Seems a bit early for Jokic. Certainly could end up in the pantheon one day, but seems a bit early for me for a guy that isn't an elite scorer nor a very good defender. Certainly an excellent all around offensive player and the best passing big man available, I just think it was a touch early for him.
Not many multiple MVP's available, though I do worry about Nash's defense. Pair him with some strong wing defenders and I think he could be all right, they just have to fit with him offensively which is far more difficult in this given the dearth of excellent 2-way players.
But these last two picks are why I think this draft will be like no other. Even the 1st round picks have real flaws, which makes this so exciting and interesting.
I would argue he's a better defender than Moses. He ain't quick enough to defend the perimeter, but he's a massively underrated PnR defender.
https://fadeawayworld.net/2020/02/27/nba-expert-nikola-jokic-is-the-best-pick-and-roll-defender-in-the-league/
He's also a big presence in the paint thanks to his length/strength. He allowed 0.71 PPP when posted up last season, which ranks in the 83.9th percentile. Moses had short hands, which held him back on the defensive side of the ball.
While the sample size is pretty good, I think it doesn't quite capture Jokic's defensive weaknesses. Jokic's anticipation and hands make him pretty good at defending the PnR as long as the ballhandler isn't great at shooting off the dribble to force him to step outside. Most teams in the NBA don't have ballhandlers who can Steph Curry Denver to death, so Jokic gets some really good PnR numbers as result. But I think we'll have a good amount of teams who'll select guards who can do that and Jokic will likely struggle guarding such offensive dynamos. Jokic is also weak at defending the PnP: his lack of quickness makes it difficult for him to close out on popping bigs effectively in such actions.
So basically he can't defend guys like Steph on the perimeter. Not many bigs can do that anyway.
There are 3 ways to defend the pick n roll:
1. go under the pick
2. go over the pick
3. switch (This is what the C's do whenever our starting Center is on the court. Can't name him cause he's eligible to be drafted.
)
How do the Nuggets defend the PnR against guys like Steph?
- Going under the pick vs Steph would be a terrible choice cause he'd just shoot an open 3. Option 1 is off the table.
- Switching isn't an option either cause Jokic ain't quick enough to stay in front of Steph on the perimeter.
- That leaves them with the 2nd option: go over the pick. Their guard defender denies the open shot for Steph. At the same time, Jokic drops back to protect the rim in case Steph passes the ball to the roller. It's a perfectly viable defensive scheme. In fact, the Nuggets allowed 0.84 PPP when defending the PnR ball handler last season (7th best in the league). Just because the C's switch, it doesn't mean that all teams should do the same thing. Fwiw, the C's allowed 0.86 PPP (8th in the league).
Topic: Celticsstrong 2021 Historical Draft - VOTES ARE IN (Read 222368 times)