.