Someone unfamiliar with Bowen might ask: how could a guy that averaged about 6 points, 1 assist, 3 boards and 1 steal per game throughout his career get under your skin? A player like this should be forgettable – simply a role player. But Bruce Bowen, part of the NBA All-Defensive Team for eight straight seasons, was far more than that – he brought the intangibles to the game and his impact can not be measured solely by his statistics.
Bowen knew what he could get away with on the defensive end without drawing the attention of the officials. He inconspicuously tugged on jerseys, fought through screens and successfully reduced the productivity of the player he was defending. Bowen was often referred to as a “dirty player” but it never changed his style of play. He was able to both physically and mentally break down the player he was defending. Because he was generally wearing down the best offensive player on the opposing team– the player that you were rooting for, you ended up hating Bowen with a passion. When one refers to the championship years of the Spurs, it is unlikely that Bowen’s name would come up, but in fact Bowen’s grit and tactical defense was critical to the Spurs success. Bowen was a defensive pest, a pest that you would have gladly welcomed on your team.
Bowen is definitely very good at what he does. I cannot imagine Spurs winning without him when they did.
ReplyDeleteAgree Bowen is a pest, but was separates him from other defensive pest is his ability to knock down the open corner three. It’s quite rare to have a guy be a good defender and a reliable shooter. Raja Bell is a Bruce Bowen of this generation of NBA players (he even has the Kobe closeline to prove it.) The only thing that I don’t like about Bowen, no matter whose team his on, is the fact that often times the offensive player would end up landing on his foot. It’s one thing being crafty with jersey pulling and rib poking, but causing injuries is not part of playing hard.
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