Greatest shot blocker in each NBA team’s history

Best shot blocker in Indiana Pacers history: Rik Smits

Rik Smits lucked out tremendously during his NBA career> He was blessed to play in an era that allowed him to maximize his size in order to contribute on both ends of the court.

Selected with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, Smits was a terrifying presence inside, with a 7-foot-4, 250-pound frame not many centers in the league at the time could match.

He wasn’t a big-time player, but he was a productive one. Smits was a good presence on the block and could knock down a 15-footer every once in a while off penetration.

Weirdly enough, Smits wasn’t as dominant at the other end as one would expect from someone with his physical traits. It wasn’t like he was getting overpowered. Yet still, he only managed to average 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. This isn’t to say those are terrible numbers, but from a guy who probably didn’t even have to jump in order to block a shot, those stats should have been higher.

It’s hard to tell given the lack of advanced statistics, but Smits was likely a respectable rim protector, who could just slide in front of the rim and alter the shots of opponents who dared to take it to the hole.

Given how large he was, Smits probably didn’t reach his fullest potential. The 1990’s were built for dominant big men, but he wasn’t able to fully take advantage of it. Nevertheless, Smits carved out a solid career with the Indiana Pacers, the perfect complement to the sweet shooting of Reggie Miller and a guy who was a thorn in the side of a lot of great centers back in the day.