Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson was named to the 2016-2017 NBA All-Defensive Second Team on Monday, after a dominating season on the defensive front.
Roberson played and started 79 games this season and averaged 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.19 steals and 1.00 block in 30.1 minutes per game. His 1.00 block and 1.19 steals ranked third and 12th among the NBA’s perimeter players.
OKC posted a 106.3 defensive rating with Roberson on the floor, which is fifth best in the league. The defensive rating was better by 4.6 points per 100 possessions with Roberson in the game.
According to ESPN’s Defensive RPM metric, Roberson ranked first among shooting guards with a DRPM of 2.64. The DRPM is an estimation of a player’s impact on team defense, measured per 100 possessions.
By the vote, Roberson is the ninth best defensive player in the league, realistically he’s the fourth best. The logistics of the All-NBA Defensive Teams are based on position and he happens to be second best in his position.
Defensive players like this don’t get as much recognition as offensive stars because what they do isn’t as visually enticing to fans. However, with this being an offense-driven league, the rare defensive minded players hold a special value. They can be the determining factor in a win and a loss.
Throughout the 2016-2017 season, Roberson notched impressive games against many of the NBA’s best, including Lebron James, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard.