07-13-2021, 04:43 PM
(07-13-2021, 03:55 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I totally agree with this statement, as well as the rest of the ensuing paragraph.
However, what I feel like I have learned throughout this KP saga is that even the most offensive-minded center MUST at least be better than average on defense for the team to win.
This isn’t a perfect analogy, but my mind kind of goes to the idea that if the best offensive player in major-league baseball happened to be a short stop, his team should be OK with overlooking the fact that he is the worst defensive shortstop and the leak. No matter how many home runs that guy cranks, he’s still going to hurt the team more than he helps, imo. You’re even worse off in basketball, because that shortstop can be moved to a different position, probably, whereas it seems clear to me that Porzingis cannot play any other position in the modern NBA.
I think it’s possible to build a good team defense in the NBA if one of your guards and one of your forwards is defensively challenged. But, after living through this KP thing I am more convinced than ever that if your center can’t play defense, your team is not going to be very good defensively.
I think the key here is on the contract size with the center - it makes it less likely that you have a lineup of 4-5 playoff-playable wings to go small with, if your center is on a max contract. There are also the political consequences involved in benching a max contract center during meaningful stretches of a playoff series.
The Clippers had the roster and payroll equation to effectively respond to their center getting targeted on defense. Mavs and Jazz did not.