mediocrityrules wrote:yoyoboy wrote:...
Lopez is ranked by most ahead of Mobley, as well, and while he's been awesome, I would have him third because I just think he's in a pretty optimal situation where he doesn't have the same share of responsibilities as the other two.....
I think this is a point where I don't exactly agree with, when you consider that Brook Lopez leads the NBA in contested shots with 1,185. Next on the list is Evan Mobley with 775.
Brook takes on the responsibility to get in front of as many shooters as he can to contest shots. That to me is taking on the hardest responsibility, actually defending shots.
The point is it's a much more defined role though that asks less of him than a guy like Mobley who's tasked with being all over the floor to cover for our weak links, not to mention still being an elite rim protector (though not as good as Brook). Without Jrue and Carter bulldozing through screens and Giannis being able to cover so much ground, his drop coverage wouldn't be as effective as it is. I still very much value what Brook is doing out there, which is why I have him 3rd in my DPOY rankings, but I think it's worth taking into account the context here when you're discussing defensive impact. I believe the Cavs lose a lot more by replacing Mobley with an average defensive PF than the Bucks do replacing Lopez with an average defensive C, but I'd be open to hearing arguments against that.
Also, Mobley's versatility allows the Cavs to play more of a variety of defensive lineups and in different coverages, both catered to the opposition, and that's something that impact stats can't accurately capture. Lopez has to exclusively play the center spot and he isn't doing much of hedging, trapping, switching, etc. Mobley will meet the ballhander beyond the 3P line and recover to the roller, he'll switch onto elite guards, he'll play in a drop, he'll be played at the top of a zone similarly to how KG used to be sometimes utilized, and he'll play at the center position next to basically all guards and wings or he'll play PF next to a traditional big. And he's been successful in both of those positional roles, which has translated to the team defense results.
I also think it says something when many Bucks fans and fans of other teams are pushing Giannis for DPOY (and Jrue is being argued as an All-Defense guy) as well. When fans watching the team every game don't seem to be sure the order of the most impactful defenders of the team, then is Brook really doing most of the heavy lifting? I do personally think he has been the best defender on the team this season, but he's got awesome help and they're making All-Defense cases themselves. On the other hand, you won't find any Cavs fans who think Jarrett Allen has been the best defender on the team this year. It's pretty inarguable to anyone who's watched the games (and taken the time to dissect the advanced metrics rather than just copying and pasting the all-in-one stats) that Mobley is clearly the most valuable defender on the #1 defense in the league and that speaks volumes. Last year, I think Allen was the more important defender to the team, but Mobley has gone to another level while Allen is slightly less active defensively this year.
