Fultz may be a horrible defender

[Ilikesports17]

These threats are becoming boring...  Same guys were saying that Randle would have a better impact than smart, that brown has no game just a physical beast..  if ainge takes him I am sure he will have an impact.. And a big one

To be fair I called from day one that Randle would be an epic bust.  He hasn't quite been an epic bust, but he's been pretty crap.

Though I was a bit 50/50 on Brown.  I felt he would be a starting calibre SF in time, but wasn't sure if he'd ever be better then that.  To be sure the jury is still out on that, so I'm not wrong yet!

I think Fultz is going to be an amazing player, but the defensive question marks to worry me a little bit.

Worry 1st- that cbs may not even play him if he cant play defense

Honestly, this is why im NOT worried.

Markelle Fultz has the physical tools to be a good defender. Brad will force him to prioritize defense because without it he wont get on the court.

This is the number 1 perk of going to a competitive team. These guys cant get away with just not playing defense. Take Andrew Wiggins. He had the tools to be good, but its not like Minnesota wasnt gonna give the guy 30 mpg anyway so has just gone his whole career so far without playing a lick of defense.

That would be a legitimate concern for Fultz if hed gone to a ****ty team, but Boston is going to force him to fix his defense.

Yeah, I mean it's not like Wiggins is being coached by some defensive guru or anything .

Yeah sure but the ****tiness of that roster hamstrings thibs.

He can stress defense all day long but he can't afford to really bench Wiggins.

Yeah, Towns, Wiggins, Lavine, Dieng, Rubio, Dunn, Muhammed, etc.  What an atrocious roster (sarcasm) .  The real problem they have is that three of their best players at the most critical of positions in SG, SF, and C play absolutely no defense, and the only guys that do get it Dunn are Kris, Rubio, and Dieng (to an extent, anyway), plus Muhammed does actually try, per their game threads. 

I know that people will look at them and chalk them up as the classic example of how young teams don't win in the NBA, but I disagree - young teams who don't play defense don't win, imo, which is what we're seeing in Minnesota right now.  Lavine never guarded anyone, Wiggins coasts, can't impact the game without scoring, and exacerbates the club's defensive problems by almost never rebounding, and Towns, for all of his talent, might put up the numbers of a number one guy but just doesn't have the demeanor to be that leader on or off the court, plus his defense sucks.  Really the only dude with that dog in him on that team is Kris Dunn, imo .

I mean that's not a very good roster is it?

Rubio and Dunn both defend but the team is really poorly constructed. And let's not pretend that thibs could have actually benched Wiggins.

[Beat LA]

These threats are becoming boring...  Same guys were saying that Randle would have a better impact than smart, that brown has no game just a physical beast..  if ainge takes him I am sure he will have an impact.. And a big one

To be fair I called from day one that Randle would be an epic bust.  He hasn't quite been an epic bust, but he's been pretty crap.

Though I was a bit 50/50 on Brown.  I felt he would be a starting calibre SF in time, but wasn't sure if he'd ever be better then that.  To be sure the jury is still out on that, so I'm not wrong yet!

I think Fultz is going to be an amazing player, but the defensive question marks to worry me a little bit.

Worry 1st- that cbs may not even play him if he cant play defense

Honestly, this is why im NOT worried.

Markelle Fultz has the physical tools to be a good defender. Brad will force him to prioritize defense because without it he wont get on the court.

This is the number 1 perk of going to a competitive team. These guys cant get away with just not playing defense. Take Andrew Wiggins. He had the tools to be good, but its not like Minnesota wasnt gonna give the guy 30 mpg anyway so has just gone his whole career so far without playing a lick of defense.

That would be a legitimate concern for Fultz if hed gone to a ****ty team, but Boston is going to force him to fix his defense.

Yeah, I mean it's not like Wiggins is being coached by some defensive guru or anything .

Yeah sure but the ****tiness of that roster hamstrings thibs.

He can stress defense all day long but he can't afford to really bench Wiggins.

Yeah, Towns, Wiggins, Lavine, Dieng, Rubio, Dunn, Muhammed, etc.  What an atrocious roster (sarcasm) .  The real problem they have is that three of their best players at the most critical of positions in SG, SF, and C play absolutely no defense, and the only guys that do get it Dunn are Kris, Rubio, and Dieng (to an extent, anyway), plus Muhammed does actually try, per their game threads. 

I know that people will look at them and chalk them up as the classic example of how young teams don't win in the NBA, but I disagree - young teams who don't play defense don't win, imo, which is what we're seeing in Minnesota right now.  Lavine never guarded anyone, Wiggins coasts, can't impact the game without scoring, and exacerbates the club's defensive problems by almost never rebounding, and Towns, for all of his talent, might put up the numbers of a number one guy but just doesn't have the demeanor to be that leader on or off the court, plus his defense sucks.  Really the only dude with that dog in him on that team is Kris Dunn, imo .

I mean that's not a very good roster is it?

Rubio and Dunn both defend but the team is really poorly constructed. And let's not pretend that thibs could have actually benched Wiggins.

Seriously? Find me one GM who wouldn't want anywhere near that collection of talent on their roster.  Towns, alone, is seen as a franchise cornerstone, and why couldn't Thibs have benched Wiggins?  Is he not the GM and coach, now?  I get it that he can score, but Wiggins really doesn't do much of anything else, or at it least appears that way .  I'm assuming that your concern regarding any such move revolves around the possibility of losing the locker room, right?  That's fair, but what they've been doing to this point hasn't worked, so why not shake things up?  Maybe benching Wiggins will make him understand the importance of defense, but I doubt it, lol .

[KG Living Legend]

Give this kid a break! defense is something you can learn if you have the tools and motive
that's the least concern for me

It is all dependent on his mindset.   Defense takes a mental commitment to do it well.   I think he has the tools physically so is really comes down to his mental commitment and attitude.   

There are a ton of all stars who stink on D, but still are great players.   Curry comes to mind.  IT is another example.  Harden is yet another folks.  They do just fine.

I still think Ainge may trade the pick for an elite 4 if he can.

 Celtics, who would that 4 be though? The only player that makes sense is Ben Simmons, but they won't do that.

 There is no other big that even makes sense for the #1 pick.

[Ilikesports17]

These threats are becoming boring...  Same guys were saying that Randle would have a better impact than smart, that brown has no game just a physical beast..  if ainge takes him I am sure he will have an impact.. And a big one

To be fair I called from day one that Randle would be an epic bust.  He hasn't quite been an epic bust, but he's been pretty crap.

Though I was a bit 50/50 on Brown.  I felt he would be a starting calibre SF in time, but wasn't sure if he'd ever be better then that.  To be sure the jury is still out on that, so I'm not wrong yet!

I think Fultz is going to be an amazing player, but the defensive question marks to worry me a little bit.

Worry 1st- that cbs may not even play him if he cant play defense

Honestly, this is why im NOT worried.

Markelle Fultz has the physical tools to be a good defender. Brad will force him to prioritize defense because without it he wont get on the court.

This is the number 1 perk of going to a competitive team. These guys cant get away with just not playing defense. Take Andrew Wiggins. He had the tools to be good, but its not like Minnesota wasnt gonna give the guy 30 mpg anyway so has just gone his whole career so far without playing a lick of defense.

That would be a legitimate concern for Fultz if hed gone to a ****ty team, but Boston is going to force him to fix his defense.

Yeah, I mean it's not like Wiggins is being coached by some defensive guru or anything .

Yeah sure but the ****tiness of that roster hamstrings thibs.

He can stress defense all day long but he can't afford to really bench Wiggins.

Yeah, Towns, Wiggins, Lavine, Dieng, Rubio, Dunn, Muhammed, etc.  What an atrocious roster (sarcasm) .  The real problem they have is that three of their best players at the most critical of positions in SG, SF, and C play absolutely no defense, and the only guys that do get it Dunn are Kris, Rubio, and Dieng (to an extent, anyway), plus Muhammed does actually try, per their game threads. 

I know that people will look at them and chalk them up as the classic example of how young teams don't win in the NBA, but I disagree - young teams who don't play defense don't win, imo, which is what we're seeing in Minnesota right now.  Lavine never guarded anyone, Wiggins coasts, can't impact the game without scoring, and exacerbates the club's defensive problems by almost never rebounding, and Towns, for all of his talent, might put up the numbers of a number one guy but just doesn't have the demeanor to be that leader on or off the court, plus his defense sucks.  Really the only dude with that dog in him on that team is Kris Dunn, imo .

I mean that's not a very good roster is it?

Rubio and Dunn both defend but the team is really poorly constructed. And let's not pretend that thibs could have actually benched Wiggins.

Seriously? Find me one GM who wouldn't want anywhere near that collection of talent on their roster.  Towns, alone, is seen as a franchise cornerstone, and why couldn't Thibs have benched Wiggins?  Is he not the GM and coach, now?  I get it that he can score, but Wiggins really doesn't do much of anything else, or at it least appears that way .  I'm assuming that your concern regarding any such move revolves around the possibility of losing the locker room, right?  That's fair, but what they've been doing to this point hasn't worked, so why not shake things up?  Maybe benching Wiggins will make him understand the importance of defense, but I doubt it, lol .

he can't bench Wiggins because his backups are so bad it's better to have Wiggins out there scoring at an elite level and giving up a ton on defense. Can't afford to take his scoring off the court.
Also the team has a lot of potenti "but right now they aren't a very good collection of players..


Also you seem to advocate benching Wiggins by the end of your post?

I think it would have been more effective if he had come into the league and immediately learned he'd rot on the bench until he learned to defend.

[Beat LA]

These threats are becoming boring...  Same guys were saying that Randle would have a better impact than smart, that brown has no game just a physical beast..  if ainge takes him I am sure he will have an impact.. And a big one

To be fair I called from day one that Randle would be an epic bust.  He hasn't quite been an epic bust, but he's been pretty crap.

Though I was a bit 50/50 on Brown.  I felt he would be a starting calibre SF in time, but wasn't sure if he'd ever be better then that.  To be sure the jury is still out on that, so I'm not wrong yet!

I think Fultz is going to be an amazing player, but the defensive question marks to worry me a little bit.

Worry 1st- that cbs may not even play him if he cant play defense

Honestly, this is why im NOT worried.

Markelle Fultz has the physical tools to be a good defender. Brad will force him to prioritize defense because without it he wont get on the court.

This is the number 1 perk of going to a competitive team. These guys cant get away with just not playing defense. Take Andrew Wiggins. He had the tools to be good, but its not like Minnesota wasnt gonna give the guy 30 mpg anyway so has just gone his whole career so far without playing a lick of defense.

That would be a legitimate concern for Fultz if hed gone to a ****ty team, but Boston is going to force him to fix his defense.

Yeah, I mean it's not like Wiggins is being coached by some defensive guru or anything .

Yeah sure but the ****tiness of that roster hamstrings thibs.

He can stress defense all day long but he can't afford to really bench Wiggins.

Yeah, Towns, Wiggins, Lavine, Dieng, Rubio, Dunn, Muhammed, etc.  What an atrocious roster (sarcasm) .  The real problem they have is that three of their best players at the most critical of positions in SG, SF, and C play absolutely no defense, and the only guys that do get it Dunn are Kris, Rubio, and Dieng (to an extent, anyway), plus Muhammed does actually try, per their game threads. 

I know that people will look at them and chalk them up as the classic example of how young teams don't win in the NBA, but I disagree - young teams who don't play defense don't win, imo, which is what we're seeing in Minnesota right now.  Lavine never guarded anyone, Wiggins coasts, can't impact the game without scoring, and exacerbates the club's defensive problems by almost never rebounding, and Towns, for all of his talent, might put up the numbers of a number one guy but just doesn't have the demeanor to be that leader on or off the court, plus his defense sucks.  Really the only dude with that dog in him on that team is Kris Dunn, imo .

I mean that's not a very good roster is it?

Rubio and Dunn both defend but the team is really poorly constructed. And let's not pretend that thibs could have actually benched Wiggins.

Seriously? Find me one GM who wouldn't want anywhere near that collection of talent on their roster.  Towns, alone, is seen as a franchise cornerstone, and why couldn't Thibs have benched Wiggins?  Is he not the GM and coach, now?  I get it that he can score, but Wiggins really doesn't do much of anything else, or at it least appears that way .  I'm assuming that your concern regarding any such move revolves around the possibility of losing the locker room, right?  That's fair, but what they've been doing to this point hasn't worked, so why not shake things up?  Maybe benching Wiggins will make him understand the importance of defense, but I doubt it, lol .

he can't bench Wiggins because his backups are so bad it's better to have Wiggins out there scoring at an elite level and giving up a ton on defense. Can't afford to take his scoring off the court.
Also the team has a lot of potenti "but right now they aren't a very good collection of players..


Also you seem to advocate benching Wiggins by the end of your post?

I think it would have been more effective if he had come into the league and immediately learned he'd rot on the bench until he learned to defend.

I agree with your last, and was only mentioning a possible benching because you first posed it as a possible, if not also worst-case, scenario. 

Still, I'm not sure that it's about a lack of depth so much as it is about Thibs refusing to deviate from his "slow it down/grind it out" philosophy, in addition to his continuance of running his starters into the ground .  Unbelievable.  He also has no halfcourt offense.  STILL. *facepalm*

[KG Living Legend]

 Fultz does a free throw line dunk at 2:20. Probably from 8" inside the line.

 https://youtu.be/ic04d1aT_xI

[PaulP34]

Danny Ainge works out a trade with the Suns, we get Marquise Kriss and their #3 pick and draft Jayson Tatum

[gouki88]

Danny Ainge works out a trade with the Suns, we get Marquise Kriss and their #3 pick and draft Jayson Tatum

Except they have pick #4 and it's still a no.

[CFAN38]

I will agree that short term IT and Fultz could be Liliard and Mccolum like in there inability to defend.

Long term I am not worried. Coming right in and playing on a good team, with a good coach, and a lot of back court competition should help him develop as a defensive player. I also suspect in the future he will always have an elite defensive back court mate (Smart, AB or Brown) allowing him to always guard the weaker opponent.   

[ThaPreacher]

Yeah I heard this podcast as well.  Definitely something worth noting. 

I'm starting to hope we trade the pick for a young, but proven asset. 

My dream is still #1 to Philly for #3, Saric, and LA 2018.  Probably asking for too much but I would take that in a heartbeat.

That would be an incredible get-likely gives us Jackson or Tatum.
But defense can be taught!

[Big333223]

I think this is the normal nitpicking that winds up happening to a guy under such intense scrutiny. His defense needs work. Ok. He's 18. As long as he's got the right attitude and a willingness to work, his floor as a defender is pretty high.

If he doesn't have the right work ethic, then none of it matters anyway. From everything I've seen, I don't worry about that with him so I don't worry that his defense will come around.

[moiso]

Yeah I heard this podcast as well.  Definitely something worth noting. 

I'm starting to hope we trade the pick for a young, but proven asset. 

My dream is still #1 to Philly for #3, Saric, and LA 2018.  Probably asking for too much but I would take that in a heartbeat.

That would be an incredible get-likely gives us Jackson or Tatum.
But defense can be taught!

Somewhat, yeah.  You can't teach a guy with slower feet than the guys he's guarding to be a great defender.  And I don't think you can teach the desire to be a great defender.  It has to be in the player's dna.  I don't see Fultz ever loving to defend like Smart or Bradley.  Hopefully he has enough desire to become average.

[KGBirdBias]

I have some real reservations with Fultz defense. I'm reall worried that we'd have IT and Fultz which would be equal to Lillard and McCollum in terms of great offense and little defense.

That would be shocking for Stevens to go that route with the way he likes his teams to defend.

I think someone mentioned it but I agree, I would rather trade with the Suns #4 pick and take Marquis Chriss and #4 for #1, then draft Tatum. Now you really have some young talent with
Brown
Tatum
Chriss
...then draft Bamba or Ayton next year.

[footey]

His defense will be fine. This thread created because there is nothing to criticize about his offense.

[nickagneta]

I am glad someone is trying to show that Fultz has concerns and is flawed. He is a top notch prospect, but his defense is suspect. He showed lack of effort on that end and wasn't great at certain aspects.

He has great measurables but that doesn't automatically translate to great or even good defender. Being a poor defender is definitely a concern, though he is still the best prospect available.

He will learn though. There is hope. If Stevens can turn turnstyle rookie Olynyk into a decent defender he should be able to get Fultz to become at least an average defender.