Have you ever played whack-a-mole? It’s a classic carnival game where these little toy moles pop up and the contestant has to whack them as they peek their heads from tiny little holes. The objective is simple: hit the moles as many times as possible. But it’s easier said than done. As you hit one, another pops up, and you’re often left scrambling to try and catch up.
Playing defense in the NBA is sort of like whack-a-mole.
Nowadays, players are so offensively gifted that teams are left in a constant state of helping, rotating, recovering and plugging holes, just trying to get a stop on defense. However, the very best defenses don’t concede these openings on that end. They have what I like to call “problem solvers,” i.e., elite whack-a-mole players.
These players come in all shapes and sizes, packed with varying skill-sets, but they all, in one way or another, serve a single purpose: Whack that mole.
Let’s examine the league’s best problem solvers so far this season and fit them into sub-categories.
Preemptive Solvers
List: Jalen Suggs, Lu Dort, Dyson Daniels, Jrue Holiday, Cason Wallace, Dillon Brooks, Davion Mitchell
Stomping out a problem before it even arises is a special skill in the NBA. It requires a heightened sense of awareness and a deep understanding of the game at a molecular level. To be a preemptive problem solver on defense, you need to be stout at the point-of-attack, armed with quick feet and long arms to shuffle on the perimeter, limiting driving opportunities for the opposing team. These players don’t need help on the perimeter. They’re often on an island, guarding the best offensive players in the world and trying to stop things before they get out of hand.
Best of the bunch: Dyson Daniels
You can write Daniels’ name in pen on an All-Defensive Team ballot. He’s already well on his way to breaking the all-time record for deflections in a single season (he has 76 as of this writing, and the second-place Nikola Jokic isn’t even close to him). His active hands could probably land him in the next category, but how he uses them is unique.
He’s sliding his feet and applying his length to poke the ball out as an offensive player tries to navigate around him. His eyes are always on the ball, waiting for the perfect time to force a turnover. He’s strong enough to handle a variety of offensive players, maneuvering around screens, holding his own, and with his eyes on the prize, ready to pounce.
Dyson Daniels defense on Tatum. 🔒🔒
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 13, 2024
Active Solvers
List: OG Anunoby, Draymond Green, Alex Caruso, Derrick White, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason
These problem solvers are a little bit different. Or, at the very least, they’re used differently than our preemptive folks up top. Don’t get me wrong, all of these players can still slide around on the perimeter, hold their own and, at times, even thrive as on-ball stoppers. But on their respective teams, all these players are asked to clean up mistakes off the ball. As I mentioned above, offenses are just too talented. While the goal is to stop them before they get you in rotation, the truth is that the defense will end up having to help, recover and rotate at some point during the game.
That’s where these active problem solvers come in. They try to stop an advantage as it arises. They play chess, telegraph what the next possible pass or play could be, read the offense and beat them to the spot. These are the most versatile defenders because they have to plug so many holes and be in two places simultaneously. They’re not quite the last line of defense, but they’re the fail-safe put in place to prevent it from reaching that point.
Best of the bunch: OG Anunoby and Draymond Green
Anunoby has had to play whack-a-mole a lot this season for the New York Knicks, which have struggled defensively. As New York adjusts to life with its new personnel, namely Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, Anunoby has been the lifeline covering their mistakes.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau will throw out a whole bunch of schemes — drop, hedge and recover, or blitz — and all of them are predicated on Anunoby to be there as a safety net in help if things go awry, which has often happened this season. There’s only so much that Anunoby can do to stop a 20th-ranked defensive from falling apart.
OG Anunoby is such a damn good defender pic.twitter.com/3jK4X85oNW
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) November 13, 2024
Green, however, has the perfect infrastructure in Golden State to accentuate his strengths. He’s the elder statesman in this category, but he’s aged like wine as an active problem solver for the Warriors. We’ve already seen him at his best this season.
The Warriors’ aggressive on-ball defense is a massive part of their success; as of this writing, they allow the fourth-fewest points per 100 possessions. With that level of aggression, it’s vital to have a trusty second line. Green has been that, calling out actions, rotating to stop the ball or block a shot, and manning the ship. A true tactician.
Back to back defensive possessions by Draymond to ultimately keep Golden State alive.
Charge + Block on Gafford. Defense wins games. pic.twitter.com/M04m726NVF
— Hoops Digest™️ (@TheHoopsDigest) November 13, 2024
Bail-Out Solvers
List: Evan Mobley, Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ivica Zubac, Bam Adebayo
This is likely the most important type of problem solver. There’s a reason why most Defensive Players of the Year winners are big men: They are the absolute last line of defense. If all else fails, which, again, happens often in the modern NBA, the rim protector is there to get the stop. And they are particularly effective.
It’s not just enough to be tall, though. These players must have impeccable timing. They have to spring to action, stay vertical to not foul — which requires lots of core and back strength — and be agile enough to recover should a last-second pass happen.
The position is unbelievably taxing and, as the game progresses, defenses demand that they do more. Now, bigs have to switch onto the perimeter and play elite pick-and-roll defense, splitting the difference between the ball-handler and roller. It’s a lot. Doing it at a high level is a burden.
Best of the bunch: Victor Wembanyama
While much of the conversation surrounding the 20-year-old phenom has been about his offense, it’s hard to question his impact defensively. He leads the league in defensive field goal percentage at the rim, allowing just under 38 percent of shots he defends at the basket to go in. Only two other players are allowing under 50 percent this season: Chet Holmgren and Brook Lopez.
He leads the league in block percentage and blocks nearly four shots a game, and he’s nearly single-handedly guided the San Antonio Spurs to a top-10 defense. He uniquely terrifies the life out of offensive players. As they drive, they see his imposing size around the basket and just decide to give up. That, in itself, is an unbelievable skill to have as the last line of defense.
This possession exemplifies how terrifying Victor Wembanyama is on defense.
Look how scared they are to drive the ball. pic.twitter.com/uDVvGnp8ba
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) November 5, 2023
Often, when fans watch a game and see a defensive breakdown, they’re not sure who exactly to blame for the root cause of the issue. That’s where problem solvers come in. If you try to categorize them, like I’ve done here, you’ll quickly realize it’s all just one big game of whack-a-mole. And these dudes are the best whack-a-mole players in the league.
