Jokic can't win in the playoffs for the same reason Gobert can't win. In the modern playoffs switchability, 1-on-1 and foot speed become incredibly important. Doesn't matter if you're MVP or DPOY. This has been obvious for years but yet many still forget. Ariza, Tucker, Gordon and Moute (RIP) were just as important to the Rockets success against the Warriors as Harden and Paul.
Not only do they have Poole, but Kuminga and Wiseman, as well. Curry and Thompson's respective games should age gracefully (a la Ray Allen). And Draymond's defense should be good too, since athleticism and speed aren't really a part of his overall defensive game. Scary to think that by the time Draymond, Curry and Thompson are 37-39, Poole/Wiseman/Kuminga should all be in their primes, ready for another dynasty.
lol anyone can win depending on what teammates he is surrounded with and who is the oponent people thought yanis cant win because he cant shoot but he still did it
...but then this is an indictment on the Nuggets' smalls and how they can't play perimeter defense well...it's not really a knock on Jokic. If the Warriors were constantly trying to 1v1 Jokic and hunt him on mismatches to the point where Jokic is unplayable, I can see where you're coming from. But it really feels like the Nuggets' guards absolutely stink. That's probably what Cousins said to Barton to set off that whole exchange on the bench.
This isn't accurate at all. Giannis impacts the game at elite levels in other areas outside of shooting. He's also not a center. For the beast jokic is offensively, he sucks at defense and is a weak link there For the defense Gobert brings, he sucks offensively and is a weak link there You can't say any of that about Giannis and you try to keep bringing this up when it's just false. Giannis is able to compensate for something he doesn't do as well because he's elite in so many other areas and versatile enough to impact the game at a level other folks like jokic and gobert simply cannot
Yes Jokic is hunted on switches. This is nothing new. That's always been the case for any high iq team that has elite guards. It's not just about going at him 1vs 1. It's about putting him in actions where he clearly can't stay infront of any GS guard. Which is happening. And GS gets open shots because of it bc Denver has to send help or are in disarray defensively constantly
If you want to be binary about it, sure why not. I don't think the Nuggets have a great defensive wing rotation. You also didn't acknowledge the Gobert point, and he's a perennial "DPOY". You need super elite defensive wings to fight through screens constantly give a big help if they don't have great foot speed. The "can't play Kanter" moment was illustrative of this. As were the Yao Ming vs Jazz series. Teams are just going to screen and switch until they get the matchup they want. If they can get past you, chances are you'll either foul them or get burned. If your team has an exploitable big man you're playing at a disadvantage against elite teams. This is how the Warriors offense is built.
There is only 1 defensive foundation that works against GS and gives yourself a chance and that's switch everything. And that means all 1-5. Not just certain matchups. So if all 5 guys aren't capable of this type of scheme, you're just praying for an off night from GS and a bunch of self inflicated mistakes
Unfortunately, Green's defensive deficiencies have become even more pronounced as a senior. At 6'7, he is too small to guard elite post players, and lacks the lateral quickness to defend perimeter players, even face-up power forwards at the NCAA level. While his effort and aggressiveness will never be questioned, it is difficult to project him as an adequate NBA defender at this time. Draymond Green is somewhat of an enigma entering the NBA. At 6'6'' 235 pounds, Green doesn't really fit into any position on the court. He's not athletic enough to be a small forward, and he's a bit undersized to bang in the paint as a power forward. (LOLOLOLOL)That won't keep him from being a productive NBA player though, because Green has legitimate range and touch to his jumper for a player his size. On the defensive side of the ball though, Green will be somewhat of a liability, especially at the small forward position. Green lacks the athleticism and lateral agility it takes to defend NBA talent on the perimeter, One of those great college basketball players that doesn’t excel in any one particular area … Tweener, undersized for a physical forward yet lacks the athleticism of a wing … Lacks explosiveness, agility, elusiveness and quickness off the bounce … Under the rim finisher, which is troublesome when you consider his size … Not a threat to shake his defender off the dribble … Minimal upside … Vulnerable defending quicker guards on the perimeter … Could stand to drop some weight … Despite this acclaim, Green fell victim to the standard talk-yourself-out-of-him evaluation that often happens to low upside upperclassmen, including here on DraftExpress: Isn't quick or athletic Too small to play power forward ... Too slow to defend small forwards. There is always someone younger and more explosive to be had in the draft and while these players have theoretically superior upside, the bottom line is that you typically end up with a fringe rotation player at best, particularly outside of the lottery. "From a physical standpoint, Green is a below average prospect at best, as he's severely undersized with underwhelming athleticism and struggles at times with his conditioning due to his hefty frame," wrote Jonathan Givony of Draft Express in 2010. "He gets his shot blocked quite a bit around the basket, is often the last one making his way up the court in transition and can look quite winded at times, which hampers him defensively and can get him in foul trouble." TAKE THAT FOR DATA
I can talk about the Gobert point. Having someone like Gobert manning the paint allows Mitchell and Conley to focus more on bodying up / playing closer to opposing player X. If Mitchell/Conley gets blown by (more likely to happen because of the defense they play), then they can rest knowing Gobert is there to stop any rim runs. X is then forced to either take a midrange jumper or pass it out for plan B. So if Gobert takes away a sizeable portion of the playing field, the onus is on the opposing players to hit 3s and low-quality midranges. In this series, it's just unfortunate that the players taking 3s are...perhaps the two greatest shooters in the history of the game and an up-and-coming young star who basically has the green light. From your original post, it seems like you're saying Jokic can't win the 1v1s and speed contests...but then you go on to say that the Rockets' perimeter defenders are so important. Are you saying the Nuggets can't win because Jokic can't hang? Or just the Nuggets' perimeter defenders? Or both? "Can't play Kanter" was a thing because Kanter couldn't defend anything...not that only one part of his defense was bad.
Switching Defense seems to be the bane of the Warriors. .. . . .when done right Jocic cannot play switching defense He is simply too slow and if he does it too long he will tire out. Rocket River
Watching Draymond defend people is so infuriating. He can put both hands right up through your armpits and lodge right into you and steer you around and the refs see his hands as being straight up. The rule of "stay up and down" doesn't apply to him like other bigs. When you're a player and you're making decisions at light speed and you're used to the rules being applied consistently, it's damn hard to adjust to one guy who gets special treatment.
