Defense has a lot to do with experience, but Calderon still sucks and sb like Conley were very good at the very beginning of his career.
Yup. Very well said. I totally agreed. People keep mentioning his T's D game. But in the reality, TD's ability/tendency to change the pace of the game is much much more important than anything else he does for this Rox.
In couple of other post I actually said Lin played above average D, all I'm saying here is that he recent success in have more to do with effort than skill and experience.
*Shrugs* I can't say I think you're wrong. Because I have no clue. Perimeter defense is so reliant on interior defense that I honestly don't know enough basketball to make a confident statement either way. I can just as well say that Lin benefits from having Asik, while Douglas had to deal with having Smith (not) watch his back. In the end, I think it's a fairly moot point unless the Rockets actually come out and state what they think of each player's defense. Which, of course, they're very unlikely to do in public.
Watching torocan try to educate here is the best and most amusing. I can't believe someone tried to argue PPP doesn't indicate anything about defense. Synergy tracks every single play that each individual player is involved in and then tracks the PPP that are accrued in those possessions. So when TD or Lin have 0.7~ PPP on isolation plays that means the opposing player they are guarding only scores 70% of the time. Explain to me how that does not indicate defensive "production," Cheklau.
Actually, Synergy calculates PPP allowed based upon points scored on defensive plays that Lin participates in. Yes, that DOES include some team play aspects. If a defensive play starts with Lin and help defenders arrive, he benefits. If he defends a man and help defense does not arrive when it should, he suffers. Synergy looks at every individual play in the game, looks specifically at those plays that Lin participates in, then calculates the points derived from that play. That includes steals and blocks, as well as points scored from fouls in addition to normal scoring through shooting. https://secure.mysynergysports.com/FAQ.aspx PPP is not a team or individual concept. It is a scoring concept. The allocation of PPP allowed in defensive terms is specific to those players that Lin is guarding at the initiation of the defensive sequence.
Lin will never be an elite defender because he lacks the wingspan or lateral quickness to shut down the elite point guards. However, he works hard on defense and hustles which is a rarity for a point guard. That alone makes him slightly above average. He does need to fight through picks better though. If anyone doubt he is average/+ just list all the point guards and see how few defend at all. Long term we don't even know if Lin will be the Rockets point guard. He has struggled shooting, but always contributes in some way and shows promise.
Come on, what's your point? Effort is not important? To be successful in this league, you need tons of effort. Almost every NBA player has talent, what separates has a lot to do with their effort. Don't forget, NBA is the best basketball league in the whole world. You just don't realize how hard it is to compete at this level against the best players on daily basis.
No one can shut down the elite point guards. Just tell which PG can shut down elite point guards. With good screens set up by bigs, the elite point guards can score at will most of time.
This makes little sense. No single player can stop an elite PG it takes team defense to do that. Tony parker has cooked Russel Westbrook, Derrick Rose has cooked CP3. Lin doesn't need to be an elite defender he just needs to be above average & an excellent team defender, which he already is. And for the majority of Lin's contract I don't see him being moved. Which other PG can we get that won't impede our ability to upgrade at the PF position, fits our system & is more talented than him & is realistically available. I don't think there is really anybody. Just a few thoughts.
From what I've seen in Jeremy Lin is that his speed is his best weapon. I think he's learning how to use that speed on defense now. He seems to beat offensive players to the spot they want to be in.
Synergy stats is great, but people should also read this article on TrueHoop about Steve Novak's unexpectedly high defensive stats according to Synergy: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/53195/the-defense-of-a-shooter Detailed breakdowns are nice additional information, but its tough to accurately assign defensive credit to players. Especially for teams that really emphasize team defensive principles and make an effort to provide extra help to their weaker individual defenders. The cool thing about Synergy is the video that accompanies all the stats, but I guess one has to pay for a subscription to be able to watch all of it.
They are difference... D is about sliding. It is a wrong assumption that a guy with fast first step also have quick slide.
I agree on the height/wingspan and lateral quickness part in terms of him being an elite defender as a general guard. Elite for his position is attainable I think. As for "shutting down elite point guards", that's kind of a ridiculous measure. Nobody really "shuts down" the fastest point guards by themselves. It's just not humanly possible in a one on one situation, much less a PnR. Rondo, Westbrook, Rose and Tony Parker have elite defenders on them frequently. None of the "elite" defenders can shut them down by themselves. The fastest point guards require TEAM defense, especially when you get forced switches or they are turning the corner off a pick or screen. Lin isn't the quickest PG in the league (though he's way up there), and you're really not going to see him get "shut down" by any single individual. This isn't because there aren't good/poor defenders, the problem is physics and biology. The amount of time it takes the human nervous system to conduct the information from your eyes, process that information, relay that information to your muscles and start your body in motion. The fastest reaction times EVER measured for Olympic sprinters to the sound of a starting gun is 100ms. 120ms is an exceptionally fast time. Carl Lewis was more like 166ms. Even if you have those kinds of reaction times, by the time your body is in motion, a very quick point guard is already a half step to full step ahead of you and starting to turn the corner. THIS is why defenders have to sag off so much off driving point guards. The faster the PG, the more they need to sag. It isn't even about "daring" to shoot, it's the limitation of the ability to physically respond to their body being in motion. And if you get juked, it's pretty much over. You'll never recover and get in position fast enough to cut off the drive. The BEST you can hope for is to harass them from the side/rear and make their shooting uncomfortable, or *possibly* attempt to block their shot from behind or the side. According to ESPN sports science... To put that in perspective, let's do the math. 10mph = 52,800 feet per hour, or 14.66 feet per second. Lin's rate of acceleration = 14.66 feet/second^2 100ms = 0.10s Distance traveled by Lin in 0.10s = 0.733 feet, or close to 9 inches IF you have near superhuman reflexes, by the time your brain can even BEGIN to move, Lin is already 9 inches ahead of you AND he's moving at 1.46 feet per second and accelerating. This is the problem ANY defender has against a quick PG and why ultimately you need help defense off the PnR. You just aren't going to fight over a screen AND catch up to contest the vast majority of the time unless you are vastly faster than your opponent. And that just doesn't happen when you're talking top line quickness, whether that's Lin, Wall or anyone else.
Why? He's been around that ranking (just below Lin) for most of the season according to Synergy. TD's had a weirdly inflated defensive reputation for sure (*cough* Sampson), but that said, he is a pretty good defender. TD defends with effort and harasses opposing players (he fouls a LOT by sticking too close and bumping) whereas Lin defends well with effort and length/size above average for a PG (great post defender for that reason + smarts). Both are pretty fast (lateral movement notwithstanding) and seem to have defensive fundamentals down pat. I think the numbers are pretty much in line with what we've seen in games. I might be over-praising both of them a bit, but I don't feel like nitpicking and they're good enough for PGs. Neither are going to be Thabo or Tony Allen anytime soon but there's no real need for them to be that either. Side note: I think Lin could be a better defender if he utilized his length more on the perimeter. He should be able to close of paths even with average lateral movement.
Oh and those insisting PGs should be able to guard the Westbrooks and Parkers of the world. LMAO. Both are very different PGs and their "skills" used to beat defenses are different. Westbrook just beats you with flat out speed and athleticism - give him any kind of room and he will accelerate past you at will. Meanwhile Parker makes good use of screens - Duncan sets a world-class solid pick, Parker curls around and when he turns the corner he's gone. Nothing much you can do in those situations. WB - no one is fast enough to catch up to him unless you have size/length + speed (LBJ). Parker - if you go under the pick, Parker pulls up for midrange jumper; if you go over, you just end up chasing Parker who is fast enough to gain distance to the basket In both situations, guards have to rely on bigs to come out w/ help defense (either in corral-ing WB baseline or blocking Parker's path to the rim.
