I think yao is definitly underrated defender and a lot of media bash his defense for the wrong reasons. They usually judge his size and thinks he should be crazier. However I don't think hes anything close to being a all time defender like Camby and the old Ben Wallace. I also think he is much better offensive player then Howard and will always be. I don't think we really seen Yao total offense dominance until he can last a full season. Hes a much better shooter and has a deadlier hook then Howard. I give it to Howard to have more and unstoppable dunks. Also I don't really see Yao shutting down Amare as some of you have stated. Prior to Shaq comming to Suns I remember a lot of times when Amare will dunk on Yao almost unstoppable. Yao I think also has a problem with the super strong dunkers like Amare and Dwight. All in all I do think hes underrated as a defender, not among the best though. And on offense he is one of the most unstoppable now when healthy. I really wish he will stay healthy next season and have a full yr.
Yao is at best an average defender. I'm just speaking facts cause I like Yao. There's a reason why during the Bobcats game, he was taken out the last defensive play. It wasn't a good idea putting him on KG during the Boston game. And of course the Utah series was, well you know how that ended up.
taking a jump shot which is over the range, and then having to shoot higher than normal, is call good defending. One reason yao do not venture to far out, as 1, he is slower than most guys 2, he need to be near the rim to take the rebound Yao is an excellent man to man defender, but he do have his problems with guys that can dribble. And help defense is almost non existence as he is so slow. I actually think that if rox get a 4 that is a much better rebounder, yao could defend those jump shooting centers like okur and miller.
Yea u hardly find true centers these days and its not easy for a 7'6 to keep up with nimble 6'10's thats why people say he sux on D
It really all depends on MATCHUPS whether Yao's defense is good or not. In cases that Yao's defense is a benefit......he is able to use his height to his advantage. This strength can be seen against half court teams who rely heavily on penetrating guards or wing players because his height forces players to readjust their shot or pass the ball when they come into the lane. Even if Yao doesn't block your shot, there's an intimidation factor thats undeniable when a player is in the paint and sees a "wall" standing in their way. He also matches up well with offensive big men. Even as a rookie, he held his own on defense against Shaq while still with the Lakers. Although Yao isn't quick or fast, he has some success defending the post because he does have pretty good footwork. And, of course, his height helps greatly. But I would say Yao only has average lower and upper-body strength (definitely not comparable to the old Ben Wallace), so Yao is not an elite defender in this league. But being 7'6" and having a good feel on defense, Yao can be used as a defensive weapon. In cases that Yao's defense is a liability......his lack of quickness hurts him when he matches up with big men who either have a good shooting range or can beat him off the dribble starting from the outside. Because of this, we've had some difficult playoff series through the years. In the Dallas series, I remember even Keith Van Horn at center taking advantage of Yao's lack of speed. But like another poster said, the best way it seems to solve this problem is for Yao to just dominate offensively on the other side of the floor. This way he creates a bigger matchup problem for the other team and thus forces the other team to sub in a big man just for defensive purposes. In most cases, Yao on defense should be more of a benefit than a liability to the team. Most teams in the league nowadays have a style of their guards and wing players dominating the ball, which means Yao's role as being a intimidating presence in the paint is very valuable. We haven't really learned to appreciate this role that Yao gives because we've always had Deke (imo an elite shot-blocker) to back Yao up when he got injured. But in most cases, our defense gets slightly worse when Yao is not in the game.
Didn't Howard make the all defense team? or maybe the second team? Dude... Yao isn't a shutdown defender though. Its laughable to put him on the same tier as guys like Battier, Bowen, Wallace, Camby, Artest. He isn't a crappy defender. But I'm just saying he's not this great defender. Cmon now.
Nobody agrees with you jeez, stop debating with me, Yao will make the all defensive 2nd team next year probably. Just stop, Nobody agrees with you.
Yao is a very underrated defender. People who think he is a bad defender either a Yao only hater or those who think slowness equal bad defender and never actually watch him plays. He cant guard Amare and Boozer doesnt make him bad defender. Do you think DPOY KG can guard Iverson? Does that make KG a horrible defender? Yao, though, is an overrated passer and jump shooter!
...except for the majority of the people in this thread, and virtually all of the NBA community as you hear no talk whatsoever of Yao being a dominant defensive force. He can't shutdown guys like Boozer, Amare or Duncan. They can hit that mid range jumper that Yao will give him. Of course Yao is going to shutdown Howard, Howard can't hit jumpers for ****. And before Yao lovers get all offended. Again, I'm not saying he's crap on defense. But Battier and Artest are on the top tier for defense and Yao is a level or two below. In fact, if I were to rank the players on our team it would be Battier, Artest, and Deke on the first tier, Alston/Hayes/Yao on the second and everyone else a step under them.
I agree with you for the most part, except for your logic at the end. If you don't have range, Yao will shut you down. But if you have any kind of range, Yao might as well not be there. You might as well go zone because Yao isn't going to come out and stop the guy. So Yao is perfect against guys like Howard who are all offense, but in order for me to call him a shutdown defender like we call Camby, he has to guard multiple types of bigs. Battier guards quick guys and tough guys... same with Artest. Can KG guard Iverson? No... but KG can and should be able to hold down any big he's up against, save for 1 or 2 random guys.
Yao is a terrible defender but its not by lack of effort. He tries really hard but his lack of quickness kills him. He is an OK post defender because he has a strong base but how many centers try to post up Yao?
As i said nobody agrees with you stop talking to me, you Yao hater, you are just like this moron on ESPN, who does nothing but bash Yao's D Discussion Over Yao = Great Defender.
actually KG can guard anybody in the L for a 3 possession stretch. he can let have AI just take jumpers and still be able to contest it with his long arms while staying with him. i've seen him D'up tmac, kobe, lebron, wade and do extremely well for short stretches. he's the league best overall defender by far.
yao is an above average defender. a great defender is someone you say who can most likely make all-nba defense or basically can shut down guys if they try their hardest. yao knows his limitations but he works very hard defensively to try to make them up. you have to applaud him for that.
hayes is a top 5 overall defender my friend in this L if he had some type of offensive game to stay on the floor long enough. dude can guard anybody in this L.
Reading over this thread, it actually sounds like most people agree with him while most people disagree with you. Next season will be Yao's 7th in the NBA and he hasn't even once made the All-Defensive 2nd Team. If you believe this strongly that Yao is a great, elite, all-defensive team-caliber defender, that's fine. You are in the minority, though. I don't see much hating in here, either. The people that don't agree with you seem to be offering pretty reasonable arguments. They're not just making empty posts like "Yao sucks at defense!". Don't take it this hard. Nobody is saying that Yao isn't a very good player. They are just questioning his defensive abilities. And who knows? You may be right in the end that Yao is an elite defender. You may also be wrong. Just don't let yourself get so worked up about it, either way.
