Ive noticed that a lot of people have mentioned that Yao is not a very good defender, or at least average at best. I've always been under the impression that Yao has been a quality defender. I attribute the reasoning for us being a top 3 defense every year to Yao's great (imo) post defense. He obviously has height and is a good shot blocker, averaging over 2 blocks per game. This isnt even including the numerous shots he alters just by standing his ground near the basket. I know he's slow and relatively unathletic but he is actually pretty quick for his size. Whenever he gets into foul trouble its usually because he's coming across to help his teammate out on the weak side. I honestly can't see how people can honestly say Yao sucks at defense and is overrated and all that nonsense. IMO he is severely underrated in regards to his defense. Here is how I would rank our starters according to defense: 1. Ron (assuming he starts over battier) 2. Yao 3. Rafer 4. T-Mac (i could put him last but i put him ahead of Scola due to the fact when it's playoff time and he actually wants to defend he is a damn good defender.) 5. Scola (putting him last isn't saying hes a bad defender but he is the worst in comparison to our other starters.) So can someone honestly tell me where this talk of Yao sucking at defense is coming from? P.S. I'm not chinese nor am I a Yao fan boy. And I dont have search so I apologize if this has been discussed recently. I dont want to look like that r****d who posted the "whose the best big 3" thread.
It doesn't matter if he is quick for his size because he is the only one his size. He is slow and his feet move, causing him to pick up cheap fouls. Against your average everyday NBA center, he is not bad. Against anyone with a jumpshot and a little quickness, i.e. Boozer, KG, Amare, he is at their mercy. Yao does not have the ability to go out and cover a shooter while giving himself enough room to get back to the basket when needed.
I agree with you 100% that Yao is a very good defender, Yao is pretty underrated on that end, I think with him and Tyson Chandler at the center spot Yao and Chandler are the best man to man big men in the league, Yao has shut down so many great big men like -Tim Duncan -Dwight Howard -David West -Amare -Shaq Yao is so underrated defensively, I really wish more people would understand that he's an above average defender and on his way to becoming an elite defender if he stays healthy. I expect Yao to honestly win all-defensive 2nd team next year with Dwight Howard in the 1st team.
Wow, the OP is right some of you just hate on Yao's Defense for No reason, I was on the ESPN message boards before and this crazy little guy kept bashing Yao's defense everytime i praised it Some of you need to accept the fact that a player you are a fan of is a good defender.
Seriously? Now you guys are saying that Yao is better defender than Dwight? Rebounds? Blocks? sigh talk about fanboy. I myself am a Yao fan but I am not blind. Yao got Dwight's number in offense and its the other way around on defense. Dwight will eventually develop moves on offense, and then he might end up as the best center. You guys need to deal with it.
I think the consensus is that Yao is a good post defender, especially against traditional bigs due to his length and size. But the problem's that these traditional centers are far and few between these days. And against the likes of your PF-C hybrids these days, he often struggles to stay home on them. Then there's the issue of his slow foot speed, which inherently makes him a poor pick and roll defender. I wouldn't go so far to call Yao and bad defender, just a situational one. But the holes in his defensive game are much too big to exploit for him to ever be a good all-round defender I guess.
Yao's not as bad as many make him out to be, but with his size his ability is not what a smaller players would be. Thus making his side to side movement not as quick as most, leaving opportunities for players to go around him and getting the cheap foul which causes foul trouble. His vertical leap is not what others are(example: Dwight Howard or Hakeem), but he does make up some of that with his wing span. So I can understanding pulling him out on final possessions, to keep defenders in front of you and away from the basket. A Hakeem, Yao is not. You always wanted the Dream in there in any clutch situation. But too have a 7'6" center defending the basket is not a bad option either.
Some say better help defender and some say better man to man defender, that very well might be true but the funny thing is both are such subjective measures which can never be proven. I am sure there is some way we can bring up some man to man defending numbers that will prove your point, how about their team's performance on defense when the two are off the court as compared to when they are on? I am actually curious about it myself. Everything else is just fanboy mumbo jumbo.
What makes Yao foul prone or avg-below avg is technique. Whe he gets winded or before then he gets lazy. He stands too high, feet too close together and out of balance. Thats why he cant slide his feet against quicker guys nor can he contest a shot against the boozer/brand/jefferson types. No matter how tall you are, a player has to play in balance. Thats why u see these massive o-line getting bowled over by 6'2 250lb types. Its all about leverage. Thats why when you look at deke, he rarely if ever is straight up and down eventhough he's 7'2. He bends his back, legs are about 2.5 ft apart, ass down and arms up so he can slide,explode and manuver in balance. People want to say it was hayes or scola that did boozer in this playoffs, but really deke did a great job playing to his length. If Yao "shrunk" to get in better balance he would be a very good defender, but after 6 yrs, i dont think its going to happen.
Yao's weaknesses on defense are attributed to his size and lack of quickness, but not a lack of effort. Yao plays his game, and plays it hard, on both sides of the court. People who attack him as a "poor defender" are short-sighted; he alters more shots than any center in the league. I don't really understand the attacks on Yao being overrated. Sure, his game has limitations, but this is true of every center. At the end of the day, his strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.
You need to be clearer, I thought you were calling that guy out for putting Yao in the all defensive second team as opposed to the first team.
Well there is a +/- stat on 82games.com It shows that when yao is off the court the Rockets are worse defensively without him, when Dwight is off the court thr Magic are better defensively without him.
Yao's defense is great, but he certainly gets exposed a lot more than Deke. Anyone with a mid-range jumper is going to give Yao problems. The pick and roll gives Yao problems. Lateral movement should not be an excuse when comparing the two. Deke is slow as molasses and still guards the hoop better than anyone. That's not a knock on Yao, his backup just happens to still play defense on a top level.
