Secrets of the Best Defender in the Euroleague

This year in the EuroLeague, Thomas Walkup was voted Defensive Player of the Year, and for good reason. He’s what coaches call a defensive playmaker, someone who flips possessions with elite timing, instincts, and disruptive habits. In this breakdown, we’ll look at the three defensive tools Walkup uses that make him a nightmare for any offense.

1. The Popup

Walkup’s signature move is the popup, a perfectly timed slap upward from behind the ball handler the moment they lose vision.Most players slap downward (and get called for fouls). Walkup goes upward, getting clean steals without drawing contact calls.

He uses the popup in three key situations:

• On fake handoffs or bigs who lose vision for even half a second
• Right after rebounds when the player isn’t expecting pressure
• Against spin moves when ball handlers completely lose sight of the defender behind them

Walkup gets this steal every game because he’s actively hunting moments when players relax or turn their heads.

2. The Over Tap

Unlike lazy chase-down pokes, the over tap is strategic. Walkup fights over ball screens, exactly like he’s supposed to, but uses his length to tap the ball from behind while the ball handler assumes they’ve created separation.

He excels because:

• He knows the coverage, when he must go over top
• He refuses to die on screens
• He taps the ball at the exact moment the guard relaxes

This isn’t a gamble, it’s effort plus timing. And he gets it constantly.

3. The Blitz

Walkup blends his first two habits into a third: the blitz. When an offensive player gains an advantage and briefly loses vision, Walkup skirmishes into the space and either pokes the ball free or rips a clean steal.

One of his best examples comes when he ignores his own cutter and peel-switches into a drive, jumping the play and turning it into a two-on-one break. This type of defensive read is what separates elite defenders from average ones.

---

Why Walkup Deserves Defensive Player of the Year

Awards at the pro level usually go to rim protectors and shot blockers; but Walkup wins it by dominating the perimeter with intelligence, anticipation, and relentless effort. His popup, over tap, and blitz habits are all teachable, repeatable, and hugely disruptive. Master even one of these, and you instantly become harder to score on.