EuroLeague Basketball announced the top candidates for the Best Defender award, with Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos and Walter Tavares of Real Madrid headlining the list.
Olympiacos has the best defense in the league, allowing just 75.5 ppg, and forces the second-most turnovers (14.5 per game). The Reds’ defensive pressure begins with Thomas Walkup, who leads the league in steals with 1.9 per game.
This number is among the top 10 single-season averages in the league over the last 10 years and the most by an Olympiacos player in over two decades.
A two-time EuroLeague Best Defender, Walter Tavares is the competition’s career leader in blocked shots with 341 and he is blocking more shots this season than ever before.
The big man of Real Madrid has averaged 2.5 blocks per game this season, which is the highest ever for a player with at least 15 games played.
He also is second in the league in rebounds with 7.2 per game, while Real has kept opponents to a league-low 50.1% shooting on two-pointers.
The other four candidates for the Best Defender award are Rodrigue Beaubois of Anadolu Efes, Kevarrius Hayes of Zalgiris Kaunas, Nikola Kalinic of Barcelona and Alessandro Pajola of Virtus Bologna.
