Sixers: Top 5 defenders in franchise history

Top 5 defenders in Sixers history — 1. Bobby Jones

If you earn the nickname “Secretary of Defense”, you earn the number one spot on this list. For eight years, Bobby Jones wore a Sixers jersey and was known for two things — his hustle and his defense.  Let’s look at how those two attributes exalted him as the 76ers’ greatest defensive player in the post-ABA era.

Let’s get this ridiculous stat out of the way. In his entire 12 years as a professional player, Jones made the All-Defensive team 11 times. That fact is astounding. What exactly did he do to achieve that status for over a decade?

For his career, Jones averaged 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks. He also was known to crash the boards, collecting an average of 6.1 rebounds per season. Highlights will show Jones diving on the floor and scrapping for rebounds. What can get missed in these highlights is who he was defending prior to the pursuit of those loose balls.

In his era, Bobby Jones was called on to matchup against some of the league’s most dominant scorers. There were players like James Worthy, Dominique Wilkins, and Larry Bird. In the 80s, those players were perennial All-Stars, and Jones had to cover them all.

Sure, since his days playing alongside Julius Erving and Moses Malone, there have been more athletic players who were faster and stronger. Yet, any star from that era will attest to the sheer determination and effort by Bobby Jones to shut down a team’s best player. It is for this reason that Jones is the top defender in 76ers history.

What do you think? Was the order correct in your eyes? Was there a player who should have made this list? Let us know in the comment section below.