Amen Thompson was the only player to finish top 20 in both blocks (1.3) and steals (1.4) per game and earned an All-Defensive First Team nod in 2025.
Here are 14+ minutes of Amen's defensive highlights: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhnl...
DEN Nuggets - Iverson Spain
MPJ goes off the Iverson.
Watson (first screen) spaces to the corner.
Strawther (opposite wing) cuts down but hooks to set the back screen in Spain action.
Russell Westbrook finds the rolling DeAndre Jordan for two with MPJ & Strawther both also open.
DEN Nuggets - Gut Zoom Empty
Beauty by Michael Malone.
As Jamal Murray cuts up the gut, Hunter Tyson clears to empty the corner.
Julian Strawther effectively DHOs to Jamal and DeAndre Jordan follows with a screen at the nail.
The tag was removed when Tyson cleared = DJ oop.
LA Lakers - Pistol Zoom Elevator
Pistol action where Dalton Knecht fakes the pitch back to AR.
Zoom action where Christie comes off the Rui screen and gets the Anthony Davis hand off.
AR's pause makes me think this should have been an elevator earlier but either way, Austin Reaves cashes the 3.
LA Lakers - Chase Reject Hammer
Sweet set to start the game by JJ Redick.
Reaves hand off to Gabe Vincent.
Vincent chase action.
Christie rejects the ball screen to drive baseline.
Hachimura 45 cut.
Austin Reaves comes off the hammer screen by Anthony Davis for the triple.
UConn - Chin Flare Slip
Ashlynn Shade uses the chin screen and gets a touch a step off the block.
Ice Brady (the chin screener) sets a flare screen for Paige Bueckers.
Shade's catch drew two defenders so Brady slips out of the flare to finish with the step through!
CLE Cavaliers - Ghost Flare Spain
Ty Jerome ghosts out of a ball screen and receives a flare from Jarrett Allen.
As Ty flares, CLE flow right into Spain action with him as the rip screener.
BKN technically switch the ghost and then don't switch any of the Spain.
Paint touch by Ty for a decent look!
CLE Cavaliers - Wedge Post Split Stagger
Evan Mobley initiates the play so he can receive the Jarrett Allen screen to get a postup.
As soon as Garland throws the ball to Mobley, split action with Allen.
DG & JA stagger for Okoro.
Bilbao with Okoro curling & Garland popping back.
Cool short action by the Toronto Raptors.
Ochai Agbaji fakes like he's setting a screen for Jakob Poeltl and then comes up to ball screen for RJ Barrett.
Chicago soft switch this so Pat ends up on the high side.
Jak flashes up for the catch + shooters in the corners = Ochai oop.
UConn - Chin to Point Away
Kaitlyn Chen uses the chin screen.
Ice Brady catches at the top of the key.
Paige Bueckers screens away for Sarah Strong.
Strong rejects the screen and ends up pinning in as Bueckers pulls back to get a clean look from three.
UConn - Chin vs Zone
Iowa St in a 2-3 Zone.
Sarah Strong receives the chin screen & cuts to the corner + Ice Brady gets an elbow catch.
Ashlynn Shade enters the ball, the zone defender drops to cover the corner, Shade lifts, Paige Bueckers clears, and Ash gets the 3 to go.
TOR Raptors - Horns Out Wide Reject Spain
Beauty of an ATO from Darko RajakoviΔ.
Horns out action between Poeltl and Ochai.
Ochai sets a wide screen for Gradey Dick in the corner as Jak ball screens for RJ Barrett.
Gradey rejects the wide screen to set a rip screen on Adebayo.
NY Knicks - Cross Stagger Post Split
Cross screen by Mikal for KAT.
Bridges comes off the stagger by Hart & Anunoby.
Post split by Brunson to screen away after throwing it to KAT.
OG 45 cut.
Mikal is top-locked so he backdoors which cuts off OG's cut but he gets the And1 anyway.
NY Knicks - Horns Out Chin Wide
Horns Out for Mikal.
Precious Achiuwa sets the chin screen for Brunson and then sets the wide screen for McBride.
Anunoby looks to pin-in for Brunson while Precious gets a clear runway to the rim after the screen.
Another great block by ORL.
NY Knicks - Wedge Post Split
Mikal Bridges sets the wedge for KAT with Brunson having the option to use the ball screen.
JB entry pass to Towns and they immediately go split action.
Solid read by Mikal to reject the Brunson screen and terrific find by KAT.
Great block by Goga.
NY Knicks - Wide Chin Twirl Empty
Pretty set to start the game by Tom Thibodeau.
Wide pin to get Mikal the ball.
Brunson goes off the KAT chin screen.
Stagger for Anunoby.
OG curls it and Brunson comes off Towns to get into effectively the Brunson/KAT PnR empty side.
NY Knicks - Wide Reject into Rip DHO
KAT sets a wide pin for Jalen Brunson. Whether by design or bec of the top-lock, Brunson rejects and they flow into Rip DHO action.
Great change of pace by Mikal Bridges on the cut.
DHO is denied but another great cut by Mikal.
DIME by KAT.
WAS Wizards - Flex Rip STS / Post Split
Flex screen to get Bilal Coulibaly post position.
Jordan Poole, who set the flex screen, sets a rip screen for Champagnie.
ValanΔiΕ«nas springs Poole free as he screens the screener (STS) but all of it is post split action.
Fun stuff!
MIA Heat - Horns Out Flex
Simple but effective from Coach Spoelstra:
Horns out action as Kevin Love screens for Dru Smith.
Dru looks to basket cut instead of clearing to the wing.
Love pops out to receive the ball as Dru goes to set a flex screen for Butler.
Jimmy Buckets.
UConn - Chin Euro
Classic Chin to start the game by UConn.
After Ice Brady sets the chin screen for Sarah Strong, Ice gets the elbow catch.
Solid defense to deny Bueckers the handoff but Huskies flow into euro action.
Kaitlyn Chen 45 cut + Paige DHO.
TOUGH bucket.
UConn - Wide Flip Loop
Paige Bueckers gets a wide pin, immediately flips it back to Kaitlyn Chen.
Sarah Strong, who set the wide screen, gets an elbow catch as Bueckers curls around the big at the other elbow.
Similar in concept to Iverson Loop action.
Fun set!
CLE Cavaliers - DHO Trail Ghost
Georges Niang DHOs to the trailing Evan Mobley.
Cleveland follows that up immediately with invert action as Merrill screens for Mobley.
Sam Merrill quickly ghosts it. The Denver defense is caught out. Merrill triple.
CLE Cavaliers - 77 Spain
Two instances where the Cavs run a double drag with Darius Garland backscreening for the second ball screener.
First one, Garland ghosts out and MPJ flies by on the closeout.
Second time, the Cavs keep flowing and get an Evan Mobley corner 3.
CLE Cavaliers - Flare the Stagger
Whether you want to call it an Iverson or just a uniquely angled stagger, they spring Donovan Mitchell from the corner as Mobley pitches it back to Garland.
Isaac Okoro (the 2nd screener) flares off the first screener (Jarrett Allen) for a clean look from deep.
OKC Thunder - Wedge Slice Stagger
Wedge action with SGA to get Hartenstein a post touch.
Isaiah Joe sets a slice screen for Lu Dort then comes off a stagger.
Decent recovery by the chasing Gradey Dick but a quick Isaiah two-man game and Joe gets the 3 to go.
Fun one from Mike Brown's Sacramento Kings:
Delay + options for DeMar DeRozan to use the flex or the wide pin.
The wide pin turns into zoom with the Sabonis DHO.
Keegan Murray uses the Malik Monk flex screen and Domas screens the screener to get into a snug empty PnR.
BEAUTY.
IND Pacers - Skip the 77
TJ McConnell looks to be getting a double drag from Haliburton & Myles Turner.
TJ skips it to Myles. Clever way to get into a high split.
Zoom look for TJ.
Turner swings to Tyrese who attacks the closeout and generates an open 3 for Myles.
Fun setup to get into the Rip DHO action by Jordi Fernandez:
Trenton Watford loops under Nic Claxton on the block so they can both flash up into Horns with TW getting an elbow catch.
Cam Johnson sets a rip screen for Clax before receiving the DHO for a decent look from 3.
LA Lakers - Pistol Rip STS
Pistol entry to LeBron as DLo spaces to the corner.
Dalton Knecht sets the backscreen for Rui Hachimura and then gets the STS from Anthony Davis to get free for 3.
BOS Celtics - Horns Out Ghost Flare
Horns Out action to spring Jayson Tatum to the top.
Swing by Derrick White and it looks like he's immediately setting a ball screen for JT.
White ghosts it right into a flare screen by Luke Kornet and that gets DW a clean look from deep.
