John Henson: Defensive anchor for the Milwaukee Bucks

John Henson does not get the acclaim he deserves as one of the NBA’s premier defensive anchors. This year, the Milwaukee Bucks might be able to make better use of his talents than ever before.

When we talk about game-changing players, the conversation always tends to slant toward offense. James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry — these guys are easy to spot. They put up gaudy counting stats, their faces are plastered everywhere, and their shoes bear their own names.

Neglected are the game-changers on the other end. Draymond Green is criminally underappreciated for perennially anchoring one of the league’s best defenses. During the era of the Lob City Clippers, DeAndre Jordan was always an afterthought, despite being the heart and soul of a consistently elite defense. When was the last time you saw a Nike ad featuring Rudy Gobert?

Among the game’s most impactful defensive big men, the true defensive anchors, these are the biggest names, and they get no attention. It’s no surprise, then, that the defensive anchors of lesser profile fly completely under the radar.

Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson is a member of that neglected species.

For years, Henson has consistently been one of the league’s elite rim protectors. Since Henson entered the league in 2012-13, his block percentage — an estimate of opponent 2-point field goals blocked while on the floor — of 6.7 percent ranks fourth among all players (minimum 1,500 minutes played).

Henson has continued to block shots at an elite rate this year, sporting a league-leading block percentage of 7.9 percent (minimum 150 minutes).

As a shot-blocker, Henson is nothing short of imposing. He’s extremely adept as a help defender, because he can wait to commit until the play has already developed:

Henson makes sure Dennis Schroder is attempting the shot before leaving his feet, preventing a kick to Henson’s open man in the weak-side corner. Henson is being reactionary, forcing Schroder to make a decision, and once he does, Henson’s immense length is enough to erase the shot anyway.

On the very next possession, Henson is again reactionary:

When Schroder leaves his feet, Henson bites and jumps, but Schroder does dump it to Henson’s man, Dewayne Dedmon, this time. However, Henson is not completely out of position, recovers quickly, and is again able to use his length to block the shot.

Henson’s impact extends beyond just blocks, though. He affects all shots at the rim:

Henson forces Schroder to wildly float his shot over his immense reach, causing a miss.

Furthermore, Henson serves as a deterrent to attempts at the rim in the first place:

Kyrie Irving, one of the league’s premier finishers, balks at the thought of challenging Henson, instead opting for an extremely difficult, low-percentage turnaround jumper.

John Henson is an elite shot-blocker, but he’s more than that. Ever since his rookie year, opponent effective field goal percentages have dropped markedly whenever Henson has been on the court. This year, opponents are shooting 5.2 percent worse with Henson on the court vs. off. He’s a true defensive anchor.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Admittedly, there is a reason why Henson’s name is not typically brought up in the company of other defensive anchors: He’s a putrid offensive player.

Draymond Green’s passing has made Golden State’s high pick-and-roll impossible to guard. The threat of the DeAndre Jordan lob breaks defenses. Rudy Gobert had the NBA’s highest true shooting percentage last year.

John Henson is…decent at put-backs, I guess. But seriously, he can’t finish, shoot or pass, is bad as a roll man, in transition, on post-ups, and on cuts. It’s ugly. As a result, the Bucks’ offense has scored fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court than off in every single year of his career…until now.

Henson isn’t doing anything new, but for once, he’s not dragging the offense down with him. If the offense can stay afloat with Henson on the court, that’s a game-changer.

In the past, whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken to the bench (because neither Henson nor Greg Monroe should ever be playing alongside Giannis), the Bucks have had to choose offense or defense. Monroe brings potent offense and lacking defense, Henson elite defense and inept offense.

Next: 2017-18 Week 3 NBA Power Rankings

But if the calculus has changed, if Henson can now be on the floor without the offense cratering, the Bucks are going to be able to deploy one of the NBA’s most fearsome defensive anchors without consequence, which will allow them to easily maintain those leads that Giannis builds.