batsmasher wrote:Zelaznyrules wrote:And while his defense is scary bad at times, I think it's all fixable.
I don't buy it's a lack of twitch or effort or slow feet or anything like that; he falls for every pump fake and he's indecisive in PnR situations and with his defensive rotations. But with his label as a pure shooter, I think it's clear no one has really focused on developing him defensively. Warren, for similar reasons, was just as bad but this past season he finally showed significant improvement there. Devin will never be a lockdown defender but I expect him to at least be an average team defender, while continuing to display his ability to make the occasional highlight chase-down block.
Also, if you're one of those that tends to devalue the mid-range game, consider his free throws. He gets to his shooting point so quickly that he's already drawing almost 6 free throws per game and that's without an understanding of how to work the referees. He's just doing this naturally, he's not even looking for contact but players keep thinking they can block that shot and all they can find is his wrist.
Booker's efficiency numbers aren't pretty but IMO they become less of an issue when you consider his age, the defensive attention he received because of a lack of talent around him and the fact that he was hampered by that turf toe/ankle for much of the season. And the year before, as the youngest rookie in the game, he had even less talent around him and had to adjust to playing with Knight for part of the season while also having to adjust to running the offense at times. These things aren't revealed by stats and while some people, I'm sure, will write them off as excuses, they'd be quite wrong to do so IMO.
The same can be said for Ulis, re: stats. He doesn't pass the eye test as an NBA defender. Sure, he pressures like crazy and you could argue that's why he gets beat so easily. You could also argue his lack of weight is hurting him heavily (it definitely is - needs at least 15-20lbs more because of his limiting frame). To see him figuring it all out given how far away he is at this time is why I'm not high on in. Then you add in the shooting struggles and it becomes a much harder sell.
Maybe he doesn't but I don't think he looked all that that hot as a defender his first year at Kentucky either. And remember, his second year there, he was not just the SEC Player of the Year, he was also the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He needs to fill out and get stronger and many of his problems will disappear. Maybe he can't get much stronger but that's a wait and see for me.
