Alvin Robertson holds four of the Spurs top five spots as the top SPG leader.
The San Antonio Spurs have had a fair share of elite defensive players throughout their history. Here, we’ll take a look at which players have posted the best averages of steals per game in a single season. You’ll notice a certain great defender is a frequent presence on the Spurs’ top five steals per game averages.
Alvin Robertson – 1986, 3.7 steals per game
Robertson played the first five years of his career with the Spurs and instantly generated havoc on the defensive end, though he wouldn’t grab national headlines until his sophomore year in the 1985-86 campaign. Not only did Robertson lead the league in SPG per game that season, but his 3.7 steals per game were enough to give him multiple individual accolades. He was named the Most Improved Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year in 1985-86 while also earning an All-Star nod, a spot on the NBA All-Defense 2nd-Team, one on the All-NBA Second Team, and 13th place in the MVP voting.
Alvin Robertson – 1987, 3.2 steals per game
Robertson couldn’t repeat the 3.7 steals per game he averaged during the 1985-86 season in the subsequent campaign, but he still surpassed the mark of 3.0 steals per game for a second straight year. His 3.2 SPG led the league by a sizable margin as well, with the second-placed player, Michael Jordan, averaging 2.9 steals per contest. Robertson also averaged 17.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game en route to earning a second consecutive All-Star berth and a spot in the NBA All-Defense 1st-Team.
Alvin Robertson – 1989, 3.0 steals per game
Robertson didn’t make the All-Star Game in the 1988-89 season and was limited to only 65 regular-season appearances. However, he averaged 3.0 steals per game for a fourth consecutive campaign. The Ohio-born guard also averaged 17.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game while making the NBA All-Defense 2nd-Team. Robertson ranked second in the NBA in steals per game that season behind John Stockton, who led the league with 3.2 SPG. The 1988-89 season was Robertson’s final year with the Spurs, and he would retire as the all-time leader in steals per game with 2.7 SPG across 779 contests.
Alvin Robertson – 1988, 3.0 steals per game
Robertson also averaged 3.0 steals per game during the 1987-88 campaign, marking the third straight season in which he hit that mark. He didn’t lead the league in the category, however, as he finished in a tie for second place with John Stockton and behind Michael Jordan’s league-leading 3.2 SPG. During that 1987-88 season, Robertson also averaged a career-high 19.6 points per game and was named to the NBA All-Defense 2nd-Team, as well as the All-Star Game. Robertson also finished in fourth place in the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Johnny Moore – 1985, 2.8 steals per game
Moore is the only player not named Alvin Robertson to crack this list. A point guard out of Texas who played for the Spurs throughout the vast majority of his career, Moore had his best defensive season in the 1984-85 campaign, averaging 12.8 points, 10.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game across 82 regular-season appearances. It was the only season in his career in which he averaged a double-double. He also ranked second in the NBA in steals per game that campaign, trailing only Michael Ray Richardson, one of the best on-ball defenders of the league in that era, who averaged 3.0 SPG playing for the Nets.
