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Voted Basketball IQ. Positioning is everything. You need long arms though at the NBA level.

I first rule out option 2. Lack of physical tools is something you can compensate with coaching. It's part of coach's job to nicely integrate a physically challenged defender into their system to minimize their weakness. Prime example is JJ Redick. You see this small white shooter and think nah he is gonna suck on defense. Doesn't turn out to be so with the Clippers.

#4. You get paid more for offense.

Top Offensive RPM players:

1. Curry (will be max)
2. Westbrook (max)
3. Lebron (max)
4. CP3 (max)
5. Durant (max)

Top Defensive RPM players:

1. Andrew Bogut ($11M)
2. Tim Duncan ($5M)
3. Draymond Green (max)
4. Cole Aldrich ($1.1M)
5. Ian Mahinmi ($4M)

og15 wrote:It varies. Some guys try and put effort but seriously have terrible IQ and will pick up silly fouls or be in bad position, etc. Physical tools is a factor, length for a big, size also for a big, being slow footed, etc, but usually that prevents you from being a "great" defender but shouldn't make you a poor defender, usually, there are exceptions. Effort is also a factor, and that can be a big one.

I think the most correct answer would be a combination of effort and poor defensive IQ.

I'm inclined to agree with you but I think those problems can be solved through good coaching. Of course there are gonna be players who are slow on the uptake but it's the coach's duty to help players understand defensive schemes and concepts.

ken6199 wrote:I first rule out option 2. Lack of physical tools is something you can compensate with coaching. It's part of coach's job to nicely integrate a physically challenged defender into their system to minimize their weakness. Prime example is JJ Redick. You see this small white shooter and think nah he is gonna suck on defense. Doesn't turn out to be so with the Clippers.

Yup. JJ isn't quick laterally, isn't tall and has a short wingspan. But you don't see him get subbed out for defensive reasons. His defensive numbers are actuary quite shocking when you start looking at opposing fg% and stuff. And it's not like he was just naturally a good defender. He was a bad defender in college and at the start of his career. But JJ is known to be one of the hardest workers in the NBA and it's shown.

It all comes down to the players desire to become a good defender. Offensive players get the max deals and all the endorsements and tend to get more playing time as well. You hear all the time about guys working on their jumper to 2-3 in the morning putting up a 1000 shots. You don't really hear to often about a guy working that late on his defensive drills.

Duke4life831 wrote:

ken6199 wrote:I first rule out option 2. Lack of physical tools is something you can compensate with coaching. It's part of coach's job to nicely integrate a physically challenged defender into their system to minimize their weakness. Prime example is JJ Redick. You see this small white shooter and think nah he is gonna suck on defense. Doesn't turn out to be so with the Clippers.

Yup. JJ isn't quick laterally, isn't tall and has a short wingspan. But you don't see him get subbed out for defensive reasons. His defensive numbers are actuary quite shocking when you start looking at opposing fg% and stuff. And it's not like he was just naturally a good defender. He was a bad defender in college and at the start of his career. But JJ is known to be one of the hardest workers in the NBA and it's shown.

I was focusing on the coaching/system aspect but yeah good addition on his work ethic.

From my own impression, Houston Harden struggled against LAC Redick most of the time on a 41% FG, 39% during playoffs, and to me played even more minutes than Harden but still with consistent defensive intensity. The guy is a work horse and he is smart.

Guys like Harden or Stromile are the examples of lack of desire and effort / low bbiq and that's pretty hard to change.

limitlessrange wrote:

og15 wrote:It varies. Some guys try and put effort but seriously have terrible IQ and will pick up silly fouls or be in bad position, etc. Physical tools is a factor, length for a big, size also for a big, being slow footed, etc, but usually that prevents you from being a "great" defender but shouldn't make you a poor defender, usually, there are exceptions. Effort is also a factor, and that can be a big one.

I think the most correct answer would be a combination of effort and poor defensive IQ.

I'm inclined to agree with you but I think those problems can be solved through good coaching. Of course there are gonna be players who are slow on the uptake but it's the coach's duty to help players understand defensive schemes and concepts.

You would hope so, but there are some players who just never seem to grasp it even as much as coaches try. Maybe it's more a lack of effort that is looking like poor defensive IQ?

DJ is a guy who improve drastically on the defensive end. Effort was always there, but the IQ wasn't until recent years.

On the other hand, Jeff Green for example has this aura of being a good defender, I mean look at him, athletic, good size, long arms, but he's not really much of a defender. He's not terrible, but very unimpressive. Maybe for him it's consistent effort though, or lack thereof.

Coming into the league, Redick who had already been mentioned had issues with both physical tools and IQ, but SVG made the guys defensive IQ much better, and effort and consistency has allowed a 6'4 guy with arm length of a PG to be an average defender at SG. He won't go shut down guys in isolation, sure, but he'll push the pick and roll the right way, he'll stay in front of his man and not give up frequent blown bys, neither is he missing assignments or making dumb decisions.

BBall Loyalty wrote:

JXL wrote:

KidPistol wrote:Lack of effort. Today it's all about scoring at will. Also scoring is better for a players brand than defense. I mean think about it. Who is more likely to be in more commercials personalities aside, James Harden or Kawhi Leonard?

The Beard can sell more tickets than The Claw? LOL u buggin! Kawhi has more personality in his championship finger than Harden will ever dream of

Fact: nobody has ever heard Kawhi Leonard talk. Dude has zero personality to speak of.

Nobody has heard of sarcasm before?

1 - 60%
2 - 10%
3 - 30%

Playing hard-nosed defense doesn't really show up in the stats sheet (except for rebounds), therefore many players dog it to conserve energy for the offensive end.

Funny how some guys are very capable of getting rebounds and blowing past their defenders at will but can't keep within a 10ft radius of their man on the defensive end.

you don't get paid for playing defense

UDRIH14 wrote:do players who specialize in defense but has no offensive game, get paid max money? disregard 2way players...

Only if they're a big man that can block shots and protect the rim.

Guards or perimeter players do not get paid max money for defense, otherwise you'd see the Shane Battiers and Bruce bowens of the league getting paid like a superstar.

Just going back to JJ Redick, here's SVG in his podcast talking a bit about defense:
http://art19.com/shows/vertical-jj-redick/episodes/b1740c12-a530-4349-aa5d-84be8f878ee9

Starts at 6:45

Lack of physical tools matters quite a bit but as long as those guys play hard and play smart we wont be hard on them. The guys without the tools wouldn't be in the league if they did not have some great offensive skill unless we are talking about guys who got old or got injured.

Stupid is also forgivable. I can't blame a guy for not beig bright as long as he tries to learn.

Lazy makes me want to criticize. Is Lazy a disability that somebody can be born with? Maybe a person can be born lazy. We have medicine that often works for lazy. So many psychiatric drugs that are frauds that never should have been approved by the FDA. Criticism and praise are forms of rewards and punishment and rewards and punishment is often effective medicine for lazy and selfish. So it makes sense that the lazy and selfish guys get more criticism.