ecuhus1981 wrote:Slo Mo Kyle Anderson was an elite defender at the 3 in his final season in San Antonio. But he was only slow on offense, earning his nickname when he changed speed with footwork and finishing ability.
Kyle has a lithe body, can get low in his defensive stance and get skinny around screens. Joe can legitimately run through screens all day as a movement shooter, a complementary skill that helped him carve a role despite being a bad defender his whole career.
Neither of these guys compare very strongly to Cam in terms of defensive position. They are elite playmakers like him, sure, but the similarities Peter out after that.
Kyle does react quickly and early on defense, but I think that's more a result of effective cognition and not athleticism. He has good basketball IQ, awareness, and decision-making, and it shows in his defensive positioning on and off the ball, rotations, help defense, and defensive playmaking. I think that he and Cam are alike in those aspects.
Although Anderson's body is "lither" than Boozer's, I wouldn't describe it as thin. He's got a skinny-fat build, but with good limb length and, yes, seemingly loose and flexible joints. That mobility does seem to help him move with smoothness. fluidity, and efficiency, even if at a relatively slow speed.
The thing is, I think all these qualities apply to Boozer, too. He's an incredibly efficient mover, as evidenced by his NBA Draft Combine agility tests. He had the classic look of looking slow, like he wasn't trying, but his times were surprisingly fast. No straining or flailing, no wasted motions. I think that's the textbook definition of fluid, smooth, graceful movement.
Look at how effortless he looks compared to Wilson. He changes direction and pace with less resistance. The backpedaling and corner turns particularly stand out. He's able to navigate tight spaces more easily without losing his balance.
I think people mistake his blend of slow-looking, smooth, efficient mobility and active, deliberate choice to play physical and seek out contact as stiffness, a lack of fluidity, or mechanical movement.
A wide, broad frame can be a hindrance to screen navigation, I agree. But I don't think it's a critical concern, and many big-bodied guards and forwards operate just fine. Cade is a great guard defender, and he's 6-foot-6 without shoes and 243 pounds, per Detroit Pistons Announcer George Blaha. He also has that slow-smooth quality to his movement that Anderson and Boozer have. Cooper Flagg and LeBron James are also very wide-built, but they're obviously more explosive/fast athletes.
Screen navigation is just one aspect of defense, and it's more of a responsibility for guards. Not a critical issue to me.
To get back to my main point:
I don't think Cameron should be characterized and thrown in the same bucket as Jokic, Love, Sengun, and Sabonis regarding positional inflexibility. He's dynamic enough on offense to play with a PF and C because he can shoot, dribble, and pass―on and off the ball. That's where he's like Jokic.
But unlike Nikola, Kevin, Domantas, and Alperen, he's versatile enough on defense to fit with a 4 and a 5.
So I reject the idea that he's another one of these guys who limits your team's ceiling because he's supposedly a big man who can't protect the rim and therefore needs someone who can protect the rim and shoot threes to make things workable. Because he has combo forward (PF/SF) versatility on defense, to go along with his point forward skills on offense.
