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NBA players are incredible at scoring the basketball.

That should go without saying, but it often gets brushed under the rug. Even the men who fill end-of-bench slots are among the best players in the world, capable of torching almost any matchup they're thrown out against.

We viewers are exposed to LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Isaiah Thomas and other prolific point-producers, so it's easy to forget about everyone else. But all 475 players who have suited up in an NBA game this season would torch 99.99 percent of the world's population in a one-on-one contest.

Of course, some defenders make life for an offensive stud even easier. That's who we're focusing on here, highlighting the five least valuable defenders at each position who have played at least 15 minutes per game—a minimum that's necessary to avoid having those aforementioned end-of-bench contributors populate all the slots.

To do so, four different defensive categories come into play:

ESPN.com's defensive real plus/minus, presented such that a positive score is beneficial and a negative score indicates below-average play. NBA Math's defensive points saved, which accounts for defensive volume and efficiency while also taking defensive rebounding into consideration. Field-goal percentage differential, such that a negative score indicates a player is holding his assignments below their typical shooting percentages. On/off differential, such that a negative score indicates a player's team has a lower defensive rating with him on the floor.

All 309 qualified players were ranked in each of the four categories, using stats accurate heading into games on March 12. Their defensive scores were determined by summing their ranks across the board: the lower, the better; the higher, the more porous.