Correctly evaluating a player's contribution on the defensive side of the ball is very difficult for the typical fan. Watching what happens away from the ball is something that takes training, for example; and what happens away from the ball is where much of the defense occurs. One of the most important statistics in basketball is not quantified: Shots That Were Not Taken Because of the Defender. We have blocks and steals, but we do not put a number on a player who "locks down" his opponent. Without a number to hang on it, we tend to undervalue any given aspect of the game.
Occasionally you will find fans of a particular school where defense matters who are "educated" on that aspect of the game more than the norm, and they will cheer their team when the shot clock gets low - but it is rare.
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