NBA 2018-19: Top 5 two-way players from last season
The league is filled with talented players who can make an impact on the floor on offense as well as defense in a notable fashion. The ability to get buckets at regular intervals and stay vigilant on the defensive end at the same time requires superhuman work ethic. The following list of elite NBA superstars hold immense expertise in being the best at nearly every aspect of the game they touch upon.
Let's take a quick look at the best two-way players in the NBA during the 2018-19 campaign.
Honorable Mention: Russell Westbrook
This past season, Oklahoma City Thunder was a team led by two unparalleled forces in Westbrook and George. Despite PG13 taking up most of the offensive load, Westbrook kept doing his thing by consistently being effective as well efficient on the court. The former MVP averaged nearly 23 points per game along with 11.1 boards and 10.7 assists - both of which were career-highs.
Owing to his speed and quickness in disrupting passing lanes, Westbrook's 1.9 steals per game were the 4th best in the league during the 2018-19 regular season. The 30-year-old is undoubtedly the most polarising superstar across the league and his thunderous intensity on the court screams of the same.
#5 Klay Thompson
From Kyrie to Dame to Russ, Thompson has repeatedly taken the challenge of guarding the best perimeter player of the opposing team for Golden State. He takes the toughest defensive assignments and does the dirty work all night long.
Klay shot 46% from the field this season to average 21.5 points per game. All of this while hustling on defense throughout every matchup. When coupled with Draymond Green's active presence on the defensive end, it takes a ton worth of load off players like Curry and Durant, thereby resulting in offensive efficiency for the team as a whole.
Despite shooting a career-low percentage from the three-point line this year, he still packs the ability score in bulk on any given night with no noticeable lapse in his defensive awareness.