LOUiS-D wrote:Huge guys like Brook have a bit more leeway in interior situations because you can play straight up D, not foul and have as big an impact as a highly effective shot blocker. That's why he gets picked on so much in the pick and roll, because offenses want to get his feet moving. Smaller, more mobile guys like Mase have to be extra smart because if they try to do too much leveraging their quickness they end up leaving lanes wide open all over the place.
Having good perimeter defenders who can deny middle and shade drives, instead of being turnstiles will help Brook and the overall team defense a lot.
brook gets picked on so much on the pick and roll because thats what nba offenses are based off of. pick and roll, ball mvoement and find the guy in the corner for 3 off of rotation. the best defensive teams have bigs who can handle switching their big on a small or have a big good enough to trap and show on the pick and roll.
teams put lopez in the pick and roll because they know the result is a switch where lopez cant stay in front of the small or the wings having to help on the roll man leaving open wing and corner 3s.
better perimeter defenders always helps, but if lopez cant drastically improve in those areas then it wont help all that much. the majority of broosk issue defensively arent gaurding a small who beat their man, its lopez either getting switches on a small in the pick and roll or the nets having their small go over the screen and lopez sagging and not being able to step uo and block the 15 foot jumper or the small just going right by him.
lopez is actually pretty good defending smalls who beat their man when he is at the rim or rotating from close to the rim. its when he is 6 feet or further from the paint and in a switch or sag situation where he is always toast.
lopez needs to improve and we need a tough as nails PG who is going to be strong enough and quick enough to fight thorugh screens or force the opposing PG away from the screen and be quick enough to recover. brook doesnt need to turn into dwight or KG, but he needs to improve enough where we can go ICE on the pick and roll and funnell it to the baseline without him being to slow to get there and make a play on the ball
This video is a great illustration of what im saying. its old but, but not much has changed, which in itself is discouraging. Lopez sagging on the pick and roll as we have our PG go over the screen(because brook isnt quick enough to show/trap and recover). the result is oen mid range jumpers/floaters or gaurds with a head of steam just finishing right in his face. i bring this up not os much to get on lopez case, but to illustrate how having a good defensive wing doesnt help at all in these situations.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJyYSOY4JtE[/youtube]
a couple seasons ago we tried showing and trapping alot more with brook because of how ineffective other methods were, but that was a nightmare and we soon went away from it. he isnt quick enough to get on top of the PG and force him back away from the hoop so he cant trap it, and he isnt quick enough to show and get back to his man.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRga5_JNO2o[/youtube]
There is another play im trying to find where lopez shows and retreats where brook is focusing so much on getting to his spots he isnt even really paying attention to the ball handler. lopez shows on felton then turns his back and sprints back to his man... meanwhile felton just follows lopez with is back turned to him for a layup.
Brook just isnt suited to defend the pick and roll. and i doubt he ever will be. we NEED tough strong lughtening quick defensive PG.... and brook needs to resolve his issue not defensively, but by CONSISTENTLY being a beast on offense and on the glass. if lopez is dropping 23/9 and getting guys in foul trouble then it doesnt matter what his PnR defense looks like. when he is putting up 16/7 it becomes a major issue