Greatest shot blocker in each NBA team’s history

Best shot blocker in Portland Trail Blazers history: Bill Walton

As great as Bill Walton was during his peak — and it was terrific — his career was unfortunately shortened due to multiple foot injuries, robbing us of a guy who could have gotten himself placed among the pantheon at his position.

There wasn’t anything tremendously flashy about Walton’s game, just consistent and underwhelming excellence from the two-time All-Star. He could bully opponents down low and wasn’t afraid to take a few hits along the way. Walton wasn’t a high-volume scorer, but with a soft touch around the bucket, you could throw him the ball and feel confident in what was likely to come.

Like his scoring abilities, Walton never shied away from physical contact on the glass. When a shot went up, he’d be right there in the trenches battling for position. More often than not he came out victorious, basketball in hand.

Plenty of the NBA’s giants could score down low and grab rebounds. Where Walton truly separated himself was with his ability to dish the rock. He didn’t run the show, but the Portland Trail Blazers ran their offense through him, knowing he could find any open man, whether that be on the perimeter or cutting to the basket for an open layup.

Defensively, Walton was a feared shot-blocker, who averaged 2.6 blocks a game in four years in Portland. He wasn’t blessed with tremendous leaping ability. Rather, he had an amazing awareness on that end of the court which helped him time those swats perfectly.

Walton’s career lasted far too short, 10 seasons to be exact, split apart by his foot injuries, but he’ll always hold a special place in the heart of Trail Blazers fans for leading them to their first and only championship back in 1977.

It would’ve been nice for him to flesh out his career, but NBA historians will always understand Bill Walton’s true greatness every time he stepped on the hardwood. He’ll always have a home up in Oregon.