“Guys are getting more opportunities on the offensive end, so maybe that means they’re taking a step back defensively, which is not good,” Thomas said. “It’s hard to play both ends of the floor at a high level, and that’s why only a few players in this league can do that. But we’ve just got to get that mindset back of being a defensive team and then letting the offense take care of itself.
“It’s fool’s gold the way we’re playing offense so good.”
Is IT really going to have the cajones to criticize the defense of others, specifically sounding like Bradley, Crowder, and Smart, when he's one of the main reasons our defense has been mediocre?? Freaking Ish Smith went off with IT guarding him, torching him for 19 points on 75% shooting. Seems like IT needs a reality check, because he's just as much, if not more, of a reason why our defense is struggling as any other reason.
Honestly, Smart and Horford are the only ones who can't really be criticized for their defense, since they pretty much bring it every single possession on every single night. And though Smart can be roundly criticized for his shooting and scoring, there's not much to be complained about with Horford, who is pretty much playing very well-rounded ball. In fact, the only thing you can complain about with Horford is that he's not being aggressive enough.
This is a problem that's largely with most of the team, but the fact that IT is really complaining about others' defense seems to suggest that he needs a reality check regarding his own play.