01-18-2021, 12:28 PM
(01-18-2021, 10:44 AM)omahen Wrote: KP and WCS were horrible on defense. Bobi of course too, but we expected better of those two. Chicago big wings were just waltzing through our paint and Markkanen looked so good that a fantasy trade proposal of KP for him straight up would be rejected by Chicago. This has nothing to do with the offensive limitations, because Green and Iwundu were arguably better defensively than any of the missing guys.
Yes, I had been expecting the defense to get better when KP returned, but it seems like it has actually gotten worse. The various opinions from Mavs media/players on this particular game were full of comments about the lack of "defensive intensity." Yeah, that was a factor, but I'm not sure doubling down on what they were doing would help more than incrementally. Just a turnstile at the rim. Terrible PNR defense.
The return of the six absent guys, and the easing in of KP, will give us a whole new picture, which should be a substantial improvement. I mean, where is there to go but up? Yikes!