Top 5 shot-blockers in the NBA

It raises the energy of the team and the home crowd, and is a huge defensive play at any minute in a game as it more often than not gives the opposition an empty possession. In terms of gaining or maintaining the lead in a game, any defensive play creating turnovers and giving the opponents an empty possession is vital to the team and the Block is one such defensive play.

The top spots in shot-blocking, for obvious reasons, are occupied by the big men of each team keeping in mind their height and long wingspan.

My criteria for naming the top 5 shot-blockers in the NBA would be their number of blocks, agility in defense and how their great shot-blocking has helped impact their team defense.

Here is my Top 5:-

5. Larry Sanders(Milwaukee Bucks)

Larry Sanders (Getty Images)

The 6’11 Forward averages 1.9 blocks per game (bpg) for his career and his shot-blocking skills have improved each year. He averaged 1.2 in his rookie season and followed it up by averaging 1.5 bpg the next season. In his third season in the NBA he averaged 2.8 bpg which is a huge improvement from the previous seasons. He finished third in the NBA’s most improved player category behind Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and Greivis Vasquez of the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans).

Even with his breakout season this year, and averaging more for the season than some of the players on this list, he hasn’t been able to help the Bucks with his shot-blocking ability. He once had 10 blocks as part of a triple double game against Minnesota in a loss. Adding the facts, the Bucks lie a lowly 12th in the defensive efficiency category, considering the kind of defensive and shot blocking ability that their center has.