Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Defense isn't about athleticism. It's about dedication, effort, and predicting what your opponent will do. The problem with many athletic players is they are very easy to fake out. They easily jump in the air expecting to block a shot or they lose their balance moving side to side.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Quote:
Originally Posted by get these NETS
shane battier and artest aren't graceful...but you can't say that they aren't athletic.
Defense is about toughness, positioning, angles and intelligence.. Battier and Artest were never that fast or could ever jump out of the gym but they could play defense.. A guy like Bowen was also a very good defender but was never that athletic...
Thats why its so funny when people say that defense is better cuz the athletes...
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 50inchvertical
Yes you can, especially at that 3 position with guys like Rudy Gay, Travis Outlaw, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, etc. who can touch their head on the rim AND would lap those 2 in a race.
Short answer, there's more to defense than athleticism.
what about jason richardson?
he's considered an elite-even-by-nba standards-athlete, correct?
If I'm not mistaken....read an account of pre draft workouts the Hawks had and Battier had a higher score than JR
..some kind of test of athleticism...think it was a dunk til you drop drill
and also that he scored highest among all rookies tested that year at some agility test...
Last edited by get these NETS : 03-18-2011 at 11:11 AM.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Guys that aren't athletic usually just hustle more and work on technique and right angles for defense. If you aren't athletic you can't work on being more athletic so you just do what you can by working harder than everyone else.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Because defense is not about athletic abilities, it's skill, just like offense.
You don't become a great defender over night, and it's not just about effort.
But hustling does help.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Because the athletic player needs to have great lateral speed if he plays on the perimeter. Timing, anticipation, fundamentals, instincts and most of all attitude play key roles in being a good defender.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Playing defense is doing your homework on your defensive covers. If you know a player's tendencies and preferences, it's much easier to stop him.
Also, athleticism could also very well be a curse on the defensive end if you tend to overreact on fakes and subtle movements. Sometimes, less athletic players don't react as much, making it harder for the offensive player to juke him.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
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Originally Posted by KB2clutch
i would say more than 50% of players in the league are more athletic overall than ppl like battier, artest, sefalosha, varajoe yet cant keep up with offensive players while they guys can. How is that possible? I would say that being athletic basically guarantees you to be a good defender, the only thing that keeps you from being one is if you dont try. I know a lot of players slack on defense but even during important games those crappy defenders cant turn it on so i know its not that theyre not tryin. Basically i wanna understand how guys like the ones i list above are so good at defense while being much slower or weaker than the players they are guarding while other more athletic players suck on d
Defense is about intelligence. Period. It's about knowing how to predict what a player is going to do and reading him by his actions. That means knowing when you are getting into someone's head.
Someone who is athletic can be more capable playing defense, but if he constantly makes the wrong choice or doesn't understand what is working... then he might get some blocks or steals but he won't be able to shut someone down.
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NBASTATMAN
Defense is about toughness, positioning, angles and intelligence.. Battier and Artest were never that fast or could ever jump out of the gym but they could play defense.. A guy like Bowen was also a very good defender but was never that athletic...
Thats why its so funny when people say that defense is better cuz the athletes...
Re: Why are there athletic players who can't play D, but unathletic players who can?
at you if you think he's intelligent
