Why doesn't David Robinson get more consideration for Defensive GOAT?

[NBAGOAT]

people think because of hakeem's obvious advantage on offense, he's obviously better in other aspects too when really drob is comparable defensively. not the best at 1v1 post defense(duncan's better for example) but has great h2h numbers vs other centers and ofc like other rim protectors offers far more value with shot blocking and help defense which is where that athleticism kicks in. duncan wasnt as good switching onto guys as hakeem, drob or kg. Hakeem is great at those areas but had some discipline issues with foul trouble in his earlier years compared to drob and especially duncan. And yes committing fouls is a big mistake since it's gifting free points and that aspect is often overlooked in defense discussions.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

He went from 30 PPG in the RS to 20 PPG as his TS % plummeted 11%. That is a full fledged meltdown as his 56 win team lost in the first round. 94' and 95' were his peak and what happened in the playoffs those years completely altered his legacy and reputation. A lot of people thought he was the best player in the world, better than Hakeem even in 94' and 95'.



Yeah, I put Kawhi in that class. Payton too.



34/18/5 isn't being locked up, even if he underperformed due to Wilt's defense (FG % of 46%, down from 57% in the RS).

Being locked up is Ewing scoring 19 PPG in the Finals against Hakeem on 36% FG/39% TS or what Kawhi did when guarding LeBron in 14'.

-12 TS relative to his reg season, 33 shots a game to get 34PPG, destroyed in the closeout game. That's close to being locked up for goat level standards, especially when you lose the series as well.

[Roundball_Rock]

37/25/8 is getting destroyed? 43% is bad for a C--but he took 37 shots, not 12 like Wilt. Jerry West was 8 for 29 in the same game, Oscar 1 for 4 (hurt early).

You guys and your efficiency fixation. They are trying to win the game. He isn't going to take 25 shots instead of 37 to goose his % for 50 years later.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

37/25/8 is getting destroyed? 43% is bad for a C--but he took 37 shots, not 12 like Wilt. Jerry West was 8 for 29 in the same game, Oscar 1 for 4 (hurt early).

You guys and your efficiency fixation. They are trying to win the game. He isn't going to take 25 shots instead of 37 to goose his % for 50 years later.

There's much more efficient ways to average 34PPG then to take 33 shots, that's what Kareem did the entire series. Wilt made sure he played exactly when Kareem played and turned Kareem into a Westbrook/Iverson type scorer. Not trying to shit on Kareem as Oscar played terrible that year. You also have to give credit to Wilt for beating Kareem with West shooting terrible during the series.

[Psileas]

SI didn't even have him in the top 10 a few years back.



He's generally considered an all-time defender, but I rarely hear his name come up in the top 3-5 discussions.

Laughable list, I'd expect SI to come up with something a little more objective than this ESPN-level thing. Having a top 10 GOAT defenders list with about half of them being perimeter players (if we include prime Rodman's ability to play at the perimeter) is as good as having a GOAT shooters list with half of them being bigs. And the worst of it is that it's missing the absolutely GOAT 1-on-1 defender, Nate Thurmond.

[guy]

DRob is truly one of the most athletically gifted players to ever step on an NBA court. And most already consider him a GOAT tier defender.

But people saying he would have more success than Duncan if they switched roles?

Come on. This is where people need to look past eye test athleticism and see who helps you win more. DRob didn't have a dominant post game in the half court and that is everything come playoff time. TD wasn't Shaq or Wilt either but you could run you O through him and still maintain amazing efficiency in the playoffs. DRob relied too much on up tempo points or semi-trans buckets, i.e. easy buckets.

TD was just a better BASKETBALL player. Better athlete is DRob for sure. But there is a difference. TD gets underrated. All he did was consistently win.

I initially said similar success, not more, but after looking at it a little deeper by lining it up year by year, that might be an overexaggeration. With that said, he doesn’t necessarily have to be just as good as Duncan to win every title. The average version of Robinson in place of Duncan probably wins most of the titles they won from 99 to 07 and a lesser version of him in place of him in 14 probably wins too.

[Phoenix]

Just straight up swapping out Duncan and assuming the team still gets to the finals those years,I can see prime Robinson winning in 2007. That Cavs team was mediocre outside Lebron and he himself wasnt quite ready for primetime at that level as his performance showed. I'll also give him 2014 which was more of a by-commitee effort. I think you can safely sub out a 37 year old Duncan with prime Admiral and they win. So in essence, the Spurs teams that didn't really have a peak version of Duncan could still end up winning if you dropped 95 Robinson in there in place of Timmy. Maybe even up to 98 Robinson.

The 99 season was interesting. The Bulls run was over, the Shaq and Kobe Lakers hadnt taken over yet. The 80s guys/90s MVPs like Barkley, Hakeem, and Malone were out of prime( a 36 year old Malone winning MVP should say something about the state of the league). The new wave of Garnett, Iverson, Kobe still needed some time in the oven. Robinson of course was on the Spurs team that won, as a 34 year old aging star playing behind an ascending Duncan. Could 94-96 Robinson have won that year as the main guy? Depends on who would be his second option, but it's not like the Knicks were a juggernaut in the finals. If Prime Robinson, a solid 2nd guy and the rest of the team are able to get past the Lakers I'd say they take 99. That's kind of a 'it depends' year. But it brings the question of, is a 2nd year Duncan better capable of winning a title than Robinson was at his best?

Robinson wouldn't have gotten that 2003 title in place of Duncan. No doubt in my mind about that. I dont see a peak Robinson led team getting past the Lakers without a really good 2nd option. But just prime Admiral, young Parker/Ginobli, Captain Jack and whatever the equalivent would be for a 38 year old Robinson? Nah.

2005 I can see Robinson dropping 94 playoff numbers against that Pistons D. That ain't getting it done.

David was every bit as talented and maybe even more than Duncan in a vacuum. The nature of his game though, namely his inability to anchor down low in the post and have the team run its offense through him in the playoffs against physical play, is what I feel makes him more subject to underperformance in the circumstances peak Duncan found himself in and thats gonna cost them a few of those titles. I'd safely give him 2 titles, 1 'maybe it depends' and 2 'nahs'.

[Smoke117]

SI didn't even have him in the top 10 a few years back.



He's generally considered an all-time defender, but I rarely hear his name come up in the top 3-5 discussions.

lol Any list that has Jordan 2nd and Payton 5th shouldn't be taken seriously.

[Axe]

lol Any list that has Jordan 2nd and Payton 5th shouldn't be taken seriously.

Seething.

[warriorfan]

37/25/8 is getting destroyed? 43% is bad for a C--but he took 37 shots, not 12 like Wilt. Jerry West was 8 for 29 in the same game, Oscar 1 for 4 (hurt early).

You guys and your efficiency fixation. They are trying to win the game. He isn't going to take 25 shots instead of 37 to goose his % for 50 years later.

Cringe