Why is Roy so mediocre on D?

[Further]

I was just thinking about when Roy played great D on Joe Johnson (below) in he sophomore year. At that time, I thought that this was a sign that Roy was going to not only be a great offensive player, but that he was also going to become an elite defender. Since that time, he has never really been a good defender and does not seem to be improving.

Is this cause he is saving his energy for the offensive end of the court? He certainly has the athletic ability and bball IQ to become a good defender. It seems like it is just an effort issue with Roy. He works his butt off on the offensive end, no doubt about that, but on the defensive end he does not seem to put in the effort. Do you think he will work on this in the future? Perhaps when he has more assistance on the offensive side, he will work on becoming a better defender.

If he could become a better defender it would make the search for the right PG a lot easier. Right now, we need a PG that is able to cover for Roy a bit. But if Roy were a good defender, along with good defense from Batum/Webster, we could instead search for a PG that rectified other problems that the team needs resolved.

I still love Roy, and I understand that he expends a lot of energy on the offensive end. But it seems like Nate demands defense from the rest of his squad but let's it go with Roy. This is obviously because Roy is the star, but in the end I think it could hurt the potential of Roy and of the team.


youtube of Roy v Johnson

 

[MARIS61]

I can only assume the coach called an ISO for Joe against Brandon, which demonstrates coaching incompetence.

Joe Johnson is just not a good enough ballhandler to be going 1-on-1 against most guards. That play ends the same way no matter which of our guards was guarding him.

He should have been passing, although his teammates made no movement to get open or even set picks, instructed to be spectators instead.

Joe could have handed the ball to the player behind him and screened for him to shoot a three, but again this was just a failure on Joe's fault, or the coach's.

 

[BengalDuck]

It's effort.

Roy is no different than literally 85% of the guards in the league in that they give more effort on the offensive end. It's not like he doesn't know how to play defense.

I could be convinced that Roy tries more on offense because generally we need him to score there, and playing great defense and being the focus of the offense would be exhausting. I could also be convinced that Roy, like most others, focus more on offense because points and assists are in the box score and forcing a missed shot isn't.

Either way, I think it's all effort.

 

[JDC]

Doesn't have he quicks or the length to be an elite wing defender. Plus he just hasn't shown the desire to work hard on D for long stretches in a game. Has always been a good clutch defender though.

Far from a liability on D, just not an impact player on that end.

 

[hypnosmurf]

I always thought he was just trying to stay out of foul trouble and saving his energy for the offense.

 

[hasoos]

I don't agree. Roy has all the tools he needs, most defense it about effort, and maximizing what you have, knowing your limits, and knowing where your help is, and trusting it to be there.

This is why I wanted Roy and Aldridge to go to the Olympic camp last time. Everybody who came out of that camp with coach K understood how important defense is, and also came out with an understanding about how hard the most elite players in this league train. Everybody who played with Kobe and Kidd knew how hard they had to work to get to that level after that. You will notice, that both Carmello Anthony and Lebron came back to camp with a renewed emphasis on defense and effort, as did Bosh, Howard, and others who were on board for that experience. But we were having contract issues, so they pussied out and didn't show up.

 

[JDC]

I don't agree. Roy has all the tools he needs, most defense it about effort, and maximizing what you have, knowing your limits, and knowing where your help is, and trusting it to be there.

This is why I wanted Roy and Aldridge to go to the Olympic camp last time. Everybody who came out of that camp with coach K understood how important defense is, and also came out with an understanding about how hard the most elite players in this league train. Everybody who played with Kobe and Kidd knew how hard they had to work to get to that level after that. You will notice, that both Carmello Anthony and Lebron came back to camp with a renewed emphasis on defense and effort, as did Bosh, Howard, and others who were on board for that experience. But we were having contract issues, so they pussied out and didn't show up.

Hopefully they can still find way onto the team, but skipping the camp has definitely hurt their chances.

 

[MARIS61]

I don't agree. Roy has all the tools he needs, most defense it about effort, and maximizing what you have, knowing your limits, and knowing where your help is, and trusting it to be there.

This is why I wanted Roy and Aldridge to go to the Olympic camp last time. Everybody who came out of that camp with coach K understood how important defense is, and also came out with an understanding about how hard the most elite players in this league train. Everybody who played with Kobe and Kidd knew how hard they had to work to get to that level after that. You will notice, that both Carmello Anthony and Lebron came back to camp with a renewed emphasis on defense and effort, as did Bosh, Howard, and others who were on board for that experience. But we were having contract issues, so they pussied out and didn't show up.

I agree, except I'm absolutely positive it was Nate, not K, who they got the defense bug from.

 

[hasoos]

I agree, except I'm absolutely positive it was Nate, not K, who they got the defense bug from.

No I don't think so. A lot of folks on this board might not like to hear it, but I think it was Kobe who set the tone defensively. Sure Nate was coaching and worked on players with it. But the tone was set by the players on the court, and the intensity expected by the leadership on the team.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

He's strong when the game is close late in the game.

My favorite is when Brandon blocked Carmelo to save the game for Portland with only 20 seconds left or so.

 

[Driew]

I think if our team can stay healthy Roy will focus more on defense next year and the following years after that. In the past (and this year with the injuries) Roy has had to shoulder the load on offense. Once we gel with the whole team healthy (IF and thats a big IF) then Roy will start to notice "Hey we got a ton of offensive weapons, I need to now focus on my defense". Especially if we're just hammering the ball into Oden.

 

[Uther TheGardener]

why does Roy not move without the ball? why cant be follow last game as a que to start making an effort to get easy buckets rather the hamstraining 1-4 isos?

 

[Draco]

I think if our team can stay healthy Roy will focus more on defense next year and the following years after that. In the past (and this year with the injuries) Roy has had to shoulder the load on offense. Once we gel with the whole team healthy (IF and thats a big IF) then Roy will start to notice "Hey we got a ton of offensive weapons, I need to now focus on my defense". Especially if we're just hammering the ball into Oden.

I don't know about that. At the start of the season Roy had all the offensive help he needed with Oden leading the league in FG%. Roy bitched about not getting enough shots. Now the team is worse with virtually no chance of making the conference finals and Roy has never been happier.

 

[RoyToy]

Roy himself has said every new coach he has had has thought he was lazy until they realized that is just the way he plays(mainly how he plays on offense). He seems very set in his ways of being a slower type player.

 

[TP3]

It's not a lack of athleticism. Defense is heart and desire.

 

[handiman]

Roy himself has said every new coach he has had has thought he was lazy until they realized that is just the way he plays(mainly how he plays on offense). He seems very set in his ways of being a slower type player.

Which begs the question of whether a methodical player can be an above average defender? Duncan comes to mind, but I think post and wing players need to be differentiated.

 

[Sug]

I guess with the 5th highest PER in the NBA amongst guards I can forgive him for not being a top defender. He is also tied with Kobe in leading all guards in Win Share. Overall Roy brings enough to the table at his age, and most superstars that start out as offensive threats don't develop that defensive play until 6 to 8 years in the NBA.

 

[Driew]

I don't know about that. At the start of the season Roy had all the offensive help he needed with Oden leading the league in FG%. Roy bitched about not getting enough shots. Now the team is worse with virtually no chance of making the conference finals and Roy has never been happier.

Yes there needs to be time to develop chemistry/roles in a filled out roster. They only had like 10-15 games together as a whole team before people started getting hurt. That's not enough time to figure things out.

 

[LameR]

Not to make excuses for him, because this year isn't much different than last year, but I'm sure his hamstring hasn't been helping.

 

[BrianFromWA]

True statement. But at the start of the year he was healthy, right? And after that offseason "commitment to defense", I didn't see anything up to him hurting his hamstrings that told me he was any better than before.

 

[drexlersdad]

roys a beast in crunch time, thats good enough for now.

 

[julius]

Because he knew that fans needed something to complain about, and he sacrificed his defense for that. I say that's a true MVP skill right there.

You name me 1 other player in the NBA (named Brandon Roy) who is willing to forgo defense because he knows fans need something to complain about sometimes?

 

[Tince]

No I don't think so. A lot of folks on this board might not like to hear it, but I think it was Kobe who set the tone defensively. Sure Nate was coaching and worked on players with it. But the tone was set by the players on the court, and the intensity expected by the leadership on the team.

So do you think the players on the Blazers are responsible for setting the tone on defense, or is Nate at fault when his team doesn't play great defense?