What do you think Derrick White is worth?

[celticsclay]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

[Moranis]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

[celticsclay]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

[Moranis]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

[tonydelk]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards. 

[Moranis]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

[Roy H.]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

Not every All-Defense performer is KG or Mookie Blaylock.  That doesn't mean they're not elite compared to their peers.  The All-Defense team selections aren't perfect -- sometimes they award reputation and guys who make flashy plays -- but they're usually a pretty good indicator.

But, more than that, how can anybody watch Celtics games without recognizing that both Jrue and White are top-tier defenders?

[tonydelk]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

Not every All-Defense performer is KG or Mookie Blaylock.  That doesn't mean they're not elite compared to their peers.  The All-Defense team selections aren't perfect -- sometimes they award reputation and guys who make flashy plays -- but they're usually a pretty good indicator.

But, more than that, how can anybody watch Celtics games without recognizing that both Jrue and White are top-tier defenders?

Totally agree Roy.  Every player is going to get beat during the game.  Being elite at D doesn't mean no one ever scores on you.  That would be impossible.  Dwhite is one of the best defensive guards in the league.  Hands down.  Especially in a league where a lot of players don't want to play D.  Guards want to score and allow their bigs to clean up the mess on D.  Dwhite plays hard at both ends which is rare. 

[Moranis]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

Not every All-Defense performer is KG or Mookie Blaylock.  That doesn't mean they're not elite compared to their peers.  The All-Defense team selections aren't perfect -- sometimes they award reputation and guys who make flashy plays -- but they're usually a pretty good indicator.

But, more than that, how can anybody watch Celtics games without recognizing that both Jrue and White are top-tier defenders?

you are acting like I said he sucked. White is an excellent defender, I just don't think he is elite.

[Roy H.]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

Not every All-Defense performer is KG or Mookie Blaylock.  That doesn't mean they're not elite compared to their peers.  The All-Defense team selections aren't perfect -- sometimes they award reputation and guys who make flashy plays -- but they're usually a pretty good indicator.

But, more than that, how can anybody watch Celtics games without recognizing that both Jrue and White are top-tier defenders?

you are acting like I said he sucked. White is an excellent defender, I just don't think he is elite.

How many "excellent" perimeter defenders are there in the NBA?

How many "elite" perimeter defenders are there?

[DefenseWinsChamps]

The debate about White's defense fails to recognize the style of defense. Orlando largely played a traditional defensive scheme against the pick-and-roll. Their bigs iced or hedged allowing Suggs to stay on Mitchell.

The Celtics largely are switching. Many of the points Mitchell has scored has been against Horford or Hauser, etc.

I'd prefer the traditional scheme against Mitchell, because I don't think he wants to score by driving all the time. But I can see the merit of the bend-don't-break Cs defense, which restricts Mitchell's ability to find open teammates and get everyone involved.

Many of the "elite" defenders work in a traditional setting (Suggs, Caruso). That may be because coaches are trying to take advantage of strengths.

The Cs players don't need to make a mark. I'd argue the switch defense is unselfish and largely effective in most cases.

On-ball defense is not the only defense either. White is the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA (off-ball) and his ability to hold up against bigs on a switch is a large reason for the Cs defensive success.

[Moranis]

I don't think making an all nba team automatically makes someone elite.  He is an excellent defender, but excellent and elite are not the same thing.  He might not even be the best guard defender on this team.

What are you talking about? You’ve created your own definition of excellent and elite play? DWhite is good, JB is good, etc. The Celtics are a good team.

Um, everyone has their own definition of elite and excellent. If everyone had the same definition there wouldn't be discussions. To bring this actually on topic, in your view, is White as good a defender as Caruso?

Can you sit back and ask yourself a question. If there is one guard that may be better than him defensively, is this relevant to him being elite? You either think wemby is better than gobert or vise versa. That means one of them isnt elite? Again, you made a dumb comment. Nobody cares just stop with this nonsense and doubling down on a straw man. Derrick white is an elite defensive player. He probably isn’t elite at anything else.

your lack of reading retention is astounding.

Ahh yes the last flail of a losing argument. An insult. Derrick white is an elite defender is recognized for it around the league. You made a dumb comment. You got called out on it by multiple posters. It happens. Lets move on.

in my view, White is not an elite defender. This isn't an argument, that is my opinion. My opinion is baseqd on actual stats and watching games.  Mitchell has torched the C's this series and is shooting out of this world. Against the Magic and an actual elite defender in Suggs, Mitchell shot 25% from 3, scoring about 3 ppg less with basically same amount of shots. Rebounds and assists were down as well against the Magic. Garland also looks much closer to all star form this series than he did against the Magic.  Suggs is an elite defender, White is not. They are just a different tier of player.  As is Caruso, as is SGA.  The Celtics have a lot of great defenders, which makes everyone look better.

At the end of a close game where Boston needs a stop, I'd still take Holiday over White defensively if I had to choose between the 2. Holiday still has the higher peak and at his best he is an elite defender.  He can't go full bore all game long like he used to be able to though, but he certainly peaks out as elite. I just don't think White can hit that level. He is an excellent defender, but there is absolutely a difference between excellent and elite.

Dwhite's All NBA 2nd Team Defense recognition will beg to differ with you.  If D White isn't elite then the NBA doesn't have any elite defensive guards.

I mean Larry Hughes made an All Defense team (1st team even) as did Mikal Bridges, Dr. J, Latrell Spreewell, John Wall, John Starks, and countless other guys that weren't elite defenders, while Marc Gasol can win DPOY and have only have 1 2nd Team All Defense in his entire career

Not every All-Defense performer is KG or Mookie Blaylock.  That doesn't mean they're not elite compared to their peers.  The All-Defense team selections aren't perfect -- sometimes they award reputation and guys who make flashy plays -- but they're usually a pretty good indicator.

But, more than that, how can anybody watch Celtics games without recognizing that both Jrue and White are top-tier defenders?

you are acting like I said he sucked. White is an excellent defender, I just don't think he is elite.

How many "excellent" perimeter defenders are there in the NBA?

How many "elite" perimeter defenders are there?

Not sure, but I put White a tier below the one that has Caruso, Suggs, and SGA. Not sure who else is in the upper tier and that 2nd tier, but there is enough of a gap for me to separate their classifications.  Elite should be the absolutely special players at the skill and there aren't many of them for any given skill set.  I think White and Holiday are excellent and I do think there are moments where Jrue looks like the elite defender of the past, he just can't do it all game long every game.  Off the top of my head, I'd put the 2 C's in the same general range of defensers as Thybulle, Smart, McDaniels, VanVleet, Conley, and probably a few others I'm not thinking of.  Perhaps a couple of those guys are in that first elite group. Conley has looked awesome defending this post season as an example.

[Moranis]

The debate about White's defense fails to recognize the style of defense. Orlando largely played a traditional defensive scheme against the pick-and-roll. Their bigs iced or hedged allowing Suggs to stay on Mitchell.

The Celtics largely are switching. Many of the points Mitchell has scored has been against Horford or Hauser, etc.

I'd prefer the traditional scheme against Mitchell, because I don't think he wants to score by driving all the time. But I can see the merit of the bend-don't-break Cs defense, which restricts Mitchell's ability to find open teammates and get everyone involved.

Many of the "elite" defenders work in a traditional setting (Suggs, Caruso). That may be because coaches are trying to take advantage of strengths.

The Cs players don't need to make a mark. I'd argue the switch defense is unselfish and largely effective in most cases.

On-ball defense is not the only defense either. White is the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA (off-ball) and his ability to hold up against bigs on a switch is a large reason for the Cs defensive success.

There is some truth here, but it also just may be White isn't strong enough or quick enough to defend that way (Jrue is strong enough, but he has clearly lost a step). It is hard to say and the C's play such good team defense and have a lot of very good to excellent defenders that picking out and separating players is difficult. I do know though that if I was up 2 with 20 seconds left and the other team had the ball, I'd pick Jrue before White as I do think he has a higher peak defensively. His strength and IQ are just another level that White doesn't have.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

The debate about White's defense fails to recognize the style of defense. Orlando largely played a traditional defensive scheme against the pick-and-roll. Their bigs iced or hedged allowing Suggs to stay on Mitchell.

The Celtics largely are switching. Many of the points Mitchell has scored has been against Horford or Hauser, etc.

I'd prefer the traditional scheme against Mitchell, because I don't think he wants to score by driving all the time. But I can see the merit of the bend-don't-break Cs defense, which restricts Mitchell's ability to find open teammates and get everyone involved.

Many of the "elite" defenders work in a traditional setting (Suggs, Caruso). That may be because coaches are trying to take advantage of strengths.

The Cs players don't need to make a mark. I'd argue the switch defense is unselfish and largely effective in most cases.

On-ball defense is not the only defense either. White is the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA (off-ball) and his ability to hold up against bigs on a switch is a large reason for the Cs defensive success.

There is some truth here, but it also just may be White isn't strong enough or quick enough to defend that way (Jrue is strong enough, but he has clearly lost a step). It is hard to say and the C's play such good team defense and have a lot of very good to excellent defenders that picking out and separating players is difficult. I do know though that if I was up 2 with 20 seconds left and the other team had the ball, I'd pick Jrue before White as I do think he has a higher peak defensively. His strength and IQ are just another level that White doesn't have.

I think I agree with you. I've also noticed that they play a bit more traditional PnR defense with Zinger. I think with Zinger out, they are switching more often. Horford isn't really an ice defender that can protect the rim. He's a switch defender.

It's a lot easier to get over screens when the ball-handler is frozen as he considers whether he wants to challenge a 7'3" big at the rim.

Still, if you wanted a player to fight over a screen, you'd probably take Caruso, Suggs, and Herb Jones first (Edwards too if it was just one play at the end of the game). After that is the Holiday-White-Shai-McDaniels-Edwards level of players.

[Who]

The debate about White's defense fails to recognize the style of defense. Orlando largely played a traditional defensive scheme against the pick-and-roll. Their bigs iced or hedged allowing Suggs to stay on Mitchell.

The Celtics largely are switching. Many of the points Mitchell has scored has been against Horford or Hauser, etc.

I'd prefer the traditional scheme against Mitchell, because I don't think he wants to score by driving all the time. But I can see the merit of the bend-don't-break Cs defense, which restricts Mitchell's ability to find open teammates and get everyone involved.

Many of the "elite" defenders work in a traditional setting (Suggs, Caruso). That may be because coaches are trying to take advantage of strengths.

The Cs players don't need to make a mark. I'd argue the switch defense is unselfish and largely effective in most cases.

On-ball defense is not the only defense either. White is the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA (off-ball) and his ability to hold up against bigs on a switch is a large reason for the Cs defensive success.

There is some truth here, but it also just may be White isn't strong enough or quick enough to defend that way (Jrue is strong enough, but he has clearly lost a step). It is hard to say and the C's play such good team defense and have a lot of very good to excellent defenders that picking out and separating players is difficult. I do know though that if I was up 2 with 20 seconds left and the other team had the ball, I'd pick Jrue before White as I do think he has a higher peak defensively. His strength and IQ are just another level that White doesn't have.

Agreed