Scal has always been a very good defender. He is one of the best team defenders they have, and is a very good one on one defender, who can play both on the perimeter and down low. The question has never been about his defense, it has been whether he can play within himself offensively. He did a great job of doing that last year when he was filling in for Garnett, and hopefully he can do that now that he looks like he might be making his way into the rotation.