Strutter
Well-Known Member
I think defensively he's a bit over-valued at the moment too. He is really good at staying in front of his man, and his length often bothers shooters. But he has many defensive weaknesses (in addition to his literal weakness). He can't control his speed well enough to stay with more crafty guards, and he tends to end up 5 feet from his man as soon as the latter changes velocity. He's bad at fighting through screens, he's bad at getting in the passing lane, and he makes many dumb decisions, misses assignments, etc. I mean he's good defensively, but I've heard nonsense like "he's already a top 10 guard defensively". He's not. Hopefully he'll get there someday, but right now he's an above average defender and the worst offensive player I've ever seen.
I respectfully disagree with your assessment, Siro. I think I agree with the general point (some people are jumping the gun a little bit), but I disagree with some of the details. I think he does a much better job of fighting through screens than many point guards, despite his lack of strength. Also, he's not a huge steal threat, but sometimes you don't want every single one of your players playing the passing lanes.
Would you say he is an above average defender (top 15) among starting point guards? I think I would. And considering he still has a lot to learn about defensive technique and defensive assignments, I think that bodes really well for his defensive potential. Like sgjazzfan, I'm willing to give him until his third year before I make any damning conclusions about his game.