If you are playing basketball you know that defense is one of the most important things in the game. Defense wins games. Defense wins Championships. And if you were playing you know it yourself that playing D can change the game. Even if you were good in offense, you cannot win with just offense. There were teams that has very high offensive powers but still failed in the playoffs because they weren't able to reach their true potential because of their defense.
When talking about defense, first thing that comes to our minds today are players like Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, Marcus Smart and many more. Defensive players makes their mark to the game even if defense is all they can do and they are not good offensively. One example for that is Tony Allen. He's not good offensively but he was remembered because of his expertise in defense.
Defense is also not just for big guys or big men. There were players that are very good perimeter defender like Paul George, Rudy Gay and Kawhi Leonard. And there are few players that are very lucky to be gifted both offensively and defensively. Players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc. They were so good on both ends of the floor that basketball gods gave them a gift like that, a talent that not so many players are lucky to have.
And now, let's take a look at some underrated defenders in the league today.
Who thinks about that Joe Ingles will be on this list? Nothing about Ingles can make you think of him until he destroys the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs last season. Ingles was a big part of the Utah Jazz's success last year. The departure of Gordon Hayward gave him an increase in minutes played and that pays off as he helps the Utah Jazz achieved the unexpected.
He's not the most athletic guy, and his shooting for is kind of awkward but Joe Ingles is awesome. He has a high basketball IQ. He can play point guard, dictate the phase and makes plays for his team mates. He's an underrated defender. His defensive IQ is somehow underrated and his quick active hands can cover up for his lack of athleticism. He's also a great shooter who is always in the right place at the right time, also defensively. He play the passing lane very well and don't be surprise because he has a defensive rating of 102.3. For me, Ingles is not just underrated defensively. I think he is underrated for his whole game and one of the most underrated players in the NBA.
I will say that the Boston Celtics' General Manager is a genius. He drafted the right players and trade good ones. He formed this Celtics team very well and now its starting to rule the Eastern Conference. The Celtics collected most of the best young wings. Give me a break! Danny Ainge was awesome. He manage to build this kind of team. Wow.
But before I forgot the topic, lets start now. Jaylen Brown is one of the best young wing players today. He's very strong and athletic. He's also a fine shooter who can catch and shoot or create his own shot. He also moves so well without the basketball, getting in the right position. And when talking about defense, we haven't notice Brown's defensive talent. He plays good individual defense, good team defense and averaged one steal and one block per game while posting a defensive rating of 100.3.
He's just on his second year and I think he has a potential to be a top two-way superstar like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Hope he just gets better and continue to be a consistent defensive player.
Last but not the least is the Los Angeles Lakers guard and second overall draft pick from UCLA, Lonzo Ball. In his rookie year, Lonzo already showed his high defensive basketball IQ. He has a 104.1 defensive efficiency rating. That's already high especially for a rookie. That's above average in the NBA.
Lonzo has the height and the length to be a good defender at the point guard position. He is 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. His length combined with his quickness gives him a an extremely huge edge against his opponents at the guard position. Lonzo can also guard multiple position because of his length but he is not that strong enough. Ball also has a chance to be a good two-way star in the league if he improves his shooting and be the player people are expecting him to be.
Now that James is on the Lakers, I think James can help him improve and also the other young guys of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thanks for dropping by and hope to see you guys again. I'm very excited to watch the Christmas Day game! Haha. That's all for today folks!
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