I think people underestimate how difficult it is to keep quick guards out of the lane on defense these days in the NBA. The rules have been changed to legislate against it. Just as they’ve been changed over the last several years to detract from the influence of big players.
In the old days, strong guards could defend quick guards by using hand checking. In many cases, players could make up for a lack of quickness by controlling an offensive player with their hands — think Terry Porter. That man did a terrific job of staying in front of quick players using his smarts and strength.
But rules change. Now you’re not allowed to put a hand on a player if you’re above the foul line. And coaches who expect players to be able to control a quick guard by themselves are often the victim of unrealistic expectations — unless they’re asking Rajon Rondo to do it. He’s about the only one in the league I’ve seen who seems to have consistent success at it.
NBA point guards are elite athletes and expecting a defender who doesn’t know which direction a dribbler is headed to stay in front of him is borderline ridiculous. It’s like expecting a defensive back, by himself, to blanket Randy Moss on a pass pattern.
And don’t expect a ton of help from your big man, either. Those days are just about over. During the last few decades, a lot of the new rules have conspired to make it difficult for big men to have the impact they used to have on games, at both ends of the floor.
The first rule change aimed at the big guy was the three-point field goal.
When all shots were worth two points, it only made sense that the closer you get to the basket, the better your chances of scoring and the more efficient your offense was. The mantra was always “get it in deep to the big guy” and the big guy always got a lot of shots. Shots from distance were frowned upon in most cases in those days — it’s what you did when you couldn’t get inside or what you did to loosen the defense so you could get the ball inside.
That philosophy died hard, as veteran coaches clung to old ideas. It’s taken a long time for many of them to understand the value of three-point shots and the simple mathematics of being able to shoot a lower percentage of them and still net more points than if you shot a bunch of two-point shots at a higher percentage.
The three-point goal has turned a lot of big men into perimeter players. And at the same time, the illegal defense rules have kept the big guy from lurking in the lane like a goaltender on defense. I can remember Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell and Nate Thurmond, all great shot blockers, just camping out in the lane. Believe me, you didn’t want to go in there when they were lurking.
In most cases, they didn’t have to stray far from the pivotmen (now there’s an antiquated term) they were guarding because he was almost always strictly a low-post player who hung around the basket.
But now, if you hang in the lane, you’re going to give up a technical foul for being in the key three seconds — on defense! And besides, the big man on the other team is always pulling you away from the basket because he wants to shoot from distance just like the guards.
So what is a defensive team to do about guard penetration?
Help defense! Not help from big men, either, but rotation help. Beat one man and someone else has to be there. There are many systems to handle this but they all require alert defenders who will tirelessly rotate to people who aren’t “their man” to keep the opposing team from getting inside.
And at the same time, they must have enough energy to close out on the three-point shooters. It’s a difficult concept to teach and even more difficult to get players to accomplish.
It’s why only the elite teams seem to be able to do it. But it’s also why only a few teams have a serious shot at winning a championship. If you don’t defend in the NBA, you can’t consistently beat the teams that do.
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Tags: Dwight Jaynes, NBA, team defense