Top 5 hustle leaders in the 2020-21 NBA season
It's a delightful sight to see NBA players play with high energy. From the 2016-17 season, the league has awarded players who shows exceptional 'hustle' in their game, with an NBA Hustle Award.
The recipient of the award is determined on various hustle stats a player racks up during a season. To win the award, the player should play at least 70% of the team's games and 24 minutes per contest. The NBA considers the per-minute hustle stats of each player. Thaddeus Young, who played for the Chicago Bulls last season, won the award for the 2020-21 campaign.
The assessment of the hustle leaders that made it to this list is largely based on the overall hustle stats as per NBA.com. The top five players in the article may not exactly be the same five shortlisted by the NBA for the Hustle Award 2021, though.
So without any further ado, let's take a look at the top hustle leaders during the 2020-21 NBA season.
#5 Jae'Sean Tate
Jae'Sean Tate is coming off a terrific rookie year. The 25-year-old forward was one of the most consistent players for the Houston Rockets last season. He played 70 games, scoring 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Tate was tremendous at the defensive end.
He led the NBA in the most defensive loose balls recovered (53) and ranked sixth in overall loose balls recovered (73). Tate had 151 deflections and drew 14 charges, which was tenth-best in the league. He had a total of 462 contested shots, a remarkable number considering he plays at the 3.
The hustle from Jae'Sean Tate! 💪 https://t.co/cUdmRtZ3NX
Tate also made the All-Rookie first team owing to his fabulous NBA season.
#4 Draymond Green
Draymond Green, a one-time Defensive Player of the Year, is next on the list. The Golden State Warriors star has a very high basketball IQ.
He is a leader in every sense, and leads by example. Green isn't a beast when it comes to scoring, but there are very few who can match his intensity at the defensive end.
Draymond Green continues to do the little things on the defense to help the @warriors win. #NBABreakdown
🏀: Clippers/Warriors
⏰: 10pm/et 📺: ESPN https://t.co/jbMoO6jj4e
He can guard players 1 through 5 and create problems for the best offensive player in opponent teams. He averaged seven points, 7.1 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per contest. Green had to play as a center for most of the season, and fared well.
Green tallied 487 screen assist points, 181 deflections, recovered 46 loose balls and contested a whopping 629 shots last season.