What I don't get is why quality players like Porzingas and West, who play tons of minutes versus NBA All-Star level talent, and can guard those players pretty well, suddenly is going to have trouble guarding a guy that is playing at a G League level for almost this entire season. Cuts, alley oops, coming off screens, whatever. Has Porzingas and West not seen much better players do these exact same things and played very good defense against these players? Why are they suddenly going to have so much trouble guarding Yabu without giving up baskets or committing fouls? I don't get it.
I was talking about Semi. Sorry about that.
Anyway, while West, and I'm not sure as to how well he actually defends anyone, anymore, and Porzingis have been able to guard All-Star level talents, most of those guys tend to be from their respective positions, so they're not used to dealing with someone with much better quickness, hence the mismatch in terms of the latter.
Additionally, due to their size, they'll have a much harder time in negotiating a pick/back screen, thereby yielding more separation. It's one of the classic problems with switching defenses - sure, you might be able to guard certain guys in what appears to be a complete mismatch in terms of size on the perimeter when they have the ball, but not without it, as it's simply an agility contest at that point. Here, look at the 0:10 mark of this video, below, wherein Markieff Morris, at 6'10" 245 lbs., winds up picking, well, up Wesley Iwundu, who comes in at 6'7" 195 lbs. Seeing the mismatch, the latter passes the ball to Biyombo on the left block and then cuts to the hoop, receives the return pass from Biyombo, and converts the layup in a classic give-and-go play. That's one variation of the idea that I mentioned, previously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8P8_zO-3ncAm I making any sense, here? Is that not just basic, fundamental, basketball?
Honestly, it's hard to listen to tin foil logic, when you seem to suggest that Stevens and our entire coaching staff is somehow completely unaware of the talent Semi possesses offensively. Is there a hidden agenda by the staff to purposely put him in positions to fail, or is the staff just flat-out incompetent? Because you're indirectly suggesting one or the other if they are witnesses to his vast abilities in both games and practices, yet don't choose to "unleash" him on the rest of the NBA.
. Yeah, I'm not at all suggesting that they have held back from "unleashing him on the rest of the NBA", nor do I think that they've "purposely put him in positions to fail", although, and this should come as a surprise to no one who has watched Stevens and co. since he arrived, they have been completely averse to utilizing the post game of Brown, whose inside play his completely disappeared, this year, Tatum (why was he coming off of screens against McCollum last night when he's 4-5 inches taller than the latter and has the ability to exploit the mismatch inside?), and yes, even Semi, who, despite his perimeter touch in college was primarily a power player. I'm not saying that Ojeleye should be the focal point, offensively. All I'm saying is that, and as with any other player, if they get a dunk/layup/free throws at the outset, their jumper will start falling. Is that really such an outlandish statement to make?
Beyond that, my reply, above, illustrates my point concerning utilizing Semi's agility against much slower players such as West and Porzingis, for example.