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According to the old adage, offense wins games, but defense wins championships; as such, while high-flying scorers and playmakers get all the glory in basketball, every winning team needs a strong anchor on the defensive end. In that vein, centers Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler made their mark in the Association during the 2000s and 2010s as two of the league’s best defensive big men. Seven-footers (6’11” in Camby’s case) who were limited offensively, but dominant on the defensive end, there are notable parallels between the two players, thus leading to the question:
Who was better – Marcus Camby or Tyson Chandler?
The Beginning
Whether it be high school or college basketball, Camby and Chandler dominated in the amateur ranks and parlayed that success into #2 overall draft selections in their respective classes, with the latter making the jump directly from high school to the NBA.
A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Camby was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball as a senior while leading his team to a perfect record and a state title. From there, he went on to attend the University of Massachusetts, where he was the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year and set an NCAA freshman record for blocked shots. After another strong sophomore campaign, he broke out as a junior by earning First Team All-American honors and winning both the Wooden and Naismith College Player of the Year Awards while guiding the Minutemen all the way to the Final Four; however, the Final Four results were later vacated by the NCAA due to Camby accepting illegal benefits from agents while still an amateur. Nevertheless, upon declaring early for the 1996 NBA Draft, he was selected second overall (behind Allen Iverson) by the Toronto Raptors and made the All-Rookie Team in 1996-1997 with averages of 14.8 points per game on 48.2% shooting with 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game.
Meanwhile, born and raised in California, Chandler was a dominant high school basketball player – he was a 2x California Mr. Basketball, Parade All-American as both a junior (Second Team) and a senior (First Team), and a McDonald’s All-American. Heavily recruited by a slew of major programs, he instead opted to declare for the NBA Draft straight out of high school, as the one-and-done rule for college was not yet in effect. In the 2001 NBA Draft, Chandler was likewise selected second overall (behind notorious bust Kwame Brown) by the Los Angeles Clippers, but immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls for previous #1 overall pick Elton Brand. Teaming up with fellow preps-to-pros phenom and fourth overall pick Eddy Curry, Chandler had a so-so rookie season with 6.1 points (49.7% shooting), 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Career Comparison
Despite being top lottery draft picks, Camby and Chandler both led somewhat nomadic NBA existences and had good, but not necessarily great careers; each played for a handful of teams and was a dominant defensive player in his prime, culminating in Defensive Player of the Year awards.
In his second season with Toronto, Camby led the league with a career-high 3.7 blocks per game, adding 12.1 points (though only 41.2% shooting), 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. However, he was subsequently traded on Draft day to the New York Knicks for Charles Oakley, where he would primarily back up Patrick Ewing in the twilight of the latter’s Hall of Fame career and saw his numbers dip. Upon assuming the starting center role in 2000-2001, Camby would average a double-double for two consecutive seasons (12.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 2000-2001, followed by 11.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in 2001-2002), but was limited to 92 games total during that span. During the offseason, he was again on the move, this time with Mark Jackson and the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft (later used on Nene Hilario) to the Denver Nuggets for Antonio McDyess and a second-round draft pick.
While he was limited to just 29 games in his first season in the Mile High City, Camby would then average double-digit rebounds and 2.5+ blocks per game for five straight years with the Nuggets starting in 2003-2004. Following a Second Team All-Defensive selection in 2004-2005, he reached the pinnacle of his career with three straight years leading the NBA in blocked shots:
- 2005-2006: 12.8 points per game on 46.5% shooting with 11.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3.3 blocks per game; again Second Team All-Defensive
- 2006-2007: 11.2 points per game on 47.3% shooting with 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.3 blocks per game; First Team All-Defensive and Defensive Player of the Year
- 2007-2008: 9.1 points per game on 45.0% shooting with a career-high 13.1 rebounds, a career-best 3.3 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game; again First Team All-Defensive
However, after another early postseason exit, Camby was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers for merely an option to swap second-round draft picks in the 2010 NBA Draft.
During his lone full season with the Clippers, Camby averaged a double-double for the final time in his career with 10.3 points (on 51.2% shooting), 11.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game, but was traded midway through the 2009-2010 season to the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, and cash. Despite the movement, he continued to produce defensively and kept his double-digit rebounding streak to nine straight years. Unfortunately, he continued to battle injuries – Camby only played 70+ games in a season 4x and never more than 60 games in a season after leaving the Clippers. After two-and-half seasons with the Trail Blazers, he played 19 games with the Houston Rockets in 2011-2012 following a trade and returned to the Knicks for the 2012-2013 season, though was limited by injuries to just 24 games played off the bench. In the offseason, he was part of a trade package with Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, and draft picks sent to the Raptors (his original team) for Andrea Bargnani, but was bought out and re-signed with the Rockets; however, Camby never appeared in a regular season game, having last suited up at age 38 in 2013.
Chandler gradually improved during his five seasons with the Bulls, though did not quite live up to his lofty draft status. While he never averaged a double-double in Chicago, his best season came in 2004-2005 when he averaged 8.0 points per game on 49.4% shooting with 9.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. However, with the Bulls looking to pursue Ben Wallace in the 2006 offseason, Chandler was dealt to the New Orleans Hornets for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith, where he had back-to-back seasons with double-digit rebounds and paced the league in offensive boards:
- 2006-2007: 9.5 points per game on 62.4% shooting with a career-high 12.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game
- 2007-2008: 11.8 points per game on 62.3% shooting with 11.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game
Midway through the 2008-2009 season, Chandler was originally traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the trade did not go through due to health issues that eventually limited him to just 45 games played; instead, he was dealt in the offseason to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor.
Following one injury-plagued season with the Bobcats, Chandler was traded with Alexis Ajinca to the Dallas Mavericks for Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera, Matt Carroll, and cash. As the defensive anchor of a Dallas team led by Dirk Nowitzki, he had a strong season with 10.1 points (65.4% shooting), 9.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game to earn Second Team All-Defensive honors. Nevertheless, as a free agent at season’s end, he joined the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal and would have some of his best seasons in New York – in his first season in the Big Apple, Chandler averaged 11.3 points per game on a league-best and career-high 67.9% shooting with 9.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 2011-2012 to garner Third Team All-NBA honors and win Defensive Player of the Year (though oddly was only Second Team All-Defensive). As an encore, he made his only All-Star Team in 2012-2013 with another double-double season: 10.4 points (63.8% shooting), 10.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
After three seasons in New York, Chandler returned to the Mavericks in a blockbuster trade (him and Raymond Felton for Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, and a pair of second-round draft picks); despite another double-double season (10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game) his tenure in Dallas again lasted just one season and he subsequently signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent. There, he had a few solid seasons, including his last double-digit rebounding year (11.5 rebounds per game in 2016-2017), but saw his production gradually wane as injuries piled up; he was bought out early in the 2018-2019 season and would spend a year apiece with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets in a veteran reserve role, ultimately playing his last NBA game at age 37 in 2019-2020.
During their many NBA stops, Camby and Chandler each played 15+ seasons in the Association, with the latter having the edge in both seasons and games played. The duo have similar career numbers – Camby has the edge in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game by relatively small margins, but Chandler was a far more efficient shooter (nearly 60% from the field for his career, often via dunks, vs. sub-50% for Camby). Both earned most of their career accolades for defensive – in addition to one Defensive Player of the Year award apiece, Camby earned more All-Defensive nods (4x vs. 3x) and was an All-Rookie selection, but his counterpart has the only All-Star and All-NBA selections between the two. Advanced metrics are again a mixed story, as the former has the higher career Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at 17.8 vs. 16.1, but the latter accumulated more career Win-Shares (102.1 vs. 81.6). Interestingly, the pair had 13 head-to-head regular season matchups in which Chandler came out ahead both individually and team-wise – in addition to a 9-4 record, he averaged 11.0 points (on a sterling 67.4% shooting), 11.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game vs. Camby’s 6.7 points (on just 44.3% shooting), 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game. Overall, each player had a lengthy and productive NBA career, but most likely did not do quite enough to garner serious Hall of Fame consideration.
Regular Season Statistics
| Marcus Camby | Player | Tyson Chandler |
| 17 (1996-2013) | Seasons | 19 (2001-2020) |
| 973 | Games Played | 1,160 |
| 9.5 | Points | 8.2 |
| 9.8 | Rebounds | 9.0 |
| 1.9 | Assists | 0.8 |
| 2.4 | Blocks | 1.2 |
| 46.6% | Field Goal % | 59.7% |
| 67.0% | Free Throw % | 64.4% |
| 17.8 | PER | 16.1 |
| 81.6 | Win Shares | 102.1 |
| – | All-Star Games | 1x |
| – | All-NBA | 1x |
| – | MVP | – |
| – | NBA Titles | 1x |
| – | NBA Finals MVP | – |
| 1x Defensive POY, 4x All-Defensive, All-Rookie | Other Awards | 1x Defensive POY, 3x All-Defensive |
| – | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Camby and Chandler were consistently key cogs on various playoff-bound teams throughout their careers, though they were only able to achieve sustained success on rare occasions.
Though he made 11 playoff trips across the Knicks, Nuggets, and Trail Blazers, Camby’s greatest playoff successes came early on in his career with New York. After dominating in the 1998-1999 Eastern Conference Finals with 14.3 points and 10.7 assists per game in a six-game victory over Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers, Camby’s Knicks fell to the David Robinson and Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs in five games. The next season, New York again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, but fell to the Pacers in a rematch. During his prime, Camby led the Nuggets to five straight playoff appearances, but the team never advanced past the first round, winning no more than a single game each time.
Likewise, Chandler was a 10x postseason participant with the Bulls, Hornets, Bobcats, Mavericks, Knicks, and Rockets, though most of these trips ended in first round losses. Most notably, during his first go-around with Dallas in 2010-2011, he played a key role in helping the team upset the Miami Heat and their triumvirate of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, chipping in 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while playing staunch defense.
Internationally, Camby never wore the Team USA uniform, but Chandler’s strong defensive presence in the middle was part of the team that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; additionally, he also was a gold medallist at both the FIBA Americas and FIBA World Championships.
Playoff Statistics
| Marcus Camby | Player | Tyson Chandler |
| 79 | Games Played | 76 |
| 7.5 | Points | 6.9 |
| 9.0 | Rebounds | 8.1 |
| 1.2 | Assists | 0.5 |
| 1.9 | Blocks | 1.1 |
| 44.3% | Field Goal % | 56.6% |
| 57.8% | Free Throw % | 62.8% |
| 15.6 | PER | 13.7 |
| 5.4 | Win Shares | 6.4 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; while dominant at their peaks, Camby and Chandler were both inconsistent and bounced around from team to team, eventually fading into veteran bench players. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Marcus Camby | Player | Tyson Chandler |
| 1997-1998, 1999-2001, 2003-2010 | Decade of Dominance | 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2008, 2010-2015, 2016-2017 |
| 664 | Games Played | 686 |
| 10.3 | Points | 9.8 |
| 10.7 | Rebounds | 10.3 |
| 2.1 | Assists | 0.9 |
| 2.8 | Blocks | 1.3 |
| 47.1% | Field Goal % | 61.3% |
| 68.8% | Free Throw % | 66.1% |
| 18.4 | PER | 17.6 |
| 63.4 | Win Shares | 77.6 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
The decade of dominance comparison is again quite similar, as both centers either averaged a double-double (Camby) or very close to it (Chandler). Though Camby’s accumulation statistics are generally better, Chandler remains the more efficient player – this dichotomy is again reflected in the mixed advanced metrics.
My Thoughts
As #2 overall draft picks, did Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler live up to their draft billing? In a loaded 1996 draft class that included not just Iverson, but also Hall of Famers Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash plus All-Stars like Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, and Jermaine O’Neal, probably not for Camby; Chandler’s 2001 draft class was much weaker, with Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, and Gilbert Arenas being the headliners, so you can reasonably argue that he was actually one of the top five players that year. Nevertheless, even if they did fall shy of expectations, both Camby and Chandler carved out valuable and productive roles in the NBA. Between the two, even though Camby’s numbers were slightly better and there are few players in league history better at blocking shots (though that is hardly the only measure of defensive effectiveness), I would say Chandler was better in his role – for a big man, Camby’s 46.6% career shooting was subpar; Chandler was highly efficient on the offensive end and almost single-handedly changed the a team’s defensive culture (e.g. Knicks) or was a key piece that put his team over the top (e.g. Mavericks). As further validation of his prime value, with a seemingly bottomless pool of talent to choose from, Team USA tapped Chandler to be one of just a dozen players to represent the country at the Olympics, an honor Camby never came close to earning.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Tyson Chandler
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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