There is almost no help-defense team wide (
Cedi in those passing lanes not withstanding). Players are caught in no-man's land between the paint and the perimeter. No one is rotating over to contain drives when the first man is beat. Guards are getting switched onto bigs within 4 seconds of a possession. Bigs are switched onto guards. There's wide open players in the corners that no one can get out to (
or in some cases, there is a half-hearted jog to the corner). Players are confused about who they're supposed to be switched onto seconds into a possession, because there is switching off-the ball, oftentimes unprovoked, sometimes because the transition push dictated those matchups. It's rare to see a player reengage their assignment in these situations, even if there is some opportunity to do so (
coaching likely dictates that). Occasionally there is a well timed double team in the post, but for every one of those, there are three+ breakdowns which lead to wide open shots.
If the brass thinks Z has very low defensive IQ when it comes to help, I wonder what they think about everyone else? If the personnel is struggling to run this scheme (
still), maybe it's time to change it. Or maybe it can be taught better. I understand scoring is up throughout the league, but some of this stuff is adjustable and correctable even with the players already on the team. Some of it just screams stubbornness though... (
could be off base there)
With that said, agreed that Nance coming in will help. He's a versatile defender. But even the most versatile stopper can't cover the entire floor. From what I've seen, the best defenders on the team aren't being maximized properly.
In any case...
I do like the fight of the team and there are players on it that will scratch and claw til the final buzzer. That's always good to see. 2nd quarter/end of 1st quarter lineup has been terrible (
the lineup out there, yikes... less Dekker (no offense to him) please), but eventually it won't be nearly as bad. It simply can't be... right?
I do like this team's ability to score even without consistent three point making. But there are stretches of dry-spells that will likely persist all season long (not unique to the Cavs). Team free throw rate will likely go down/stabilize some (obviously very early sample size).
Began the season vs one top team and one decent+ team on the road, some good stuff to see, some of the same old problems too. Can't wait for the rest of the season!
Will be plenty of adjustments/tweaks as we move along. How quickly they come about is anyone's guess, but I think you're on the right track ,
@Ben ,when it comes to rotational changes.