Nique replaces Worthy for Lakers

[prolific passer]

Idk about the whole defense would be worse as the Hawks during their 50 win streak for those years had a top 10 defensive rating and top 10 opposing teams scoring average.

Really? With 1 season between than -1.6 rDRTG, and that season marked by a pretty good frontcourt and solid roleplayers all around? That's the idea behind supporting that the Lakers wouldn't look at least a little worse on D with Nique instead of Worthy?

I mean who on that hawks team outside of Tree Rollins was considered a good defender?

[penbeast0]

I mean who on that hawks team outside of Tree Rollins was considered a good defender?

The year before Nique was drafted, the team was #8 in the NBA. He came in playing next to Tree Rollins and perennial All-D candidate Dan Roundfield up front, Fast Eddie Johnson got some All-D love at guard though Sparrow and Johnny Davis were just average. They then swapped out Rory Sparrow for Doc Rivers, a good defensive PG with size.

The next big change was Roundfield was replaced by Cliff Levingston, a good defensive combo forward, and Kevin Willis at F/C, a decent man defender but not a rim protector. Plus the coach was still Mike Fratello, one of the most respected defensive coaches in the NBA. Randy Wittman, another guy mainly there for defense, starts splitting time with, then replacing Eddie Johnson.

In 89, they swap out defense for offense, bringing in Moses Malone and Reggie Theus then Spud Webb and Jon Battle, and in 1990, Doc Rivers gets hurt and the defense drops to 3rd worst in the league.

Fratello is replaced, Rivers comes back, Moses is moved to the bench, and the defense stays bad. The next big change is Stacey Augmon, another perennial All-D candidate takes over as 2 guard, but the PG and C position are in flux and they are still below average on D. Then they add Mookie Blaylock, another perennial All-D candidate at the other guard . . . and the defense is still bad his rookie year but skyrockets to 4th when they trade Nique and Mookie improves, where they stay without Nique for a while.

So, in answer to your question, he played with Tree and a bunch of solid but unspectacular defensive centers (Koncak, Willis, Moses, etc.), at PF he had Roundfield and Levingston for the good D years, and he had a lot of decent defensive guards (best were Fast Eddie, Rivers, Augmon).

[Owly]

Idk about the whole defense would be worse as the Hawks during their 50 win streak for those years had a top 10 defensive rating and top 10 opposing teams scoring average.

Really? With 1 season between than -1.6 rDRTG, and that season marked by a pretty good frontcourt and solid roleplayers all around? That's the idea behind supporting that the Lakers wouldn't look at least a little worse on D with Nique instead of Worthy?

I mean who on that hawks team outside of Tree Rollins was considered a good defender?

I'm sympathetic to the idea that the defensive gap may be overstated here. What I've read is Wilkins was a good team guy as a person, working hard and just expended most of his effort on O and he had a big load.

Regarding good defenders (for the years mentioned) depends where the bar is.
Koncak
maybe Rivers (I'd say above average)

Having enough big, athletic bodies at forward helps (Willis, Carr, Levingston).

Until Theus (maybe Battle) there weren't many weaknesses.


One could make the argument often given for Iverson, his usage/creation burden allows more effort on defense by others (or a more defensive roster tilt). Worthy's usage through 1991 (later years of ... limited value) is 22.2; Wilkins through '94 is 30.6 or for career 30.3.

It's hard to say for sure what happens as each was cast an a distinct role and that didn't hugely change, and we don't know how differently they might develop.

I can see the appeal of the thought of Magic lobbing the ball up to Wilkins, though Worthy had his own swooping grace as a finisher.

Another interesting thought is Wilkins on the Jazz. The Jazz went through (at least the rights to) a good chunk of the big scoring 80s SFs (rights to the English pick, King [briefly and ...], Dantley and Wilkins ... and Tripucka at a lower level) ... Wilkins is distinct in lasting well into the Stockton-Malone era (does another threat take the load and a little defensive focus off each of the primary scorers, make them look better in the playoffs or are they just worse in the playoffs [or was it just variance]?).