Rudy Gobert’s ability to serve as a one-man wrecking crew in the paint is truly unique. The Utah Jazz center hunts out and erases a Charlotte Hornets shot attempt down low, then pounces on the man that recovers it for a second soul-shattering rejection in a February 22, 2021 win.

Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert cleans up the paint with emphatic back-to-back blocks

Elite rim protectors will challenge anything in the paint but not all big men have the motor to go back for seconds. Milwaukee Bucks center and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo gives his all to thwart one Cleveland Cavaliers shot attempt then recovers just in time to send a second offering out to the baseline in a February 5, 2021 victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo thwarts consecutive drive attempts in the paint

Pair one of the game’s most impressive spotlight performers with a superhuman former dunk contest champion then sit back and watch the fireworks. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard pushes the ball up the floor against the Atlanta Hawks, surveys his options as the defense transitions, then air mails an ambitious half-court alley-oop lob to Derrick Jones Jr. on January 16, 2021.

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard hits teammate on break with halfcourt lob

Good things happen when you don’t give up on a play. Orlando Magic rookie R.J. Hampton hits the offensive glass against then knocks the ball loose from his Denver Nuggets opponent when he doesn’t come away with the rebound. Hampton narrowly avoids stepping out of bounds by kicking a pass out to teammate Terrence Ross then queues up for a corner triple on April 4, 2021.

R.J. Hampton

R.J. Hampton battles to keep ball in play then buries corner three

No spotlight on Earth can contain Ja Morant’s otherworldly game. The Memphis Grizzlies star runs the break with teammate Dillon Brooks, sneaks behind the only Orlando Magic defender then leaps into another stratosphere to cradle an alley-oop pass and cap off the play with a perfect-50, windmill finish on April 30, 2021.

Ja Morant

Ja Morant throws down two-handed windmill off transition lob

Why settle for the contested transition hoop when a trailing teammate is there to share the spotlight with? Denver Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo pushes the ball up the floor against the Charlotte Hornets then nonchalantly drops a behind-the-back pass around his defender for a Michael Porter Jr. tomahawk on March 17, 2021.

Facundo Campazzo

Facundo Campazzo baits transition defender before dropping dime behind back

When Atlanta Hawks fans catch young stars Trae Young and John Collins leading the break, they know something’s about to go off. Young leads the pack in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 18, 2021, peaks back behind his shoulder to make sure his running mate is thinking what he’s thinking then lobs a showtime alley-oop pass off glass to the streaking big man.

Trae Young

Trae Young peaks backward in transition, throws lob off glass to John Collins

Good things happen when your point guard is one step ahead. Chris Chiozza of the Brooklyn Nets sees a New York Knicks ball carrier struggling in the post, reads the kick-out pass attempt like a savvy cornerback then bats a loose ball toward the frontcourt for a surging Kevin Durant for an easy transition finish on January 13, 2021.

Chris Chiozza

Chris Chiozza deflects pass, taps ball backward down court for Kevin Durant dunk

High-energy defenders don’t take plays off. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton eyes up an opponent while checking his man in the corner, commits to blitzing the ball carrier and comes away with the open-court steal. Sexton then recovers the ball and takes it coast to coast for a flush in the March 27, 2021 matchup against the Sacramento Kings.

Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton sneaks up on defender, takes ball coast to coast for slam

Juan Toscano-Anderson goes hard on both ends of the floor and the results speak for themselves. The Golden State Warriors forward battles for a steal against the Sacramento Kings, kicks off an uncontested fastbreak, then unleashes a massive windmill slam on March 25, 2021.

Juan Toscano-Anderson

Juan Toscano-Anderson turns pickpocket steal into windmill on far end

Vets that have been around winning ball clubs know what it means to put their bodies on the line. Golden State Warriors wing Kent Bazemore scrambles for a loose ball against the Indiana Pacers, then leaps directly out of bounds to tip the rock through the legs of his opponent and straight to a streaking Kelly Oubre Jr. on January 12, 2021.

Kent Bazemore

Kent Bazemore dives out of bounds to force a steal and set up dunk

Having the wherewithal to hit the deck for a steal is tough — turning it into a transition dime is elite. Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso bats the ball loose against the Toronto Raptors, falls to the floor to recover the rock then hits Devontae Cacok in stride while sliding on his back in an April 6, 2021 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso hits the deck to recover steal, dishes before he even stops sliding

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