What would be your all-time best Duke defensive lineup? Pick any 5.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I'll start...

Best one-on-one defender: Billy King (not really all that close)
Best help defender: Shane Battier (again, this one was easy)
Best shot blocker: Shelden Williams (Elton and Zion really coming close here)
Best at getting steals: Chris Duhon (soooo close with Amaker)
Best at drawing charges: Shane Battier (another easy pick)

So your five are:
King
Battier
Williams
Duhon
Battier?

Why stop there?

I pick my five:
Shane
Battier
Your Daddy
#31
The 48th POTUS

[cspan37421]

I'm definitely not old enough to have seen Amaker and King play at Duke, but I can use basketball reference and youtube.

King was a great defender, but his offensive contributions are pretty minimal. This is a pretty open ended question. I chose to make the best all-around team (2-way players), rather than just a team who can play 1 side of the ball. King and Amaker would be a pretty limited offensive back court.

You are right, but keep in mind the premise of the thread. Billy King was SO great at defense ...

How great was he?

... he was so great at defense that he was a starter for two seasons, despite only being a ~5-7 PPG, 3 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG guy ... AND a liability at the free throw line (48% Duke areer).

Just think of how good at defense you must have been to be a starter at Duke with those numbers.

We didn't need him to score. What he did was this: he took out the other team's best player. He took them off the table as an offensive threat. Just think of it ... it was as if for every team you played, their best player was effectively out.

[kAzE]

You are right, but keep in mind the premise of the thread. Billy King was SO great at defense ...

How great was he?

... he was so great at defense that he was a starter for two seasons, despite only being a ~5-7 PPG, 3 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG guy ... AND a liability at the free throw line (48% Duke areer).

Just think of how good at defense you must have been to be a starter at Duke with those numbers.

We didn't need him to score. What he did was this: he took out the other team's best player. He took them off the table as an offensive threat. Just think of it ... it was as if for every team you played, their best player was effectively out.

I get all that. But the premise of the thread was "pick any 5," not "pick any 4 and Billy King" lol. I wanted my lineup to make sense as an actual team, not just have a bunch of defensive specialists.

[bundabergdevil]

My choices except for Best at getting steals. I'm thinking Zion here, because of his quickness, basketball IQ (great anticipation) and his leaping ability.

There's a case for Jason Williams, too. He ended up 5th all-time in steels with only three seasons (only early departure in the top 10) and would have likely been the all-time leader with a final season. His defense gets overlooked because of his explosive offense but he was a hard-nosed, smart defender.

[cspan37421]

I get all that. But the premise of the thread was "pick any 5," not "pick any 4 and Billy King" lol. I wanted my lineup to make sense as an actual team, not just have a bunch of defensive specialists.

That's fair. But even today, I think the best Duke defensive lineup would be any 4 plus Billy King. Even the best defensive Duke team that could also score would be something like Grant, Shane, etc., plus Billy. The scoring would just mostly be the other 4.

But if each player had to be a great defender plus a credible offensive threat, then maybe Billy doesn't make the cut.

[Duke79UNLV77]

You are right, but keep in mind the premise of the thread. Billy King was SO great at defense ...

How great was he?

... he was so great at defense that he was a starter for two seasons, despite only being a ~5-7 PPG, 3 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG guy ... AND a liability at the free throw line (48% Duke areer).

Just think of how good at defense you must have been to be a starter at Duke with those numbers.

We didn't need him to score. What he did was this: he took out the other team's best player. He took them off the table as an offensive threat. Just think of it ... it was as if for every team you played, their best player was effectively out.

I recall watching one game Lefty Driesell was announcing in which King hit one free throw range jumper and then tried another and bricked it. Lefty said, in a good-humored way, "Oh, come on, Billy. You know you're not going to make 2 in a row."

[rsvman]

It seems that Billy King and Shane Battier are on pretty much every ballot, which is as it should be.

[jv001]

I'll start...

Best one-on-one defender: Billy King (not really all that close)
Best help defender: Shane Battier (again, this one was easy)
Best shot blocker: Shelden Williams (Elton and Zion really coming close here)
Best at getting steals: Chris Duhon (soooo close with Amaker)
Best at drawing charges: Shane Battier (another easy pick)

Having watched all those players you listed, I'll have to agree with your list.

My back ups would be:

Best one on one defender.. Grant Hill
Best help defender...Zion
Best shot blocker..G-Man
Best at getting steals...Tommy Amaker
Best at drawing charges...Billy King

Surprised to see Laettner 4th in Duke steals.

GoDuke!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

It seems that Billy King and Shane Battier are on pretty much every ballot, which is as it should be.

Yeah, and someone left Derek Jeter off their HOF ballot. LGD GTHc!

[elvis14]

I'll start...

Best one-on-one defender: Billy King (not really all that close)
Best help defender: Shane Battier (again, this one was easy)
Best shot blocker: Shelden Williams (Elton and Zion really coming close here)
Best at getting steals: Chris Duhon (soooo close with Amaker)
Best at drawing charges: Shane Battier (another easy pick)

1 on 1 - Grant
Help - Shelden (that was actually his strength, often good big men would roll up points on him)
Blocks - Shelden (although Zion gets honorable mention for most spectacular blocks)
Steals - Tommy
Charge - Shane

It seems that Billy King and Shane Battier are on pretty much every ballot, which is as it should be.

I feel the same way about Grant Hill and Shelden Williams.

I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned Lance Thomas the competition is stiff (same of Justise)

As for the original question, my answer is what many have said: Billy, Tommy, Shane, Grant, Shelden

[Wander]

I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned Lance Thomas the competition is stiff (same of Justise)

How about the ratio someone brought up earlier, but in reverse? So Duke players with the best defense-to-offense ratios. Something like...

Steve Wojciechowski
Demarcus Nelson
Thomas Hill
Billy King
Lance Thomas

[arnie]

How about the ratio someone brought up earlier, but in reverse? So Duke players with the best defense-to-offense ratios. Something like...

Steve Wojciechowski
Demarcus Nelson
Thomas Hill
Billy King
Lance Thomas

Billy King in a landslide.

[killerleft]

I get all that. But the premise of the thread was "pick any 5," not "pick any 4 and Billy King" lol. I wanted my lineup to make sense as an actual team, not just have a bunch of defensive specialists.

You don't get it, really. It's all about defense, 'bout defense. No dribble.

[Phredd3]

Yeah, and someone left Derek Jeter off their HOF ballot. LGD GTHc!

Wait, you posted this in the DEFENSE thread?

[loran16]

Ha, that is a more difficult question. Redick was a good defender by the time he left Duke so I'd remove him, and I'd remove Kyrie from almost all Duke lists because of the small number of games. So I think the best offense/defense ratios would look something like:

Austin Rivers
Marty Pocius
Brandon Ingram
Jabari Parker
Jahlil Okafor

Obviously, our OADs have generally leaned pretty heavily towards offense so that dominates the list...

I'd put Andre Dawkins on that list over Marty. That team with him and RIvers as starters (and poor Seth) was just brutal defensively at the guard position.