Can Pop Improve DeMar's Defense?

[BillMc]

DeMar is known to be a poor defender, both individual and team. How much can the Spurs improve it?

LaMarcus wasn't much of a defender in Portland, but has been excellent since coming to SA. Can we expect/hope for the same turnaround with DeMar?

[Russ]

Yes.

This is the unreported story. It will happen.

[Marcus Bryant]

Likely, nothing all-NBA defensive team level but yes there'll likely be an improvement.

[Seventyniner]

Just getting him up to average would be a coup. I think he can get close to that, but if he had superior defensive instincts we would have seen it by now.

[r0drig0lac]

of course

[SpursforSix]

He's going to have to want to do the extra work though. Right now, DD doesn't seem to happy with the move.

[marinoman]

He’ll rise to bellinellis level of defense

[ceperez]

Yes, he's going to be a better defender, a better passer (he's the new Spurs drive and kick man) and a more efficient player!

[Dex]

He's going to have to want to do the extra work though. Right now, DD doesn't seem to happy with the move.

He's unhappy that the Raptors turned on him, and has a right to be.

Once he gets over that, I'm sure he will be a professional and realize he is landing in a good spot. It's not like they sent him to Milwaukee or Sacramento or something.

[marinoman]

He's going to have to want to do the extra work though. Right now, DD doesn't seem to happy with the move.
He feels betrayed by Toronto, nothing towards us. Hopefully he has a chip on his shoulder and doesn’t sink into a deep state of depression

[marinoman]

Yes, he's going to be a better defender, a better passer (he's the new Spurs drive and kick man) and a more efficient player!
Until the playoffs of course

[Hoops Czar]

Like from grotesque to gross? Absolutely, everybody has the ability to improve on defense.

[SpursBills]

The dude was -1.76 on defensive real plus minus last year, easily the worst in the top 100. If he can get that number to 0, that would be enormous

[8FOR!3]

Let's see. For a wing his size/strength/athleticism are all a plus. Everything I hear about him is how he lives and breaths basketball, so I assume he is a hard worker. If you are willing and you have the size and athleticism, you have every tool to become a plus defender. So while it doesn't mean he WILL improve, I'd say it's accurate to assume that he CAN improve considerably on that end.

[SpursforSix]

He's unhappy that the Raptors turned on him, and has a right to be.

Once he gets over that, I'm sure he will be a professional and realize he is landing in a good spot. It's not like they sent him to Milwaukee or Sacramento or something.


He feels betrayed by Toronto, nothing towards us. Hopefully he has a chip on his shoulder and sink into a deep state of depression

Hope so. You're probably right. It does nothing for his career if he sulks.

[spurs10]

I think he is going to come to a well oiled coaching machine. Realize he's come to a great place to grow and reach his potential. I think it's easy to overlook how important that can be. This definitely the important area that needs to be worked on. I think our offense improved.

[TheGreatYacht]

He made Kyle look like a good defender according to some guys and girl, I don't see why he can't do it with a good athlete tbh

[OldMan88]

He’ll learn the defensive rules of the team, and he’ll apply them, or he won’t play.

[picnroll]

Spurs improve EVERY players defense.

[SpursDynasty85]

Yes because I'm sure Pop will emphasize defense more than any coach he has had previously. His offense might take a small hit but I expect a 20 - 4 - 4 season first go around with a bump up in the 2nd year to hopefully 22 - 5 - 5.

[picnroll]

... and Chip might work a little 3 point magic too.

[rjv]

pop's system can. and demar's teammates.

[spurraider21]

DPOY 2019 confirmed

[HarlemHeat37]

Dwane Casey was a defensive specialist, he was in charge of the 2011 Mavs' championship defense, it's not like this was D'Antoni coaching him:lol

DeRozan's usage isn't going to change much with the Spurs, they're still going to need him to carry a load, which means it's unlikely that he'll start playing defense all of a sudden IMO..

Spurs' system should help him go from horrible to bad, though..

[LaMarcus Bryant]

DeMar is gonna get yelled out by Pop for shitty defense and the rest will basically be like this:

F_NOuFKM1h0&t=11s

[DPG21920]

I really don’t understand some peoples logic or optimism. The goal is not to make DeMar a good defender; that is not happening and he’s not some young moldable player. The question is can the Spurs effectively mask his poor defense to utilize his skill on offense to have line ups that are net positives.

[SuperCam]

if Poop couldn't make Fatty and Gasoft capabable defenders why would he be able with disgruntled DefrozaN?

[BillMc]

I really don’t understand some peoples logic or optimism. The goal is not to make DeMar a good defender; that is not happening and he’s not some young moldable player. The question is can the Spurs effectively mask his poor defense to utilize his skill on offense to have line ups that are net positives.

We're you saying that when we got LaMarcus who was then about the same age DeMar is now? It's not all abut masking, players can improved if motivated and in a system that emphasizes defense.

[DPG21920]

We're you saying that when we got LaMarcus who was then about the same age DeMar is now? It's not all abut masking, players can improved if motivated and in a system that emphasizes defense.

I don’t think LMA ever graded out as poorly as DeRozan on defense even if that was not LMA’s rep.

[TD 21]

I don’t think LMA ever graded out as poorly as DeRozan on defense even if that was not LMA’s rep.

Yeah, Aldridge was always underrated defensively, because he's a center sized big who isn't a great rebounder (he is diligent at boxing out though) or shot blocker.

DeRozan is terrible. Maybe his attention to detail and effort can be improved, but that only counts for so much. He has poor lateral quickness and a relatively short wingspan (6'9'').

[alpha_HaZE]

Yes, he will, and will keep him fresh for the playoffs! Last year he played over 2700 minutes, James Harden for comparison played 2500. LA was at 2200 and 2300 in his frist two years. I 'd be surprised if DDR plays more than 2400 minutes. That would allow him to expand more energy on defense. He will be a better defender, there is no doudt in my mind about that.

[BackHome]

Like what I have seen as far as other NBA players talking about him. He seems to be very grounded and also very professiomal I strongly believe that he will be a much better defender and I think his game is going to surprise a lot of people.

[Gordonicci]

Can Pop? No. He's not a magician. He's a 70 year old man that just lost his wife and had a guy that was proclaimed our present and future try to burn the franchise to the fucking ground on his way out. I doubt that he gives even a half a shit anymore about helping millionaire man-children reach their full potential playing a kids game.

That said, Derozan can certainly improve his defense........and he will unless he wants to become intimately familiar with the bench.

[T Park]

Pop has gotten worse players to play defense.

[Gordonicci]

Pop has gotten worse players to play defense.
Then I hope he remembers to work his magic on Bellineli the second time around. He was putrid defensively in his last stint with us and he was still a traffic cone against Boston in the playoffs.

[K...]

Can Pop? No. He's not a magician. He's a 70 year old man that just lost his wife and had a guy that was proclaimed our present and future try to burn the franchise to the fucking ground on his way out. I doubt that he gives even a half a shit anymore about helping millionaire man-children reach their full potential playing a kids game.

That said, Derozan can certainly improve his defense........and he will unless he wants to become intimately familiar with the bench.

The spurs have other coaches for practice and not all of their wives died this year, rip monty Williams wife

[Gordonicci]

The spurs have other coaches for practice and not all of their wives died this year, rip monty Williams wife
All true. I do expect Demar to put more effort into being a better defender this year. It's just curious that people always summarize the entire organization by just saying "Pop."

[kaji157]

We are going to win more games them Toronto. That's for sure.

[ElNono]

No

[james evans]

He didn’t do shit for Parker in 17 years.

[YGWHI]

If the Spurs could hide Parker, Belli and Patty in previous seasons, they won't have issues with DeMar.


He’ll rise to bellinellis level of defense

Damn...I remember how much I hated that horrible Pop's experiment in regular season: starting Beli over Danny. :bang

I didn't follow his career since he left SA, Beli improved his D in last years??

[HarlemHeat37]

We are going to win more games them Toronto. That's for sure.

That would be pretty surprising, since they almost won 60 games last year and just got a colossal upgrade from DeRozan to Kawhi:lol

[sasaint]

He’ll rise to bellinellis level of defense

:wow

[gospursgojas]

Is DD like James Harden bad or what?

[YGWHI]

That would be pretty surprising, since they almost won 60 games last year and just got a colossal upgrade from DeRozan to Kawhi:lol
I doubt it. The Raptors had a good coach last season, they have just a newbie-emergency coach now

[HarlemHeat37]

I doubt it. The Raptors had a good coach last season, they have just a newbie-emergency coach now

He was their assistant last year and already handled a significant load, I'd be surprised if losing Casey makes a difference..

[YGWHI]

He was their assistant last year and already handled a significant load, I'd be surprised if losing Casey makes a difference..
Could be. Most people give him credit for some Raptors' changes on offense last season. But this is still his first season as HC in the NBA...We'll see.

[R to the P McMurphy]

guarantee he becomes a more engaged defender. He'll always have his limitations...but he'll be better at help D and be able to put more energy into the D end.

[Robz4000]

No, and the people who think the Spurs can hide him on that end are wrong too. The Spurs literally traded away or lost their entire perimeter defense while retaining/signing horrible defenders. This Spurs team's defense will make the 2010-11 Spurs look like the Bad Boy Pistons.

[SAGirl]

Dwane Casey was a defensive specialist, he was in charge of the 2011 Mavs' championship defense, it's not like this was D'Antoni coaching him:lol

DeRozan's usage isn't going to change much with the Spurs, they're still going to need him to carry a load, which means it's unlikely that he'll start playing defense all of a sudden IMO..

Spurs' system should help him go from horrible to bad, though..
Unless he's forced to cover for missing wings and paired with Mills Forbes Belinelli Bertans Pau etc... system will cover up for a ton it's just that sometimes it's the system calling for him to cover up for another shitton next to him.

I don't expect miracles. It all depends what Pop is asking him to do.

[808]

https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/demanding-derozan-defend-only-one-wrinkle-of-nurse-era-for-raptors


Nurse has made no secret in making the media rounds that part of that includes challenging third team All-NBA guard DeMar DeRozan, by most metrics one of the worst defenders in the league, to at least be passable at that end.

Nurse says DeRozan is completely on board with the idea and in fact is eager to keep proving the naysayers wrong, which he tends to do every season.

“I wouldn’t make the comments if I thought he was shying away from it,” Nurse said. “We sat down, he’s on the edge of his seat saying, ‘What do you got for me.’ I was like, “Well’ … and I start in and he finishes my sentence: ‘I know, I’m better than that, I want to work at it.’”

From there, Nurse gave DeRozan a plan and added: “I don’t expect you to be Bruce Bowen (by) Game 1, but by the time the playoff hits, we’ve got to have you because there’s no place we can hide you,” Nurse said.

“And he’s totally down, he’s got the ability physically, he knows what he’s doing. We’ve got to make a plan and a long-term plan and stick with it a little bit.”

Although this was Coach Nicks plan when C-walker was still a Raptor, it’s good to know he ain’t oblivious to his deficiencies and is willing to work on it. If anything, he should be expecting defensive excellence even more so as a Spur. Also, lol at the Bowen reference considering where he ended up a week later :lol

[outmap]

Is DD like James Harden bad or what?

He's a bit better than Harden and Lillard.

[spurraider21]

That would be pretty surprising, since they almost won 60 games last year and just got a colossal upgrade from DeRozan to Kawhi:lol
we went from kyle anderson to derozan. similar upgrade tbh

[MultiTroll]

I think expecting Patty Mills / Forbes level defense might be too much but we are talking HOF coach Pop so lets see.

[DeadlyDynasty]

I really don’t understand some peoples logic or optimism. The goal is not to make DeMar a good defender; that is not happening and he’s not some young moldable player. The question is can the Spurs effectively mask his poor defense to utilize his skill on offense to have line ups that are net positives.

[StrengthAndHonor]

DD has been working on his defense for 8 years. He’s what 29? He’ll give you a a couple of good effort on defense but he is what he is.

The advanced stats aren’t kind to DeRozan’s defense. In terms of ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus last season, DeRozan finished minus-2.04, ranking 78th among shooting guards (http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/2/sort/DRPM/position/2) and 429th in the entire NBA (http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/11/sort/DRPM). He also found himself as one of the league leaders in lag rate — a statistic designed by FiveThirtyEight’s Chris Herring (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nba-players-who-are-too-busy-complaining-to-get-back-on-d/) to measure how frequently players lag behind on defense, usually the result of them complaining to the referees rather than getting back.

Ultimately, DeRozan’s defense is a big reason why the Raptors have historically been a more dominant team with him on the bench. They were 6.3 points per 100 possessions (http://stats.nba.com/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&VsPlayerID=201942) worse defensively.


:lol

[RD2191]

DD has been working on his defense for 8 years. He’s what 29? He’ll give you a a couple of good effort on defense but he is what he is.

The advanced stats aren’t kind to DeRozan’s defense. In terms of ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus last season, DeRozan finished minus-2.04, ranking 78th among shooting guards (http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/2/sort/DRPM/position/2) and 429th in the entire NBA (http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/11/sort/DRPM). He also found himself as one of the league leaders in lag rate — a statistic designed by FiveThirtyEight’s Chris Herring (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nba-players-who-are-too-busy-complaining-to-get-back-on-d/) to measure how frequently players lag behind on defense, usually the result of them complaining to the referees rather than getting back.

Ultimately, DeRozan’s defense is a big reason why the Raptors have historically been a more dominant team with him on the bench. They were 6.3 points per 100 possessions (http://stats.nba.com/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&VsPlayerID=201942) worse defensively.


:lol

Awesome. :lol

[MultiTroll]

Give it a little time.

Greggor worked with Matt Bonner for 2 years before showcasing his defense in the 2009 playoffs.

[DeadlyDynasty]

tbh here's nowhere to go but up, defensively:lol

[HankChinaski]

Depends on how well he adapts/learns the spurs defensive schemes. That will improve his deficiencies some. His individual defense dunno about that.

Without Green on the roster it is a difficult egg to crack with the starting lineup an 2nd unit off the bench.

They need a defensive minded wing on the roster. They have the personnel for creating shots an scoring. The defense is a mess looking at the current makeup. Not the worst defense in league but it has dropped. Have to see who they invite to training camp to fill in that spot.

[HankChinaski]

It's that or play out till towards the trade deadline see who is available or who gets dumped to be signed off the waiver wire

[John B]

The guy is a gym rat like Kawhi. And with a chip on his shoulder, I see the Spurs coaches unlocking more of his potentials. LMA is the best player he has played with and should open up his 3’s. Defensively he will be playing with the best defensive coach. Hey LMA and Gay were not the best defensive players when they got here, and they’ve bought in. I expect the same if not more from a gym rat like DeRozan.

[KDKSpurs24]

The guy is a gym rat like Kawhi. And with a chip on his shoulder, I see the Spurs coaches unlocking more of his potentials. LMA is the best player he has played with and should open up his 3’s. Defensively he will be playing with the best defensive coach. Hey LMA and Gay were not the best defensive players when they got here, and they’ve bought in. I expect the same if not more from a gym rat like DeRozan.
I agree.

[MannyIsGod]

He's a 29 year old that works hard in the offseason so don't expect a sudden spurt of growth regarding D. If it was going to happen, it would have by now. As others have said, the best we can hope for is that the system makes him average.

[bdictjames]

Well.. San Antonio's pretty warm. If the dude had Seasonal Affective Disorder.. a little sunshine wouldn't hurt his state. This might be the good move for him. Props to him for being so loyal though, but businesses are businesses, hence why Parker left. Can't wait to see him knock some shots for our team for sure, he's one of the better scorers in the game.

[LittleCriminal]

He's unhappy that the Raptors turned on him, and has a right to be.

Once he gets over that, I'm sure he will be a professional and realize he is landing in a good spot. It's not like they sent him to Milwaukee or Sacramento or something.

That's exactly what I'm spitting!
Hopefully he can still produce the same offensive numbers whilst actually having to D up.