We're definitely the worst team in the league at defending the point of attack, and/or shot-happy combo guards. It's like we don't understand how to guard those guys. We try to go over the high screens, yes, but we fail to stay in contact with the ballhandler. Guys are just going through the motions. Sure they try to look like they're playing fierce lockdown D when it's 1-on-1 out in the backcourt, but it's almost like the arrival of a screen is a signal that they can let up a bit.
Dudes like Russell only need a sliver of daylight and the ball is going up. Everybody in the building knows it. I just think the guards need to fight through the screen much more aggressively (and if it's a moving screen at the point of attack like it often is, ****ing FLOP when you're going around it) AND the bigs can't be so low in the drop. Bottom line is, we have to bother the ballhandler much more for it to have any effect. Sure it leads to rotating like hell from the wing and all kinds of scrambling when the pass to the roller comes, but for a team like this, there's no substitute for heady rotating and good anticipation anyway. That's how our defense looked quite passable to start the season. For some reason, that kind of effort is gone now. We're swiping at the ball, getting burned by backdoow cuts, falling asleep on the weak side.
I guess our guys have seen the same stats we have - the offense is still humming, so they think they don't HAVE to play defense. The problem is, we've lost 10 of 15 and it's mainly because we can't guard anyone in the backcourt or the perimeter. Kessler gets blocks but he's not at a point where we can just funnel ballhandlers toward him. He pretty much stays in the "hole" and waits. Meanwhile, opposing guards are scoring on open midrange jumpers like they're layups.
Have to get back to playing team defense and get everyone on the same page.
