2020-2021 AROUND the NBA: Archived

[Kammrath]

I just think we're at the point where this team is going to be judged solely on playoff performances from here on out.  You look at someone like Gobert and see how much of a pattern his playoff struggles have been now for nearly half a decade and you got to start to ask yourself if players like that are worth much at this point.

100% agreed on playoffs being all that matters. 

I hesitate to jump full-in on the thought that bigs are becoming completely expendable in the playoffs. I think what is being exposed is not completely the bigs, but in part the rest of the roster AROUND those bigs. 

Even with KP this past season. He was a GIANT negative (worst on the team of -8.8 in the playoffs if my memory serves). But I don't think that was ALL on KP. The failure of the DAL perimeter players on D made KP seem way worse even than he was. Don't get me wrong, he was bad, but I think the players around him made it worse. 

I think with Gobert this has been the case. In the regular season Gobert HIDES the terrible D of his teammates. But in the playoffs what gets exposed is not Gobert, but the inability of his teammates to really play good D. 

In the regular season a good defensive big can cover a multitude of defensive sins. But in the playoffs that ability is lessened. That doesn't mean you throw out the big in the playoffs. In the 1060 minutes of MIL's playoffs this season, the team has been +0.5 better defensively with Brook Lopez playing. That's NOT because Lopez is a great perimeter defender as a big. It is because he has good defensive teammates.

Point? I think cohesive team D is the most important thing, with guys willing to defend at every position. A weakness anywhere exposes everyone, but especially a big man, making the big man look bad when it isn't completely his fault.