7 replies to this topic

[Red94]

New post: Examining the Rockets’ Defense

[xsamc1]

I don't know if I would consider Douglas a good defender.

[ale11]

I don't know if I would consider Douglas a good defender.

No, he might not be, but he is an annoying defender, to say the least....if you are not stopping your man, at least you have to be able to make him unconfortable, right? I think Douglas does that, even if he is picking too many reach-in fouls.

[Rahat Huq]

I never considered Douglas a good defender, personally. When I watch him, he strikes me as the guy in the pickup game that confuses 'agressive defense' with 'good defense.' Consequently, he gets faked out pretty easily by the better players, as he's always reaching and committing to certain angles. Though to ale11's point, I guess that makes him a pesky defender, at the least.

A good defender to me is someone who stays at home and moves his feet, making it difficult to get around. They may not get many steals, but you're not going to be getting around them.

[xsamc1]

A good defender to me is someone who stays at home and moves his feet, making it difficult to get around. They may not get many steals, but you're not going to be getting around them.

I see Lin leaving his defender a lot to try and help or clog the passing lane looking to steal when he should be more focused on the person he's defending. It's maddening! I wish he would focus more on locking down his opponent.

[Johnny Rocket]

Transition defense and stopping three point shots comes down to understanding proper rotations, taking the right angles to close out shooters, and (as Rahat notes) the discipline to stay at home. All of this boils down to teamwork, communication, and practice. So its frustrating now, but the future bodes well when the team gradually jells on the defensive end.

[feelingsupersonic]

I went to the Rockets Wizards game last night and just giving it the eye test I would say they are 30 per cent of where they need to be as a team on defense. Both times they got big leads they let the Wizards come back, Webster, Okafor and Beale should not be breaking your defense down. This team needs a lot of work and I don't see this line up of players as a cohesive unit on the defensive end.

Also, in the past I made excuses for Delfino but I did not like what I saw from him. Watching Asik live reaffirmed my opinion that he has been playing beyond expectations, I would hate to imagine this defense without him.

[Chichos]

I think Douglas has excellent lateral quickness, which is why he gets the good defender label. Being able to slide with your man at the NBA level is not easy. But overall he is an energy guy, and fundamentals win over energy.