NCAA vs. NBA: Defense
By me. Yes, I really do believe that NBA defense is better.
Most college proponents will immediately tell you that defense is the main flaw of the professional game but this could not be farther from the truth. “No one tries on defense in the NBA… the college kids actually care,” complain college proponents. Don’t get me wrong… the lack of defensive effort in the NBA – especially early in the season – can be appalling. That said, without getting into how some guys don’t try in college either or how the NBA has more skilled shot blockers, the defense in the NBA is better because while it is sometimes lackadaisical, it can also be one of the most beautiful spectacles in basketball. In college, a truly great defender and an equally skilled offensive player rarely match up, and when they do, you are looking at two players who are still years from learning all the nuances of professional basketball. On the other hand, in the NBA, you can routinely catch the best defenders in the world plying their trade against the best scorers in the world. I’d rather watch an NBA game where a team’s main offensive weapon is being guarded by Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Raja Bell, Kobe (when he’s made up his mind to stop someone good), Bruce Bowen (not so much anymore) or Shane Battier than a college game where the best scorers can be bogged down by collapsing zones. I love watching these guys harass pretty boy scorers and chase them around screens and then close out hard on their jump shots. If you like players who hustle on every play and can’t dribble well enough to break any zone thrown at them then why not just watch the WNBA? If you want to see the best perimeter defender in the world, watch Ron Artest. We’re raising a generation of kids to think that “good defense” is taking charges under the hoop and seamlessly switching between 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones, and the best way to learn defense is to practice sliding back and forth. The truth is that actual good defense is about relentlessness, subtle technique, and simply wanting it more than the next guy. I’d rather watch one guy play world-class defense than watch 5 guys hustle.
But let’s get into more details since not everyone is as excited about perimeter defense as me. I do believe there’s a time and a place for everything – including zone defense – and that is college. (Zones should be banned below – and arguably even in – high school for teaching purposes.) Zones introduce a nice element of strategy to the game and it’s interesting to see coaches utilize them (even if they do tend to shackle low post talent… but we’ll get into that later when discussing offense). Overall, though, zone defense makes it easier to inferior teams to bog down brilliant offensive talent and it leads to an overabundance of three-pointers – even more so because the three-point line is too close in college. Even if they banned zones in college, I’d prefer watching NBA defense as a whole. Granted some NBA teams might play porous defense at times but the best teams in the league play the best team defense you will ever see. Kevin Garnett blocks shots, defends in the post and on the perimeter, hedges pick-and-rolls to perfection, and generally motivates his teammates to play harder. Watching Boston’s (or Lakers/Cavs) team defense, in my opinion, is superior to watching anything in college and it’s even more impressive when you take into account illegal defense, the charge circle (which college should adopt), and better players.
Most college proponents will immediately tell you that defense is the main flaw of the professional game but this could not be farther from the truth. “No one tries on defense in the NBA… the college kids actually care,” complain college proponents. Don’t get me wrong… the lack of defensive effort in the NBA – especially early in the season – can be appalling. That said, without getting into how some guys don’t try in college either or how the NBA has more skilled shot blockers, the defense in the NBA is better because while it is sometimes lackadaisical, it can also be one of the most beautiful spectacles in basketball. In college, a truly great defender and an equally skilled offensive player rarely match up, and when they do, you are looking at two players who are still years from learning all the nuances of professional basketball. On the other hand, in the NBA, you can routinely catch the best defenders in the world plying their trade against the best scorers in the world. I’d rather watch an NBA game where a team’s main offensive weapon is being guarded by Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Raja Bell, Kobe (when he’s made up his mind to stop someone good), Bruce Bowen (not so much anymore) or Shane Battier than a college game where the best scorers can be bogged down by collapsing zones. I love watching these guys harass pretty boy scorers and chase them around screens and then close out hard on their jump shots. If you like players who hustle on every play and can’t dribble well enough to break any zone thrown at them then why not just watch the WNBA? If you want to see the best perimeter defender in the world, watch Ron Artest. We’re raising a generation of kids to think that “good defense” is taking charges under the hoop and seamlessly switching between 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones, and the best way to learn defense is to practice sliding back and forth. The truth is that actual good defense is about relentlessness, subtle technique, and simply wanting it more than the next guy. I’d rather watch one guy play world-class defense than watch 5 guys hustle.
But let’s get into more details since not everyone is as excited about perimeter defense as me. I do believe there’s a time and a place for everything – including zone defense – and that is college. (Zones should be banned below – and arguably even in – high school for teaching purposes.) Zones introduce a nice element of strategy to the game and it’s interesting to see coaches utilize them (even if they do tend to shackle low post talent… but we’ll get into that later when discussing offense). Overall, though, zone defense makes it easier to inferior teams to bog down brilliant offensive talent and it leads to an overabundance of three-pointers – even more so because the three-point line is too close in college. Even if they banned zones in college, I’d prefer watching NBA defense as a whole. Granted some NBA teams might play porous defense at times but the best teams in the league play the best team defense you will ever see. Kevin Garnett blocks shots, defends in the post and on the perimeter, hedges pick-and-rolls to perfection, and generally motivates his teammates to play harder. Watching Boston’s (or Lakers/Cavs) team defense, in my opinion, is superior to watching anything in college and it’s even more impressive when you take into account illegal defense, the charge circle (which college should adopt), and better players.
Labels: ncaa
posted by Gen at
3:27 PM
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