It’s all relative, though. A team that can get more stops is better than a team that can’t all else equal.
I would actually argue that an elite defense would be more valuable now than in the past. It’s just much harder to defend now, so you can’t just park a giant at the hoop and play prevent defense anymore. Players and schemes are just so much better and dynamic, so now you need better and dynamic defensive ability to contain teams from going off.
This is why disruptive and switchable defenders that can shoot the basketball are going to be increasingly required to be a real contender. That is why Hendricks and Wallace hold so much (prospective) value.
If you can not only blow up pick and rolls but create a little uncertainty or discomfort by hounding the ball, intercepting passes, and protecting the rim with multiple defenders, then you are simply a cut above. The days of a Rudy Gobert being an entire defense are over.
