Under Appreciated Series: Mark Eaton

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Mark Eaton is one of the most overlooked players in NBA history. Despite being a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Eaton is often overshadowed by other dominant centers of his era such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson. However, when looking at Eaton's statistics and advanced statistics, it becomes clear that he was one of the most effective and efficient defensive players of his time.

Eaton's career statistics are impressive, averaging 4.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. However, it is his advanced statistics that truly showcase his impact on the defensive end. Eaton led the league in blocks per game four times, and his career block percentage (the percentage of two-point field goal attempts blocked by a player) of 7.5% is the third highest in NBA history behind only Mark Olberding and Manute Bol.

Eaton's defensive impact can also be seen in the advanced statistic of defensive rating, which measures the number of points allowed per 100 possessions. Eaton's career defensive rating of 98.9 is the fourth best in NBA history among players who have played at least 500 games. This statistic shows that when Eaton was on the court, his team was one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Eaton's impact on defense can also be seen in the advanced statistic of defensive win shares, which measures the number of wins a player contributes to his team's defense. Eaton's career defensive win shares of 29.4 is the eighth highest in NBA history among players who have played at least 500 games. This statistic shows that Eaton was one of the most valuable defensive players of his era.

When comparing Eaton to other centers during his era, it becomes clear that he was one of the best defensive players of his time. In the table below, we compare Eaton to some of the other dominant centers of his era in terms of defensive win shares and defensive rating.

PlayerDefensive Win SharesDefensive Rating
Mark Eaton29.498.9
Hakeem Olajuwon38.3100.3
Patrick Ewing28.2101.1
David Robinson34.7101.3
Dikembe Mutombo35.5101.5

As we can see from the table, Eaton ranks among the top of the league in both defensive win shares and defensive rating. His defensive win shares are only behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, while his defensive rating is the best among all the centers in the table.

Mark Eaton was one of the most effective and efficient defensive players of his era. His statistics and advanced statistics show that he was one of the best defensive centers of his time, and it is unfortunate that he is often overlooked. Eaton's impact on defense should not be underestimated and he should be remembered as one of the greats of the game.

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