Kawhi vs Pippen defensively

[juju151111]

Who was the better defender? Kawhi is 4th in DRAPM and like the only perimeter player in the top 15. Everybody else is a center/PF
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM

[r0drig0lac]

Kawhi with hand checking would be brutal

[DMAVS41]

Definitely in the same range of defensive players.

[sd3035]

Kawhi with hand checking would be brutal

[diamenz]

it's hard to say - they're both crazy good defensively. pippen had a higher d iq though, imo.

[mehyaM24]

i would roll with pippen since he could put his hands on the offensive player, and if need be, play you physical.

kawhi under the old rules would've been a nightmare. him and tony allen are the best [modern] perimeter defenders i've seen.

[swagga]

Kawhi with hand checking would be brutal

MJ never faced a defender as good as kwahi.

[swagga]

i would roll with pippen since he could put his hands on the offensive player, and if need be, play you physical.

kawhi under the old rules would've been a nightmare. him and tony allen are the best [modern] perimeter defenders i've seen.

i'd take both peak bowen and peak battier over tony allen.

kwahi is a strong niggga, if they'd let him to man up people he'd have no problem imo.

[3ball]

.
Pippen's defense is overrated - Pip couldn't handle quick wings with good handle like Hill or Kobe:






Here's Kobe shaking his head after breaking Pippen BADLY in 99' - Pippen is joke to him:


..



But just a few months earlier, 35-year old Jordan had no problem stuffing Kobe's crossover in 98' ASG:






Here's another one - Pippen can't handle Grant off-the-dribble - he can't stay in front:






But MJ can - he stays in front of Grant every step of the way and forces wild shot:





The reason MJ was so much better defending quick ballhandlers like Hill, Kobe or Westbrook is because he was a 2-guard, and was the frequently the primary, all-game defender on quick point guards.

For example, MJ was matched up against Gary Payton from the TIP-OFF in Game 3 and Game 5 of the NBA Finals and was the main defender throughout the game..

MJ was also the main defender and matched up from the tip-off against Isiah Thomas and Rod Strickland.. And we all know he was matched up from tip-off against Magic, when he guarded Magic for 14 of 20 quarters (70%) in the 1991 Finals.

MJ's far greater experience playing quick ballhandling guards and his superior athleticism made him a better perimeter defender than Pippen..
.

[Smoke117]

Leonard has never had to carry a team defensively like Pippen did the Bulls in 95.

[3ball]

Leonard has never had to carry a team defensively like Pippen did the Bulls in 95.

Kawhi's defense > Pippen's.

Remember when Mashburn dropped off Pippen for 50 in Chicago?

That never happens to Kawhi, no matter who he's guarding.. But it happened to Pippen all the time - he got dropped off for HUGE games by ****ing EVERYBODY.

[juju151111]

Kawhi's defense > Pippen's.

Remember when Mashburn dropped off Pippen for 50 in Chicago?

That never happens to Kawhi, no matter who he's guarding.. But it happened to Pippen all the time - he got dropped off for HUGE games by ****ing EVERYBODY.

No it didn't happen to Pippen all the time Pippen is one of the greatest perimeter defenders ever.

[Smoke117]

No it didn't happen to Pippen all the time Pippen is one of the greatest perimeter defenders ever.

Every great defender has been lit up...it happens. Either way, what made Pippen such a dominant defensive player was his team/help defense. He's the best ever in that regard.

[NBASTATMAN]

.
Pippen's defense is overrated - Pip couldn't handle quick wings with good handle like Hill or Kobe:






Here's Kobe shaking his head after breaking Pippen BADLY in 99' - Pippen is joke to him:


..



But just a few months earlier, 35-year old Jordan had no problem stuffing Kobe's crossover in 98' ASG:






Here's another one - Pippen can't handle Grant off-the-dribble - he can't stay in front:






But MJ can - he stays in front of Grant every step of the way and forces wild shot:





The reason MJ was so much better defending quick ballhandlers like Hill, Kobe or Westbrook is because he was a 2-guard, and was the frequently the primary, all-game defender on quick point guards.

For example, MJ was matched up against Gary Payton from the TIP-OFF in Game 3 and Game 5 of the NBA Finals and was the main defender throughout the game..

MJ was also the main defender and matched up from the tip-off against Isiah Thomas and Rod Strickland.. And we all know he was matched up from tip-off against Magic, when he guarded Magic for 14 of 20 quarters (70%) in the 1991 Finals.

MJ's far greater experience playing quick ballhandling guards and his superior athleticism made him a better perimeter defender than Pippen..
.

Pippen wasn't close to MJ as A on ball defender. Pippen's greatest ability was on help defense... Probably the GOAT help defender... Anyone WHO watched bball in the 90's know this...

[La Frescobaldi]

Every great defender has been lit up...it happens. Either way, what made Pippen such a dominant defensive player was his team/help defense. He's the best ever in that regard.

This is actually a really hard question.

Kawhi plays with a better inside defender than Pippen ever had namely Tim Duncan - even in his declining years Timmy's still better than a lot of the league. Light years of smart play, wrecking the passing lanes, ideally located to smash a play, and so forth.

But yet Rodman.

Pippen played alongside a better perimeter defender than Leonard ever had namely Michael Jordan - even in his declining years i.e., after '96, Jordan was still better than a lot of the league.

There's just not any Spurs guy that can make a rebuttal like Rodman can for the Bulls inside D.

Really Pippen played with some stronger defensive players, see, even than the Spurs have had. So team defense isn't really any kind of fair comparison.

Leonard has famously stopped the best in his League, while Pippen.... notoriously could not stop Bird... that was early days for Pippen granted but no version of Pip could stop Larry Bird. Jordan couldn't do it either. Could Leonard do it? I'd be skeptical.... this is a real close thing right here.