Bucks Zone

Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez make NBA All-Defensive First Team

Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday are the only players coming from the same team to make it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

Pesky guard Jrue Holiday and towering center Brook Lopez, who helped the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA’s third-best defense season, made it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

Holiday and Lopez were joined on the first team by Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls.

The All-Defensive Second Team are Memphis’ Dillon Brooks, O.G. Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, and Derrick White of the Boston Celtics.

Pesky guard

Cementing his status as one of the league’s top defensive guards, Holiday earned his third All-Defensive First-Team selection. He also made it in 2018 and 2021.

The two-time All-Star also made it to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2019 and 2022.

Holiday, who ended the season with averages of 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks, earned the second-highest votes with 192.

Jackson, the season’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year, got the highest votes with 195.

Defensive monster

Lopez ended up with the third-highest votes with 181, paving the way for his second All-Defensive team nomination. The seven-foot center was part of the All-Defensive Team in 2020.

Lopez finished the season with averages of 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks.

Lopez was one of the three finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Lopez’s finest defensive effort in the season came during Milwaukee’s 118-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 9th. In that game, Lopez finished with a career-high nine blocks to go with 24 points, ten rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.