NBA: 2017-18 projected All-Defensive teams entering the final stretch

NBA: 2017-18 projected All-Defensive teams

By Dan Knitzer | Feb 23, 2018

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Jeff Green #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Andre Roberson #21 of the Oklahoma City Thunder battle for a rebound during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 20: Jeff Green #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Andre Roberson #21 of the Oklahoma City Thunder battle for a rebound during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

While the NBA All-Defensive teams are not awarded yet, good defenders stand out all season. With the final stretch on deck, these 10 deserve recognition

Defense is one area of the NBA that still remains hard to measure, and it’s often one of the elements that is overlooked way too many times. To recognize great defenders requires watching their teams dozens of times, against differently structured offenses.

This season, I have tried to watch more games featuring defensively minded players than not, and I hope my selections for the All-Defensive players through the first four months of the NBA season are fair not only to the teams I watch religiously, but also the ones I only see occasionally.

Here are the 10 players that deserve the recognition, along with a few other honorable mentions that should get a hat tip.

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