Best projected defenders (2020)?

[getrichordie]

Which prospects project to be the best defenders at their position? Feel free to list 2 or 3 at each position.

1 - dosunmu // hagans // maxey
2 - vassell // green // ramsey
3 - okoro // avdija // bolmaro
4 - t. bey // reed // williams
5 - okongwu // achiuwa // azubuike

[King Ken]

Okoro is a SF and the best perimeter defender in this draft by a mile. The one improvement area I would like to see from you is watching more film. That's what I would like to see you do more. Too much of your takes involve analytics and unless the player is Zion where the tape just agrees with the data, I strongly believe we should focus on both and I say that as an analytics guy myself.

[getrichordie]

Okoro is a SF and the best perimeter defender in this draft by a mile. The one improvement area I would like to see from you is watching more film. That's what I would like to see you do more. Too much of your takes involve analytics and unless the player is Zion where the tape just agrees with the data, I strongly believe we should focus on both and I say that as an analytics guy myself.

Fair enough. I do watch a lot of film.

I think Okoro can be a 2. Why does he have to be a 3? He can just be a big 2. And I’m not ranking them. I’m just putting up 3 for each position...

Who do you have as best defenders?

[King Ken]

Okoro is a SF and the best perimeter defender in this draft by a mile. The one improvement area I would like to see from you is watching more film. That's what I would like to see you do more. Too much of your takes involve analytics and unless the player is Zion where the tape just agrees with the data, I strongly believe we should focus on both and I say that as an analytics guy myself.

Fair enough. I do watch a lot of film.

I think Okoro can be a 2. Why does he have to be a 3? He can just be a big 2. And I’m not ranking them. I’m just putting up 3 for each position...

Who do you have as best defenders?

He can defend three positions but when you have bulk and strength, teams will place you at the 3 as it's a much harder role to fill.

I'll give you that list when I post my new list soon.

[Stillwater]

Okoro is a SF and the best perimeter defender in this draft by a mile. The one improvement area I would like to see from you is watching more film. That's what I would like to see you do more. Too much of your takes involve analytics and unless the player is Zion where the tape just agrees with the data, I strongly believe we should focus on both and I say that as an analytics guy myself.

area you would like to see from him? dude take a break, this aint a job

[The-Power]

I believe Okoro is a good defender but nothing special either. He can take on a wing assignment and do a good job, and he has switching potential, but he doesn't create many defensive events and isn't really disruptive. As regards Maxey, I'm not sure I see what most people seem to see. To me, he projects to be a fine Guard defender but I don't think he'll be the next Jrue Holiday.

Also, any such list should include Wiseman. Think of him what you will but he projects to be a plus defender for sure. I personally believe he can develop into a DPOY-candidate but even if you disagree you must acknowledge his potential on defense. I don't see how Achiuwa and Azubuike can be ranked higher here. Achiuwa has the potential to be a good defender especially due to switching but size is going to limit him against many opponents. There's a path for him to be an excellent defender but it's much more difficult than the one for Wiseman. Azubuike has been an effective deterrent at the rim in college but he doesn't even have an edge on Wiseman in this regard, and this doesn't even address the inability to effectively defend away from the rim due to a lack of mobility. Even Wiseman is not without concerns in this regard, and he's infinitely more mobile/agile/light on his feet.

[No-Man]

Vassell and Bolmaro are very obvious to me, so is Avdija, yeah meh length but he is very good in terms of awareness and plays physical, he is going to be a plus

There is no stud defender in this class, Okongwu and Wiseman are probably the closest in terms of impacts because they are bigs, but there is no real big wing stud sadly, Deni is the closest

[King Ken]

Do you guys really think Wiseman is a good defender right now? Not projection wise but right now. Ayton projected to be a great defender but he was terrible early into his rookie year and I expect the same from Wiseman.

Vassell is strictly a SG at the next level, 190-195 is not big enough to defend NBA 3s. Culver who plays a lot stronger than Vassell had has had his share of problems with bigger wings and he's bigger, naturally stronger, weight training stronger, and has a better core than Vassell. No way is someone who pigeonholes at a position is a top tier defender at the next level.

[No-Man]

Ayton projected to be a great defender

What? How? by who?

Ayton is massive and projected neutral at best as a defender, has solid switching ability for his size, but he showed terrible awareness/physicality/rim protection in AZ for a Center and never ever projected to be a "great" defender

Great rebounder yes, sure

[King Ken]

Ayton projected to be a great defender

What? How? by who?

Ayton is massive and projected neutral at best as a defender, has solid switching ability for his size, but he showed terrible awareness/physicality/rim protection in AZ for a Center and never ever projected to be a "great" defender

Great rebounder yes, sure

Many projected Ayton to be a two-way center. He's even proven those people right and to a degree, people like me who were skeptics wrong. His awareness has improved. His rim protection is getting better and his physicality is night and day better compared to his tape at Zona.

[The-Power]

Do you guys really think Wiseman is a good defender right now? Not projection wise but right now. Ayton projected to be a great defender but he was terrible early into his rookie year and I expect the same from Wiseman.

Not sure who you've listened to, but I personally was pretty down on Ayton defensively. I recognized his solid ability to switch and of course his defensive rebounding, but in terms of making the right rotations and challenging shots at the rim (both in terms of frequency and effectiveness) Ayton was very underwhelming. I don't see that in Wiseman at all. Ayton moves a bit better around the perimeter, but Wiseman is a tier or two ahead in terms of ability and willingness to contest shots in the paint. Both are strong rebounders. Ayton was okay-ish defensively with some upside, but never projected to be great in my eyes.

Actually, I have Wiseman and Ayton as pretty comparable prospects in terms of how I rate them. Ayton was more polished offensively, Wiseman was better defensively overall. I had Ayton in my 2nd tier in the 3-5 range. Considering that I currently have no prospect comparable to the Tier 1 prospects in 2018 (Doncic, as 0.5 tier prospect actually, and JJJ), I currently rank Wiseman in the highest tier of this draft – what would be the 2nd tier in the 2018 draft – and 2-3 on my big board. Both Ayton and Wiseman are similar as prospects to me, with both having certain flaws which lead me to believe that they don't have top-end upside but both also having a really good foundation to become long-term starters and impact players.

[King Ken]

Wiseman for me is a poor man's freshman Patrick Ewing with more natural athleticism than Pat. Wiseman isn't ideal for the modern NBA. Even the late 90s was moving away from that style of play.

Wiseman might not have bust potential but he sure has a ton a question marks on both ends, especially early on.

Instincts isn't there.
Awareness is low.
Movement around the perimeter is meh
He's not that strong
His agility is lacking defensively
Wiseman size, athleticism and natural talent will eventually make him a solid defender at the least long term but he's not this David Robinson type on either end. He plays like a young Patrick Ewing. His athleticism is insane though. Big men his size just don't move like Wiseman in the open court.

[EMG518]

I have been most impressed with Okongwu.

[Nazrmohamed]

Which prospects project to be the best defenders at their position? Feel free to list 2 or 3 at each position.

1 - dosunmu // hagans // maxey
2 - vassell // green // okoro
3 - t. bey // avdija // ?
4 - reed // williams // ?
5 - okongwu // achiuwa // azubuike

Id probably move Okoro to where Deni is at and then take Deni out of it entirely. Not that I think he won't give the effort but I just think he's more of an all around player, maybe even more so than the others but not as elite go defense specifically

[Catchall]

Maybe Yves Pons if he gets drafted.

[Nazrmohamed]

Wiseman for me is a poor man's freshman Patrick Ewing with more natural athleticism than Pat. Wiseman isn't ideal for the modern NBA. Even the late 90s was moving away from that style of play.

Wiseman might not have bust potential but he sure has a ton a question marks on both ends, especially early on.

Instincts isn't there.
Awareness is low.
Movement around the perimeter is meh
He's not that strong
His agility is lacking defensively
Wiseman size, athleticism and natural talent will eventually make him a solid defender at the least long term but he's not this David Robinson type on either end. He plays like a young Patrick Ewing. His athleticism is insane though. Big men his size just don't move like Wiseman in the open court.

I'm not gonna argue for or against cuz I didn't catch him play. I just don't understand though how in 3 games in which his stat line was what it was, that one could form such a strong opinion. And its not just about you, its been said by a few people, professionals included.

Idk you would just think that we were talking about a highly toted high schooler who showed up and averaged 12&7 at the college level. But again, I missed his games so I'll take your word for it.

[King Ken]

Wiseman for me is a poor man's freshman Patrick Ewing with more natural athleticism than Pat. Wiseman isn't ideal for the modern NBA. Even the late 90s was moving away from that style of play.

Wiseman might not have bust potential but he sure has a ton a question marks on both ends, especially early on.

Instincts isn't there.
Awareness is low.
Movement around the perimeter is meh
He's not that strong
His agility is lacking defensively
Wiseman size, athleticism and natural talent will eventually make him a solid defender at the least long term but he's not this David Robinson type on either end. He plays like a young Patrick Ewing. His athleticism is insane though. Big men his size just don't move like Wiseman in the open court.

I'm not gonna argue for or against cuz I didn't catch him play. I just don't understand though how in 3 games in which his stat line was what it was, that one could form such a strong opinion. And its not just about you, its been said by a few people, professionals included.

Idk you would just think that we were talking about a highly toted high schooler who showed up and averaged 12&7 at the college level. But again, I missed his games so I'll take your word for it.

I watched a lot of his HS tape and some of his HS games live. That's why it's so hard for me to agree with the guys who barely watched him play in college due to only playing the games he played due to the NCAA. Even when he played at Memphis St. The comp outside of Oregon was BAD and he only played 24 MPG which is JJJ status.

[The-Power]

Wiseman has definitely flashed high-end defensive upside in HS. I'll just quote two of my posts on him months before he played his first college game.

James Wiseman
[...]
Although he tires out at some point, the motor is generally there which is extremely important. Usually runs the floor until he's exhausted, contests shots (although he can be a bit late to contest jumpshots), goes for contested rebounds. Certainly an increasingly willing defender (I love that, in one interview, he mentioned Bogut as one of the guys he studies, plus he has KG as his favorite player). Up-and-down big at this point, but he has time to grow.

In case you are bored between college games or after March Madness, this game perfectly illustrates James Wiseman at this point.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

While raw on offense (and at times too in love with the jumper, especially at the beginning of games) and with work to do on his body, he was a menace defensively around the rim as well as in transition. Apparently ended up with a triple double with blocks – 27/20/10.

Some positive notes from the Hoop Summit:

[...]

– James Wiseman dominated the paint on defense. He's still a bit awkward on offense against talent but shows some flashes. But it's his interior defense that will determine his stock for me. During that game, he looked like the game changer he can potentially be. Relatively raw but visibly oozing potential. Hope he keeps it up and further refines his understanding of angles, positioning and contests.

[HeadtopChunes]

Wiseman can be a really impactful defender but only in a specific scheme (dropping in PnRs)

I don't see him being able to switch/hedge/show/blitz really well. Kind of like Whiteside in Portlands drop scheme was a big defensive positive in the regular season (+2.19 DPIPM)

But you do sacrifice some defensive versatility, which would matter more in a playoff setting.

[The-Power]

Wiseman can be a really impactful defender but only in a specific scheme (dropping in PnRs)

I don't see him being able to switch/hedge/show/blitz really well. Kind of like Whiteside in Portlands drop scheme was a big defensive positive in the regular season (+2.19 DPIPM)

But you do sacrifice some defensive versatility, which would matter more in a playoff setting.

Indeed, how he'll be able to defend further out on the perimeter will determine how great he can be. And there's no doubt that this remains a question mark to some extent. I do believe there are many less mobile bigs out there who can be effective defensively, but Wiseman doesn't scream switchable big.

Capela has had stretches in which he was quite effective on switches and various coverages that had him defend further away from the rim and against smaller players. Maybe Wiseman can get there at some point depending on what he focuses on when working on his body and defensive game – that would help tremendously in the playoffs.