Dennis Rodman, 1991 Defensive Player of the Year
Never a great producer of steals or blocks, Rodman also still hadn’t quite yet reached the peak of his defensive rebounding prowess. He finished seventh in defensive win shares and 13th in defensive box plus/minus, according to Basketball Reference. David Robinson led the league in total blocks and defensive win shares, and finished third in defensive box plus/minus for the team with the best defensive rating in the NBA. And he was virtually neck-and-neck in every defensive category with Hakeem Olajuwon, the man in the middle for a Rockets team with the second-best defensive rating.