(08-03-2020, 08:31 PM)Aussiebballer Wrote: I assume it has something to do with how many open 3s the other team gets with Boban on the court.
But his plus/minus was +7 in the Houston game and even in the Suns game so can't have been that bad on defense.
Letting him do 6 hard fouls on Harden when he drives would also be fine with me.
Harden gets the foul call no matter what so make him earn it.
That might make some sense if the Mavericks did even an average job of guarding 3's or even guarding in general when Boban is out, which is most of the time. Problem is, they do not. Boban comes out challenges the 3 at least with his massive wingspan.
The Mavs defense is at least as ineffective without Marjanovic as it is with him, but they also don't generate easy baskets either when they need them to hold a lead. That's when they most need an alternative to the small ball "I shoot better than you" offense that has been consistently failing them in the clutch.
Boban's issue is more being slow moving to cover defensive space then it is strictly guarding the 3.
Defensively I have always disliked Bobi's lack of aggression at the rim. If he would simply aggressively attack and put a body on a few penetrators at the rim, I think the perception of his defense would improve .
I would like to see coaches really jump on him about that if anything since he always has fouls and minutes to spare. He should be at least a little of an enforcer at the rim.
At the same time he's not nearly a total negative at the rim. His big body does disturb some shots inside and isn't easy to push under the basket like the other lightweight Mavs front line defenders.
Then there's the fact that he REBOUNDS and makes free throws, both of which can actually help defensively as well.