Bleacher Report flips the GOAT debate on its head with Tim Duncan hot take

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer Tim Duncan may be retired, but his career is still the topic of debate. Duncan tends to be underrated historically, even though he is generally seen as a top-10 player of all time.

Fortunately, Bleacher Report gave credit where credit is due. They just ranked Duncan as the second-greatest defensive player in NBA history.

It's a small consolation prize and vindication for Spurs fans who believe that he was blatantly robbed out of winning Defensive Player of the Year several times during his 19-year career. Frankly, he was.

The fact that he never won Defensive Player of the Year despite having blocked more than 3,000 shots and having grabbed more than 11,000 defensive rebounds is dumbfounding. At least Bleacher Report correctly highlighted Duncan's defensive mastery.

Tim Duncan has a strong case for being the Defensive GOAT

Despite Duncan being widely viewed as the greatest power forward of all time, defense may not be the first thing casual NBA fans think of when it comes to him. They might think of the five championships or him being the "Big Fundamental," but defense isn't synonymous with his name.

Luckily, many analysts have been singing Duncan's praises, even long after his retirement. The numbers speak for themselves: the Spurs have 18 top 10 finishes in defensive rating in his 19-year career and more than 10 seasons where they finished in the top three.

Duncan's elite rim protection served as the backbone of those great defenses. He wasn't flashy defensively, but he did an otherworldly job of walling off the paint and forcing players to shoot over him.

Ironically, he rarely or barely jumped to contest shots, instead relying on his length and positioning to put a lid on the rim.

Duncan's defensive dominance makes him a top-5 player all-time

Duncan being an all-time great post player and having an incredible resume, combined with his defense, gives him a strong case for being one of the best players of all time.

The fact that he is considered to be a top 10 player instead of a top five player likely has much to do with his defense being underrated. Yes, he made an NBA record 15 All-Defensive First Teams but never won Defensive Player of the Year.

That is the only major blemish on his incredible resume and something that was completely out of his control. Truth be told, he should have won at least three or four Defensive Player of the Year awards during his Hall of Fame career.

At least Bleacher Report was smart enough to recognize his incredible play on that end of the floor, even if casual NBA fans may overlook it.

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