The bucks are so lucky to have Lopez for such a low salary. He was a max player on the nets back in the day. Now Lopez is basically a Rudy in the bucks defense schemes but he can space the floor on offensive. So valuable.
he was willing to take a paycut to stay in LA..as a laker fan I was so pissed that Magic didn't care about keeping best role players in the league, Lopez made it clear he wants to stay but they just let him go smh!
This is why Brandon Ingram is a necessity on this team because when he's out teams can just ignore the rest of the team and only focus on Zion, CJ has been inconsistent in his scoring so he can end up being a non factor also when he's not on fire
@D I'm talking about scoring, I know that CJ has playmaking skills, but if he goes 4 for 16 like he did in the Memphis game, then teams can double or triple team Zion without much consequence
@@dragonvolt1875 That was one game come on now.🤣And he has never been a highly efficient scorer like a KD but he has been shooting the three ball well and he just made like 11 threes the the other game. It’s one game and they are playing without Ingram so he won’t have to do as much when he comes back. But you’re so worried but they are winning so I don’t see how you can even say anything.
Why isn't this on the main channel? This is the kind of video I want from Thinking Basketball. I didn't know this second channel existed until just now, I'm glad I found it.
Memphis did a great job yesterday holding Zion to 6-16 by defending him with Dillon Brooks while forming the Wall with Jaren Jackson Jr, and Steven Adams
Gotta consider that this was the second game in a back to back after a hard fought game against the Sixers while Memphis was rested and playing at home. And while I do think Memphis is one of the few teams equipped to slow Zion (JJJ is huge for them if he can stay out of foul trouble) I wouldn't glean too much into that game.
Pretty sure it will be much harder to get away with double and triple teaming Zion every time he drives when BI is back to make the team a true contender
Not only that but all the fouls that weren't called plus all the missed opens shots killed the pels. The turnovers as well. Between those 3 things beat the pels.
It's actually crazy that he's 22 and teams have to adjust their defense so much to guard him... He has really great defenders on him like Jrue and Giannis and he still gets in and makes the layup There's so much young great talent in the league, that the next few years will be really interesting when all these guys start hitting their primes
Obviously BI coming back helps Zion a lot, but Herb Jones is getting some Andre Roberson treatment. Way too many times teams will never look his way even when he has the ball. Against the 76ers I saw Zion attempt and make some short-midrange shots. Surprised he didn’t pull those out against the Grizzlies yesterday. That’s the next evolution in his game to counter the “wall” imo. But his teammates need to take and make open shots, it’s getting ridiculous sometimes.
yeah herb has been terrible shooting wise this season. He "regressed" back to his college shooting levels, and unless he improves on the offensive end, his peak will be his rookie season. Although he is a smart cutter
Memphis gave up open shots by triple teaming Zion every time. Yeah you may limit Zion somewhat but he’ll take open shots for his team mates everyday of the week. They just happened to miss a lot of them, but more likely because they were tired coming off a back to back with nance and Ingram.
Yea they pretty much throw at least 3 guys at Zion. I said it before that I know Herb is HUGE on defense but his lack of consistently hitting that open shot is hurting zion bad. I know everyone had a bad shooting game last game but Herb isn't a consistent shooting threat to scare the defense enough not to triple and quadruple Zion
Right, but teams are going to take others getting those better shots over Zion. A team would always rather the others beat them than the superstar if they had a choice in that. Zion being allowed to do what he does with weaker defensive focus would be far more devastating, it’s the same thing as the Bucks series vs Toronto. Toronto left a good cast of shooters open to get 3 guys focused on Giannis and they were far better off doing that. Personnel is also important with setting these defensive structures up though, Milwaukee is grateful to have the defenders they have. It doesn’t get better than Jrue at the top, Giannis roaming around and Brook at the rim in the NBA right now
This is excellent analysis, and, as a Pels fan, it reinforces what I’ve been saying: you need an above average jump shot to dominate as a 1-1 scorer in today’s game. It also makes me want BI to return that much more to see if his length, mid-range and 3pt shooting can force the wall to cave a little bit. If the Pels gel when he returns, I think they are capable of a finals appearance.
What does a 3 pointer do about jrue holiday guarding him at the 3pt line?? The solution is surrounding him with shooters, like weve seen with lebron for the past 20 years…
@@carter5599 I was talking about BI - another threat so they can’t just double with a big and hope the other guys on the floor won’t make a shot. Memphis swept the floor with us last night because CJ is the only real consistent offendive threat and he was cold. Also, LeBron is like 8th all time in history on 3 pt shots, so it’s not like he just slashed to the rim and kicked it out when the d swallowed up the middle. LeBron’s shot almost 41% from 3 during one of his Miami MVP seasons. Zion would be well-served to develop a passable elbow jumper and 3 so the entire offense would have more options.
Well Zion is one of the very best iso scorers in the game without a midrange shot. The problem is he’s not really seeing iso as much. A lot of this comes down to scheme and guys being ready to take and make open shots. I loved that Zion pulled out some short midrange shots against Philly but there’s a much bigger issue than his lack of shooting beyond the paint.
IMO BI would have to go above and beyond what he's capable of to serve as that secondary scorer at the face of great playoff defenses to help Zion and the team to the Finals. Warriors have the athletes to easily replicate this ongoing blueprint and their defensive intensity is another level in the playoffs (IMO level teams have to overcome to actually be Finals contenders). Zion def can do better by having another reliable way to make a basket besides bullying his way to the hoop but I also think the roster needs a slight refresh to find a way to pull bigs from the post so Zion can learn to play head hunter in the playoffs.
@@KleinpeterHank Great points, and Memphis and Bucks recently exposed us this way - best defender on Zion, their big floats away from his guy to harrass Zion when he drives, daring others to make shots. Here’s where I think having CJ and BI as above average scoring threats can mitigate that problem. Also, BI can iso at the elbows to occupy a wing defender like Wiggins. Right now it’s Zion, hope Portland CJ shows up, or let below average scorers take their chances. Unless you’ve got Shaq, a guy who can’t score from less than 5 feet won’t get it done.
Willie's starting lineup at the start of the season is CJ/Ingram/Herb/Zion/JV and he's gone with that every time they've been available so I don't see that changing. Replacing Herb with Trey Murphy would be huge spacing wise. He's very long and can shoot the three from distance. However, there are a lot of minus defenders in starting lineup (CJ/Zion/JV) so Willie just can't take Herb out.
Try do it when Ingram is back, multiple 3 second violations and CJ JV Trey Jose all capable of going off for 30+. Maybe only Bucks Cavs and Grizzlies have the personnel and not for the whole game. Zion still was good against the Bucks but coaches didn’t keep going to the types of sets that were working. Not to mention the refs being trash, giving Giannis 22 FTs and Zion only 8! Pels need to do a little better at getting their best shooters open when u know Zion is going up against 2 7 footers. Against Memphis we were SEGABABA and 3rd game in 4 nights
I've felt like the season has been good to the pels, just two main things worry me, Ingram's Injury and the refs giving Zion and the Pels horrible calls
3:20 This is what I was fearing the most for Herb Jones. He's getting the Tony Allen treatment. This along with his age (he's 24. For reference, Ingram is 25) is the reason why I'm not as high on Herb as other people are. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great player with a lot room to grow but I've seen some irrational takes about Herb (looking at Bill Simmons). Unless he becomes average at 3s very soon, I worry he'll Max out as this generation's Tony Allen.
Give me an average defender who can shoot 3s over a great defender who can't. There's NEVER any reason for a wing who isn't ball dominant who isn't a knockdown shooter
Theres no way you actually watch this dude on a nightly basis. Like its literally impossible Dude has legit star potential this guy is a monster. Hes been hurt alot this year and he lost like 15lbs from sickness Herb is special I watch almost every Pels game
I mean Herb Jones is a 2nd rounder giving you baseline mid first round production with a bigger ceiling to work with. Some of these D wings don't become 3-and-D until after a few years with more reps to work on their jumper. In the mean time the Pels can always put a better 'shooting' lineup around Zion to try get the big out of the paint.
Absolutely! As a pels fan this was a scheme I thought of also but I think coach Willis green didn’t want to expose his counter game plan during the regular season! It also would help if we had Brandon Ingram and if CJ could stop the streaky scoring. also doesn’t help that Zion tends to force things sometimes
I mean the regular season is long so counters aren't exactly made over night either. Last regular season he also made a vid about the Suns-Warriors early games where it looked like the Suns had an answer to the Warriors. He revisited this on a later game in March where the Suns were still running those things but the Warriors seemed to have it figured out and played better overall (Steph also just playing great in the 2nd half of the season). Of course come playoff time the Warriors didn't need to bother because the Suns found a way to be fraudulent.
And have the Pelicans not have an All star midrange assassin who murders drop coverages... Not sure how he thinks GSW or the Clippers could execute it. Cleveland with Stevens/Okoro in the Holiday/Matthews-Brooks/Roddy role, and Allen/Mobley in the Adams/JJJ-Lopez/Anteteokounmpo roles
The problem with the Pels is that their offence is so powerful I think that only the Warriors and Denver when fully healthy,, have a snowballl's chance in hell against them. The Warriors and Denver and obviously Boston have the ability to 'out offence' the Pels. Just give up on defending this flipping tyrant. Out offence him! Good luck getting Marc Gasol or David Robinson to come out of retirement to stop this guy lol
@@klintwhite9242 GSW can put Wiggins on Zion and have Wiggins/big roam the paint. Wiggins is pretty damn strong for his size too so same deal. They can even get their onball pest like DiVincenzo for a few sets too. They put Klay on BI to check him. They will let CJ/BI tri put up 30+ themselves knowing they just limited the teams' offense potential by frustrating Zion the entire series. Clippers can probably do the same putting PG/Powell/big wings on Zion and have Zubac/Covington park at the paint. And they have other big wings to throw at BI. Worse part with these certain match ups is the opposing team won't lose a beat on offense either (But that is what makes a playoff team at least). So yeah the the real exposure is that Zion's shot creativity has potential but can be beat in a linear way for now. In that process it also makes his key teammates have to be greater to operate the offense as well as Zion can. So maybe its not just a scheme counter punch that is needed but ultimately ways to manipulate the basics like getting the opposing big out of the paint somehow while getting Zion moving.
@@t4d0W Respectfully, I just do not think this game plan would work for Warriors against Zion. It's literally only worked when teams have strong mobile defender to start, and 2 monster paint defenders on the backline. Wiggins could potentially do the Jrue/Brooks role, but 2023 Draymond and 6ft9 Looney won't be anything like Lopez/Giannis and Adams/JJJ. I largely agree with your next point, there is a blueprint to stop him, but it involves pieces only 3 teams have. They do need to keep getting more and more creative though, which Willie and Zion together have been developing. We're talking about a guy who's played about a season and a half total basketball, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner have played more minutes than him!
There’s several ways to counter this kind of a strategy that the pelicans can do, zions already showing two of them with the post fade, and passing to open shooters, but another is a little more basic. Put him as the roller in the pick and roll, because if you notice they only do the wall strategy when he has the ball in his hands. He can easily still get to the paint without the ball in his hands and still finish very strong. Plus the pelicans actually do have a lot of very very good shooters on their team.
Lol you write very very good shooters and Brook Lopez just gave herb Jones 12 feet to try sink a corner 3. Maybe they are on that level to you in regards to the regular season but in the playoffs, you can't rely on feast and famine when jump shots are harder to buy. Teams will gladly let JV get 6-8 in 3FTAs in the playoffs knowing they can bother Zion the ENTIRE game and how he can't get the team involved on offense.
@@t4d0W you act like he hasn’t been getting the team involved in the offense he has, plus you act like all he has is herb jones, and forget they also have Brandon Ingram and cj McCollum and jv on that team, and if you leave them open guess what’s going to happen they are going to make their shots. You think they can afford to give them open shots to shut down Zion then your sorely mistaken imo because they all can get their own points as well.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 that I agree with I think if they get one solid Chris Paul type of pg and keep their current line up they will be a big big problem. I think in that scenario they may even win a title or multiple titles, because Zion will be able to play that point forward role he’s been playing but be able to pick and choose when to do it, while also being able to play off ball. It would also clean up the team’s turnovers and get their offense even more organized.
this breakdown is on point, Grizz did the same thing, putting 2 bigs, and they have long and athletic bigs, which made Zion have a hard time, Jazz did the same and they're pretty successful too...his worst game definitely was against the Grizz, you can tell their gameplan is to literally make Zion a passer, and Pels' shooters didn't capitalize on that...Bi is definitely needed in the playoffs
Bruh the NBA is SIGNIFICANTLY more talented than ever before. Due to defensive rules being trash now that defensive schemes are forced to become so freakin elaborate and nuanced Its beautiful to watch and it's something you can never see if youre allowed to freakin tackle people like in the 90s-2000s
if there's any team who knows or at least has lots of ideas on how to defend Zion, it's the Bucks since they get a similar treatment from other teams in the playoffs for Giannis...Of course, when Ingram gets back, the narrative will completely change..
Having a smaller, stockier defenders on the perimeter vs a dominant inside scorer to keep the paint protector in his area seems prudent. Philly put PJ Tucker on Jokic and had Embiid roam the paint.
Here's one counter that I thought of: Have a shooter (CJ or Ingram) use a PnR to target that roaming defender, and after that roaming defender is forced to switch on a really good shooter, just let Zion do his thing
This is very similar to what Boston did to Milwaukee a few years back. They basically just formed a wall of defenders around the area Giannas was occupying. However, since they had a lot of long athletic players, they were able to rotate out to the shooters without giving up too many open threes.
Celtics version of it last year was even better. Udoka was throwing Smart at Giannis on defense at the perimeter with solid success so they can still get a big hanging at the the rim to contest. The Warriors were getting the most juice out GP2 by putting him on a big that hangs at the perimeter or against a bigger ball handler. Because he was confident his hands were quick enough to bother their lackluster attempt to handle the ball around him.
I would be very interested in seeing how well this “everyone focus on Zion” type of defense works when Brandon Ingram is playing. BI is a great shooter and an overall more complete offensive player than Zion and Z is a good enough passer that I feel like they will make you pay if you over focus on one player. We saw how much damage BI did in the playoffs last year without Zion so get those two on the court together and it’s gonna be really tough to stop. Can’t double everybody
This is the larry Johnson ( grandmama)Anthony Mason defense rewarmed. The defense clicks on his first or second bounce . And though superb at finding cracks and finishing the late wall shuts it down. ZW has to find a counter and believe it or not it's a " catch and shoot " or step back "Kiki " move. Until he finds it there will be more of the same for the big tush.
I'm not convinced... most of the possessions you showed ended on points scored either by Zion or a wide-open teammate. That's against one of the best defences with 3 absolutely elite defenders including Giannis whose tools nobody else can replicate. Always interesting but this video didn't convince me for once.
And Brandon Ingram's shooting and playmaking will only make this harder for opposition defences to do as zion can either dish it out to BI instead of naji marshall, or you're more comfortable running zion off ball
If I was forced to pick I would run Zion off ball. He is deadly on ball but the suddenness of his drives and their height make him a nightmare to stop for unaware defenders. He's like an offensive Clint Capela on the Hulk Serum lol
I kinda understand from the things he showed in this video.. But i was watching this game live, Zion was having a very hard time.. he had i think only 1-10 fg and 5 TO at the half and 8 points after the 3rd quarter.. This was in his hot streak of points and efficiency and it just stopped in this game. Bucks seemed to loosen up on the defense in the 4th and Pels went on a run and he got some points in transition and off rebounds...
This is a one game case with a showcase of a potential blue print that teams *with the right personnel* can replicate. Also defenses play MUCH tighter in the playoffs knowing they are willing to let Zion's teammates get 30+ as long as Zion himself is limited on his shot creation and can't involve the rest of the offense. Hell I think they let BI score 30+ points as well. But as long as those conditions are met and they can get buckets themselves, that is something the Pelicans have to figure out building the offense around Zion.
Trying to force him to use his left at the rim is something too; though it’s easier said than done. Whenever he’s finishing at the rim he ALWAYS switches to his left no matter which side of the basket he’s on. And while he may dunk with the right, having touch with it isn’t the same thing.
It also helped the fact Memphis and the Bucks got a way with a lot of clear fouls on Zion. Although better of late, the amount of free throws Zions gets is pretty laughable. He gets hacked on the majority of possesions. Time stamped 7:11 for example. Brooks hooks Zions arm and gets away with it.
If you do an examination on Zion's defense please show how Devon Booker was smart enough to know that his lateral quickness outpaced Zion's significantly so in that recent Pels vs Suns game Devon purposefully had Zion switch onto him and he was moving his body side to side quicker than Zion which made Zion's contests nearly useless. It was beautiful. Then Phoenix coach added ball movement to juice up the offense even more! Also please talk about why the hell Herb Jones didnt defend Booker well in that game!?! Thanks!
The main problem with this scheme is you can count on 1 hand the number of teams who have the personel to actually effectively do it. It's not a blueprint. Zion has seen this look all year. Save for those teams who have at least 2 special help defender bigs (Bucks, Grizzlies, and Celtics basically) no one has stopped him.
Another good tactic to slowing Zion down is providing the court side seat fans with free chicken. Once Zion smells and sees all that 🍗🍗 it’s over. 😵💫😋throw in a mountain dew and he might fake an injury. “mmmm chicken 🤤”
Smart to get your Zion videos out now, while he is still playing. Seriously with his width, strength, quickness and lift Zion should average at least 15 rebounds a game. He actually averages 7, that is 1.9 less than the ground bound, slow mo Luka at 8.9.
AMAZING VIDEO but 5:12 is a foul on Wesley Matthews, he was pushing Zion on that drive, the Pelicans broadcast showed another angle where you can really see it. Zion gets fouled A LOT.
Why not just make the ignored player screen for good shooters on the back side of the iso? That would lead to better opportunities since there would be no help for the defender getting screened.
But what if the team has smaller guards like the Hawks? They’d have to run another big in place of the guard starting on Zion. If it’s Boston they have more size but even then they have to worry about overloaded shooters.
Sure but were talking about playoffs. BI's best may not even be enough against the best the Warriors, Grizz, Clippers and what other match up threats the Pels may draw. Let alone having to figure out HOW to stop the offenses of those teams in a 7 game series.
@@t4d0W what? you hating on BI have you not seen BI last playoffs? dude is a beast he's the most versatile and most skilled player on the team. most of the teams switches to box 1 when BI runs the offense he can't be guarded 1 on 1 he's one of the few player who got doubled team last season. Even coach Pop said BI is the most dangerous on the Pelicans roster because he can shot everywhere. stop dickriding a turnover machine in Zion. dude has limited offensive bag
But the Pelicans team isn't all about Zion, we still have BI to worry. you can't put Holiday on BI he's too short, Ingram can shoot everywhere and over anyone with his elite midrange game
Elite defenses will settle having BI get more touches and try for his team scoring 30+ points come playoff time. Rather than Zion taking THOSE touches and getting his easy baskets along with passing out of double-triple team situations. Besides why would the Bucks take Jrue off Zion when they can throw some other wing like Grayson Allen on a twig like BI? Bucks been played playoff basketball, none of this playground regular season shit you Pels fans are still new to.
Yes but how many teams are really equipped to do this? It feels like with any other team, the Pelicans could just choose to have Zion playmake for others while the big is with Valanciunas and when they put the big on a weak shooter it'll leave Valanciunas matched up with the smallest forward from the other team, a really favorable matchup for the Lithuanian... And when BI gets healthy... They're really, really scary
I don’t see basically a triple-teaming one player as a winning strategy anyhow. Shooters gonna shoot, Pels might be very creative at weakside off-ball actions + imagine they have floor spacer instead of Jonas.
It is a MUST that Trey Murphy is utilized as a Zion counterpart versus Herb Jones, who is shooting 28% from three. If teams are that honed in on stopping him at the paint, there needs to be a wing that can make knockdown 3’s ,(Murphy, McCollum, Ingram).
It's the defense. Having CJ, Zion, and JV on the floor is too many sub average defenders, so you have to have Herb on the court. I've always felt that last year the front office made a huge bet on defensive improvement from Zion and BI with the CJ trade. I don't find it surprising that during the 7 game win streak this season, Zion was playing the best defense of his career.
@@francisayala9310The problem is their defense has been good even when Herb is out. Trey has just been getting lost on defense recently and he’s not getting more minutes as a result.
@@KleinpeterHank I'm really hoping that Trey will make strides on the defensive end as he gets older. To be as tall, long, and athletic as Trey is, it'd be a massive disappointment if he's not at bare minimum an average defender.
@@francisayala9310 He started off the year well on the defensive end, but somehow his awareness and ball watching has been a problem the last 10-15 games. He needs to get that together because he’s Zion’s go to shooter when he’s passing out of a double/triple team.
U can see the defensive scheme doesn’t really work,especially on Zion due to his finesse. You would need fantastic defensive chemistry to switch well and fast to prevent open shots
I feel like Stopping Zion is similar to other guys that do a majority of their scoring in the paint. Keep them out of the paint and force them to give up the ball and live with their teammates taking jump shots all night. While the plan sounds simple, I would like to remind you that Zion is a machine and will most certainly push you to your breaking point so good luck.
This is the Spurs strategy used against Miami LeBron the third time they met in the Finals. Kawhi in his grill and Duncan at the rim. You need a point guard to deal with Zion's handle, Milwaukee got a good on in Jrue. Strategy worked. Thing is, no ball handler wants to see Jrue Holiday picking him up. Does the same strategy work if it's Trae Young and Collins? I feel like no.
Milwuakee has been giving up the 3-ball for years on defense, this really isn't new for them. They're just a good matchup vs Zion. But if everyone in New Orleans could shoot Milwaukee would be getting punished a lot harder for this.
Almost forgot about this. Milwaukee has been one of the top 5 teams in recent years to give up a high 3FGA% in the regular season. Of course in the postseason that changes because matchups are a thing and the noise of certain regular season defensive stats don't mean shit.
This is like the wall teams used against Giannis, if Zion starts playmaking when the opponents ignore his shooters (who are bound to get better because the whole team is incredibly young) there wil be no way to stop him.
Whenever I see a defensive strategy that's based on essentially selling out to stop one person, that only really works if it's Kobe or Mike cuz they not passing lmao. In most of the highlights where he gives the ball up they're scoring. I know the words "in the playoffs" were used at the beginning because what happens annually is those role players that did well in the season usually shrink in the playoffs... if they're ready at all to catch and make a play this won't work. The Pelicans have good talent around Zion with McCollum and Ingram... Idk
How is it wise to stop Zion scoring just to give his teammates easy scores? So it feels better on the box sheet about his numbers even though they scored at the same efficiency?
You may see this option. With how much more spacing teams can deal with in the half court now, drive and kick spread isn't the only answer. In fact the non shooters should be doing DHOs around Zion along with the shooters who are moving around. Any movement that helps get the big out of the paint and Zion getting the ball downhill to the basket.
In a ton of the examples you showed the pelicans scored anyway. Zion having that gravity and pulling that big defender away is giving a bunch of easy opportunities to his team mates. I don't think they care if zion isn't scoring as much if it means the team wins anyway.
Ya the Miami Heat did the same thingcto Lebron in 2014 cause they knew that it doesnt flipping matter how much LBJ scores , we need more 3P oriented teams to stretchv the floor for himvOR to allow him to use his gravity to give our shooters air to breathe.
Until BI returns or the rest of the team start nailing threes, and until Zion adds the midrange pull-up, which he has shown a few flashes, yeah, this will slow him down, for now.
So you need to have arguably the best perimiter defensive player in the league on him with a him defending big man playing help defence or a Former mvp. Yup that's a sustainable blueprint that any team can implement.
The bucks are so lucky to have Lopez for such a low salary. He was a max player on the nets back in the day. Now Lopez is basically a Rudy in the bucks defense schemes but he can space the floor on offensive. So valuable.
And for the nets he wasn’t nearly the defender he is now. Yes, bitter nets fan here.
@@joeb588 Crazy how he improved
@@joeb588 anchoring the offense got him gassed
he was willing to take a paycut to stay in LA..as a laker fan I was so pissed that Magic didn't care about keeping best role players in the league, Lopez made it clear he wants to stay but they just let him go smh!
@@cornelius8124 Its still the best that happened that he left cause Lakers cant produce great players
This is why Brandon Ingram is a necessity on this team because when he's out teams can just ignore the rest of the team and only focus on Zion, CJ has been inconsistent in his scoring so he can end up being a non factor also when he's not on fire
That doesn’t make him a non factor. He can be a playmaker for others because you will still have to honor him as a defender regardless.
This whole comment was stupid actually.
@D I'm talking about scoring, I know that CJ has playmaking skills, but if he goes 4 for 16 like he did in the Memphis game, then teams can double or triple team Zion without much consequence
@@dragonvolt1875 That was one game come on now.🤣And he has never been a highly efficient scorer like a KD but he has been shooting the three ball well and he just made like 11 threes the the other game. It’s one game and they are playing without Ingram so he won’t have to do as much when he comes back. But you’re so worried but they are winning so I don’t see how you can even say anything.
@@dragonvolt1875 People on here just be talking to talk
Why isn't this on the main channel? This is the kind of video I want from Thinking Basketball. I didn't know this second channel existed until just now, I'm glad I found it.
He’s doing a bigger breakdown of the Pels on the main channel soon
Memphis did a great job yesterday holding Zion to 6-16 by defending him with Dillon Brooks while forming the Wall with Jaren Jackson Jr, and Steven Adams
Gotta consider that this was the second game in a back to back after a hard fought game against the Sixers while Memphis was rested and playing at home. And while I do think Memphis is one of the few teams equipped to slow Zion (JJJ is huge for them if he can stay out of foul trouble) I wouldn't glean too much into that game.
Pretty sure it will be much harder to get away with double and triple teaming Zion every time he drives when BI is back to make the team a true contender
@@stevelau7694 my thoughts exactly..
Not only that but all the fouls that weren't called plus all the missed opens shots killed the pels. The turnovers as well. Between those 3 things beat the pels.
@@christopherwoodson7162 tbf the Grizz shot even worse. One of the worse of any team this season so far
It's actually crazy that he's 22 and teams have to adjust their defense so much to guard him... He has really great defenders on him like Jrue and Giannis and he still gets in and makes the layup
There's so much young great talent in the league, that the next few years will be really interesting when all these guys start hitting their primes
Thats facts
Cause he is allowed to just bully through without getting an offensive foul
@@ayden947 This is an 8 minute video.
Show me the plays in this video that should've been offensive fouls.
Can you find even a couple?
Team was doing the same for Young Lebron and Young Giannis, the Wakl was created when Giannis was 23yo
@@paquinraino8180 Yea, and Lebron and Giannis are both NBA champions, finals MVP's and season MVP's
The Brook Lopez signing and drew holiday trade are probably the best transaction by a GM in recent memory.
And that spelling mistake may be the most puzzling in recent memory. Jrue :)
Obviously BI coming back helps Zion a lot, but Herb Jones is getting some Andre Roberson treatment. Way too many times teams will never look his way even when he has the ball.
Against the 76ers I saw Zion attempt and make some short-midrange shots. Surprised he didn’t pull those out against the Grizzlies yesterday. That’s the next evolution in his game to counter the “wall” imo. But his teammates need to take and make open shots, it’s getting ridiculous sometimes.
yeah herb has been terrible shooting wise this season. He "regressed" back to his college shooting levels, and unless he improves on the offensive end, his peak will be his rookie season. Although he is a smart cutter
relax, Herb Jones came out from Covid and lose some weight
YUP this is exactly ehat Lebron added to gia game in Miami that made him so hard to stop
@@rollspikegaming7459 he been bad on offense all year
You did an incredible job breaking down the footage dude. Salute from the boot
Memphis gave up open shots by triple teaming Zion every time. Yeah you may limit Zion somewhat but he’ll take open shots for his team mates everyday of the week. They just happened to miss a lot of them, but more likely because they were tired coming off a back to back with nance and Ingram.
Yea they pretty much throw at least 3 guys at Zion. I said it before that I know Herb is HUGE on defense but his lack of consistently hitting that open shot is hurting zion bad. I know everyone had a bad shooting game last game but Herb isn't a consistent shooting threat to scare the defense enough not to triple and quadruple Zion
Part of the point is they don't just happen to miss shots if the guys forced to take them aren't good shooters
Right, but teams are going to take others getting those better shots over Zion. A team would always rather the others beat them than the superstar if they had a choice in that. Zion being allowed to do what he does with weaker defensive focus would be far more devastating, it’s the same thing as the Bucks series vs Toronto. Toronto left a good cast of shooters open to get 3 guys focused on Giannis and they were far better off doing that. Personnel is also important with setting these defensive structures up though, Milwaukee is grateful to have the defenders they have. It doesn’t get better than Jrue at the top, Giannis roaming around and Brook at the rim in the NBA right now
Between that & the fouls that aren't getting called on Z.
Pelicans don’t have the personnel for that
This is excellent analysis, and, as a Pels fan, it reinforces what I’ve been saying: you need an above average jump shot to dominate as a 1-1 scorer in today’s game. It also makes me want BI to return that much more to see if his length, mid-range and 3pt shooting can force the wall to cave a little bit. If the Pels gel when he returns, I think they are capable of a finals appearance.
What does a 3 pointer do about jrue holiday guarding him at the 3pt line?? The solution is surrounding him with shooters, like weve seen with lebron for the past 20 years…
@@carter5599 I was talking about BI - another threat so they can’t just double with a big and hope the other guys on the floor won’t make a shot. Memphis swept the floor with us last night because CJ is the only real consistent offendive threat and he was cold.
Also, LeBron is like 8th all time in history on 3 pt shots, so it’s not like he just slashed to the rim and kicked it out when the d swallowed up the middle. LeBron’s shot almost 41% from 3 during one of his Miami MVP seasons. Zion would be well-served to develop a passable elbow jumper and 3 so the entire offense would have more options.
Well Zion is one of the very best iso scorers in the game without a midrange shot. The problem is he’s not really seeing iso as much. A lot of this comes down to scheme and guys being ready to take and make open shots. I loved that Zion pulled out some short midrange shots against Philly but there’s a much bigger issue than his lack of shooting beyond the paint.
IMO BI would have to go above and beyond what he's capable of to serve as that secondary scorer at the face of great playoff defenses to help Zion and the team to the Finals. Warriors have the athletes to easily replicate this ongoing blueprint and their defensive intensity is another level in the playoffs (IMO level teams have to overcome to actually be Finals contenders). Zion def can do better by having another reliable way to make a basket besides bullying his way to the hoop but I also think the roster needs a slight refresh to find a way to pull bigs from the post so Zion can learn to play head hunter in the playoffs.
@@KleinpeterHank Great points, and Memphis and Bucks recently exposed us this way - best defender on Zion, their big floats away from his guy to harrass Zion when he drives, daring others to make shots. Here’s where I think having CJ and BI as above average scoring threats can mitigate that problem. Also, BI can iso at the elbows to occupy a wing defender like Wiggins. Right now it’s Zion, hope Portland CJ shows up, or let below average scorers take their chances. Unless you’ve got Shaq, a guy who can’t score from less than 5 feet won’t get it done.
Thank you, Ben.
I feel like a basketball savant by watching your analysis.
Spot on re-analysis...👍🏾💯🔥
Don't forget Brandon Ingram is out. Imagine him on the court instead of Jones. This is an exciting team.
Willie's starting lineup at the start of the season is CJ/Ingram/Herb/Zion/JV and he's gone with that every time they've been available so I don't see that changing. Replacing Herb with Trey Murphy would be huge spacing wise. He's very long and can shoot the three from distance. However, there are a lot of minus defenders in starting lineup (CJ/Zion/JV) so Willie just can't take Herb out.
@@francisayala9310 zion is pretty good on defense this year
@@francisayala9310 you can still put Herb on the starting five when BI comes back. CJ, Zion and BI is enough to attract defenders
Jrue is an insanely good defend that is pretty unique given his size. Not many teams have a player like him.
Try do it when Ingram is back, multiple 3 second violations and CJ JV Trey Jose all capable of going off for 30+. Maybe only Bucks Cavs and Grizzlies have the personnel and not for the whole game. Zion still was good against the Bucks but coaches didn’t keep going to the types of sets that were working. Not to mention the refs being trash, giving Giannis 22 FTs and Zion only 8! Pels need to do a little better at getting their best shooters open when u know Zion is going up against 2 7 footers. Against Memphis we were SEGABABA and 3rd game in 4 nights
They should’ve kept giving Zion post touches where he can attack quickly and for some reason the Pelicans stopped doing it down the stretch
Fax, no printer
@@kingjaydex7464 yep exactly
Cavs have too many bad defenders, Garland and Mitchell would be cooked by CJ and Ingram
I've felt like the season has been good to the pels, just two main things worry me, Ingram's Injury and the refs giving Zion and the Pels horrible calls
3:20 This is what I was fearing the most for Herb Jones. He's getting the Tony Allen treatment. This along with his age (he's 24. For reference, Ingram is 25) is the reason why I'm not as high on Herb as other people are. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great player with a lot room to grow but I've seen some irrational takes about Herb (looking at Bill Simmons). Unless he becomes average at 3s very soon, I worry he'll Max out as this generation's Tony Allen.
Give me an average defender who can shoot 3s over a great defender who can't. There's NEVER any reason for a wing who isn't ball dominant who isn't a knockdown shooter
He's the next Ray Allen. Mark my words. Infact he's top 25 all tine.
Theres no way you actually watch this dude on a nightly basis. Like its literally impossible
Dude has legit star potential this guy is a monster. Hes been hurt alot this year and he lost like 15lbs from sickness
Herb is special I watch almost every Pels game
I mean Herb Jones is a 2nd rounder giving you baseline mid first round production with a bigger ceiling to work with. Some of these D wings don't become 3-and-D until after a few years with more reps to work on their jumper. In the mean time the Pels can always put a better 'shooting' lineup around Zion to try get the big out of the paint.
Crazy how we all watched zion in HS now seeing him analyzed in the NBA is a weird feeling
Absolutely! As a pels fan this was a scheme I thought of also but I think coach Willis green didn’t want to expose his counter game plan during the regular season! It also would help if we had Brandon Ingram and if CJ could stop the streaky scoring. also doesn’t help that Zion tends to force things sometimes
I mean the regular season is long so counters aren't exactly made over night either. Last regular season he also made a vid about the Suns-Warriors early games where it looked like the Suns had an answer to the Warriors. He revisited this on a later game in March where the Suns were still running those things but the Warriors seemed to have it figured out and played better overall (Steph also just playing great in the 2nd half of the season). Of course come playoff time the Warriors didn't need to bother because the Suns found a way to be fraudulent.
Maybe even have the big who is guarding Zion's drive lane do a Kornet Kontest when an open 3 is attempted? Kinda fits perfectly into this scheme.
only one man has mastered the art of the eclipse, no one else in the league is capable
Yoo the kornet kontest getting recognized is crazy hahaha
How to stop Zion? Have the best point of attack defender and two of the best giant rim protectors in the game
And have the Pelicans not have an All star midrange assassin who murders drop coverages...
Not sure how he thinks GSW or the Clippers could execute it. Cleveland with Stevens/Okoro in the Holiday/Matthews-Brooks/Roddy role, and Allen/Mobley in the Adams/JJJ-Lopez/Anteteokounmpo roles
The problem with the Pels is that their offence is so powerful I think that only the Warriors and Denver when fully healthy,, have a snowballl's chance in hell against them. The Warriors and Denver and obviously Boston have the ability to 'out offence' the Pels. Just give up on defending this flipping tyrant. Out offence him!
Good luck getting Marc Gasol or David Robinson to come out of retirement to stop this guy lol
@@klintwhite9242 GSW can put Wiggins on Zion and have Wiggins/big roam the paint. Wiggins is pretty damn strong for his size too so same deal. They can even get their onball pest like DiVincenzo for a few sets too. They put Klay on BI to check him. They will let CJ/BI tri put up 30+ themselves knowing they just limited the teams' offense potential by frustrating Zion the entire series. Clippers can probably do the same putting PG/Powell/big wings on Zion and have Zubac/Covington park at the paint. And they have other big wings to throw at BI. Worse part with these certain match ups is the opposing team won't lose a beat on offense either (But that is what makes a playoff team at least).
So yeah the the real exposure is that Zion's shot creativity has potential but can be beat in a linear way for now. In that process it also makes his key teammates have to be greater to operate the offense as well as Zion can. So maybe its not just a scheme counter punch that is needed but ultimately ways to manipulate the basics like getting the opposing big out of the paint somehow while getting Zion moving.
@@t4d0W Respectfully, I just do not think this game plan would work for Warriors against Zion. It's literally only worked when teams have strong mobile defender to start, and 2 monster paint defenders on the backline. Wiggins could potentially do the Jrue/Brooks role, but 2023 Draymond and 6ft9 Looney won't be anything like Lopez/Giannis and Adams/JJJ.
I largely agree with your next point, there is a blueprint to stop him, but it involves pieces only 3 teams have. They do need to keep getting more and more creative though, which Willie and Zion together have been developing. We're talking about a guy who's played about a season and a half total basketball, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner have played more minutes than him!
There’s several ways to counter this kind of a strategy that the pelicans can do, zions already showing two of them with the post fade, and passing to open shooters, but another is a little more basic. Put him as the roller in the pick and roll, because if you notice they only do the wall strategy when he has the ball in his hands. He can easily still get to the paint without the ball in his hands and still finish very strong. Plus the pelicans actually do have a lot of very very good shooters on their team.
Lol you write very very good shooters and Brook Lopez just gave herb Jones 12 feet to try sink a corner 3. Maybe they are on that level to you in regards to the regular season but in the playoffs, you can't rely on feast and famine when jump shots are harder to buy. Teams will gladly let JV get 6-8 in 3FTAs in the playoffs knowing they can bother Zion the ENTIRE game and how he can't get the team involved on offense.
@@t4d0W you act like he hasn’t been getting the team involved in the offense he has, plus you act like all he has is herb jones, and forget they also have Brandon Ingram and cj McCollum and jv on that team, and if you leave them open guess what’s going to happen they are going to make their shots. You think they can afford to give them open shots to shut down Zion then your sorely mistaken imo because they all can get their own points as well.
For that they'll need a smart PG, McCollum is more of a combo guard.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 that I agree with I think if they get one solid Chris Paul type of pg and keep their current line up they will be a big big problem. I think in that scenario they may even win a title or multiple titles, because Zion will be able to play that point forward role he’s been playing but be able to pick and choose when to do it, while also being able to play off ball. It would also clean up the team’s turnovers and get their offense even more organized.
Or in other words, why you need a pull up jumper in the mid range..
this breakdown is on point, Grizz did the same thing, putting 2 bigs, and they have long and athletic bigs, which made Zion have a hard time, Jazz did the same and they're pretty successful too...his worst game definitely was against the Grizz, you can tell their gameplan is to literally make Zion a passer, and Pels' shooters didn't capitalize on that...Bi is definitely needed in the playoffs
Yea those 9 turnovers not looking good. Plus he missed 10 shots. Prob one of his more inefficient games since he was drafted in 2019.
Bruh the NBA is SIGNIFICANTLY more talented than ever before. Due to defensive rules being trash now that defensive schemes are forced to become so freakin elaborate and nuanced
Its beautiful to watch and it's something you can never see if youre allowed to freakin tackle people like in the 90s-2000s
if there's any team who knows or at least has lots of ideas on how to defend Zion, it's the Bucks since they get a similar treatment from other teams in the playoffs for Giannis...Of course, when Ingram gets back, the narrative will completely change..
smart breakdown bro
The pain when your defender doesn’t respect your shot 😭😤
Having a smaller, stockier defenders on the perimeter vs a dominant inside scorer to keep the paint protector in his area seems prudent. Philly put PJ Tucker on Jokic and had Embiid roam the paint.
Here's one counter that I thought of: Have a shooter (CJ or Ingram) use a PnR to target that roaming defender, and after that roaming defender is forced to switch on a really good shooter, just let Zion do his thing
This is very similar to what Boston did to Milwaukee a few years back. They basically just formed a wall of defenders around the area Giannas was occupying. However, since they had a lot of long athletic players, they were able to rotate out to the shooters without giving up too many open threes.
Celtics version of it last year was even better. Udoka was throwing Smart at Giannis on defense at the perimeter with solid success so they can still get a big hanging at the the rim to contest. The Warriors were getting the most juice out GP2 by putting him on a big that hangs at the perimeter or against a bigger ball handler. Because he was confident his hands were quick enough to bother their lackluster attempt to handle the ball around him.
I would be very interested in seeing how well this “everyone focus on Zion” type of defense works when Brandon Ingram is playing. BI is a great shooter and an overall more complete offensive player than Zion and Z is a good enough passer that I feel like they will make you pay if you over focus on one player. We saw how much damage BI did in the playoffs last year without Zion so get those two on the court together and it’s gonna be really tough to stop. Can’t double everybody
This is the larry Johnson ( grandmama)Anthony Mason defense rewarmed. The defense clicks on his first or second bounce . And though superb at finding cracks and finishing the late wall shuts it down. ZW has to find a counter and believe it or not it's a " catch and shoot " or step back "Kiki " move. Until he finds it there will be more of the same for the big tush.
great video
Alternate video title: "How Many Uncalled Fouls do Zion's Defenders get Away With?"
correct!
I'm not convinced... most of the possessions you showed ended on points scored either by Zion or a wide-open teammate. That's against one of the best defences with 3 absolutely elite defenders including Giannis whose tools nobody else can replicate.
Always interesting but this video didn't convince me for once.
And Brandon Ingram's shooting and playmaking will only make this harder for opposition defences to do as zion can either dish it out to BI instead of naji marshall, or you're more comfortable running zion off ball
If I was forced to pick I would run Zion off ball. He is deadly on ball but the suddenness of his drives and their height make him a nightmare to stop for unaware defenders. He's like an offensive Clint Capela on the Hulk Serum lol
I kinda understand from the things he showed in this video..
But i was watching this game live, Zion was having a very hard time.. he had i think only 1-10 fg and 5 TO at the half and 8 points after the 3rd quarter.. This was in his hot streak of points and efficiency and it just stopped in this game. Bucks seemed to loosen up on the defense in the 4th and Pels went on a run and he got some points in transition and off rebounds...
This is a one game case with a showcase of a potential blue print that teams *with the right personnel* can replicate. Also defenses play MUCH tighter in the playoffs knowing they are willing to let Zion's teammates get 30+ as long as Zion himself is limited on his shot creation and can't involve the rest of the offense. Hell I think they let BI score 30+ points as well. But as long as those conditions are met and they can get buckets themselves, that is something the Pelicans have to figure out building the offense around Zion.
@@Bunnymajs He was 2 for 3 at half time. 4 TO, 5 assists and +5. Not sure what game you were watching
when i hear 'quickly' in a basketball video, my first instinct is Immanuel, but then i remember its a normal word too
lets not forget Jonas Valenciunas had a career game while the bucks played this D
Memphis did a good job on him to
Trying to force him to use his left at the rim is something too; though it’s easier said than done. Whenever he’s finishing at the rim he ALWAYS switches to his left no matter which side of the basket he’s on. And while he may dunk with the right, having touch with it isn’t the same thing.
Check out the last 2 Grizzlies games vs Pelicans. They have done a good job against him, too
When do eastern/western conference teams usually begin playing each other?
It also helped the fact Memphis and the Bucks got a way with a lot of clear fouls on Zion. Although better of late, the amount of free throws Zions gets is pretty laughable. He gets hacked on the majority of possesions. Time stamped 7:11 for example. Brooks hooks Zions arm and gets away with it.
If you do an examination on Zion's defense please show how Devon Booker was smart enough to know that his lateral quickness outpaced Zion's significantly so in that recent Pels vs Suns game Devon purposefully had Zion switch onto him and he was moving his body side to side quicker than Zion which made Zion's contests nearly useless. It was beautiful. Then Phoenix coach added ball movement to juice up the offense even more!
Also please talk about why the hell Herb Jones didnt defend Booker well in that game!?!
Thanks!
suns is irrelevant. 🤣 trash
@@rollspikegaming7459 .... i know :*( .
I'm reminded of how Boston defended AD in the 4th quarter in their win vs Los Angeles.
New channel😍
The main problem with this scheme is you can count on 1 hand the number of teams who have the personel to actually effectively do it. It's not a blueprint. Zion has seen this look all year. Save for those teams who have at least 2 special help defender bigs (Bucks, Grizzlies, and Celtics basically) no one has stopped him.
Ahh yes the old “just put everyone on em” trick love it
Another good tactic to slowing Zion down is providing the court side seat fans with free chicken. Once Zion smells and sees all that 🍗🍗 it’s over. 😵💫😋throw in a mountain dew and he might fake an injury. “mmmm chicken 🤤”
Smart to get your Zion videos out now, while he is still playing. Seriously with his width, strength, quickness and lift Zion should average at least 15 rebounds a game. He actually averages 7, that is 1.9 less than the ground bound, slow mo Luka at 8.9.
AMAZING VIDEO but 5:12 is a foul on Wesley Matthews, he was pushing Zion on that drive, the Pelicans broadcast showed another angle where you can really see it. Zion gets fouled A LOT.
Why not upload this to the regular channel?
Why not just make the ignored player screen for good shooters on the back side of the iso? That would lead to better opportunities since there would be no help for the defender getting screened.
Its crazy that Brook Lopez basically plays "illegal defense" on Zion in order to slow him down XD
is this video slowed down to like 0.9x speed? there's something that seems off about it
But what if the team has smaller guards like the Hawks? They’d have to run another big in place of the guard starting on Zion. If it’s Boston they have more size but even then they have to worry about overloaded shooters.
Yep maybe only Bucks Cavs and Memphis have the personnel and it all fails when BI is back
Didn’t account for when Ingram comes back. That’s a totally different ball game.
Sure but were talking about playoffs. BI's best may not even be enough against the best the Warriors, Grizz, Clippers and what other match up threats the Pels may draw. Let alone having to figure out HOW to stop the offenses of those teams in a 7 game series.
@@t4d0W what? you hating on BI have you not seen BI last playoffs? dude is a beast he's the most versatile and most skilled player on the team. most of the teams switches to box 1 when BI runs the offense he can't be guarded 1 on 1 he's one of the few player who got doubled team last season. Even coach Pop said BI is the most dangerous on the Pelicans roster because he can shot everywhere. stop dickriding a turnover machine in Zion. dude has limited offensive bag
When we add Brandon Ingram back, it’s gonna be a hell of a lot harder to do this
Well, not everyone has a Jrue type point guard on their team.
But the Pelicans team isn't all about Zion, we still have BI to worry. you can't put Holiday on BI he's too short, Ingram can shoot everywhere and over anyone with his elite midrange game
Elite defenses will settle having BI get more touches and try for his team scoring 30+ points come playoff time. Rather than Zion taking THOSE touches and getting his easy baskets along with passing out of double-triple team situations. Besides why would the Bucks take Jrue off Zion when they can throw some other wing like Grayson Allen on a twig like BI? Bucks been played playoff basketball, none of this playground regular season shit you Pels fans are still new to.
@@t4d0W Allen won't be able to slow down BI, even Mikal last year looked like a mediocre defender againts BI. lol
Bruh teams setting whole defensive schemes just for you 😤 at the age of 22. Just wow 🤩
Smart for teams to affect Zions high percentage shots near the basket and take their chances with low percentage 3s by rest of team.
Yes but how many teams are really equipped to do this? It feels like with any other team, the Pelicans could just choose to have Zion playmake for others while the big is with Valanciunas and when they put the big on a weak shooter it'll leave Valanciunas matched up with the smallest forward from the other team, a really favorable matchup for the Lithuanian... And when BI gets healthy... They're really, really scary
All I’m hearing is a Zion Curry duo is unstoppable
That shot at 7:26 was impressive.
Is this the same type of defense they played against Gianna’s in the playoffs?
I want to highlight Jrue Holiday, 6ft3 guard, was guarding Zion. He is known for his defense but he needs more credit.
I don’t see basically a triple-teaming one player as a winning strategy anyhow.
Shooters gonna shoot, Pels might be very creative at weakside off-ball actions + imagine they have floor spacer instead of Jonas.
So many 3 second defensive violations that weren't called and fouls on the perimeter drive.
Is it just me or does the audio seem slowed down?
It is a MUST that Trey Murphy is utilized as a Zion counterpart versus Herb Jones, who is shooting 28% from three. If teams are that honed in on stopping him at the paint, there needs to be a wing that can make knockdown 3’s ,(Murphy, McCollum, Ingram).
It's the defense. Having CJ, Zion, and JV on the floor is too many sub average defenders, so you have to have Herb on the court. I've always felt that last year the front office made a huge bet on defensive improvement from Zion and BI with the CJ trade. I don't find it surprising that during the 7 game win streak this season, Zion was playing the best defense of his career.
@@francisayala9310The problem is their defense has been good even when Herb is out. Trey has just been getting lost on defense recently and he’s not getting more minutes as a result.
@@KleinpeterHank I'm really hoping that Trey will make strides on the defensive end as he gets older. To be as tall, long, and athletic as Trey is, it'd be a massive disappointment if he's not at bare minimum an average defender.
@@francisayala9310 He started off the year well on the defensive end, but somehow his awareness and ball watching has been a problem the last 10-15 games. He needs to get that together because he’s Zion’s go to shooter when he’s passing out of a double/triple team.
I think the pels try what lebron did back in the early Miami days. Where zion posts up slowly and is ready to pass or just learns post-move jumpers.
But I think with Zion being a willing passer their offense is fine main problem in this particular game is their defense isn’t sharp enough I think.
I mean defense is fine offense is worse than the defense crazy as that sound Z can get 7 plus assist easily we lack real shooters
bucks, cavs and maybe memphis have the size to pull this off. very few if any other teams have the ability to defend like this though
U can see the defensive scheme doesn’t really work,especially on Zion due to his finesse. You would need fantastic defensive chemistry to switch well and fast to prevent open shots
I feel like Stopping Zion is similar to other guys that do a majority of their scoring in the paint. Keep them out of the paint and force them to give up the ball and live with their teammates taking jump shots all night. While the plan sounds simple, I would like to remind you that Zion is a machine and will most certainly push you to your breaking point so good luck.
It's definitely a blueprint, but how many teams have the defensive versatility of the Bucks?
Holiday is a serious defensive powerhouse
Did you just call him Zion Ball at 0:22
When BI gets back I don’t think teams will be able to defend like this as consistently since BI is kd 2.0
This is the Spurs strategy used against Miami LeBron the third time they met in the Finals. Kawhi in his grill and Duncan at the rim. You need a point guard to deal with Zion's handle, Milwaukee got a good on in Jrue. Strategy worked.
Thing is, no ball handler wants to see Jrue Holiday picking him up. Does the same strategy work if it's Trae Young and Collins?
I feel like no.
Milwuakee has been giving up the 3-ball for years on defense, this really isn't new for them. They're just a good matchup vs Zion. But if everyone in New Orleans could shoot Milwaukee would be getting punished a lot harder for this.
Almost forgot about this. Milwaukee has been one of the top 5 teams in recent years to give up a high 3FGA% in the regular season. Of course in the postseason that changes because matchups are a thing and the noise of certain regular season defensive stats don't mean shit.
This is like the wall teams used against Giannis, if Zion starts playmaking when the opponents ignore his shooters (who are bound to get better because the whole team is incredibly young) there wil be no way to stop him.
Whenever I see a defensive strategy that's based on essentially selling out to stop one person, that only really works if it's Kobe or Mike cuz they not passing lmao. In most of the highlights where he gives the ball up they're scoring. I know the words "in the playoffs" were used at the beginning because what happens annually is those role players that did well in the season usually shrink in the playoffs... if they're ready at all to catch and make a play this won't work. The Pelicans have good talent around Zion with McCollum and Ingram... Idk
im only a minute in...but if zion is such a force its better to give up an open shot than let him drive that's nuts.
Sooo….. have one of the best defenders all time guard him and back him up with a good defensive center?
...aaaaaaaaaaand he's gone.
You also are letting them get away with a defensive 3 sec
they he can drive and kick?
This is, of course, something Memphis successfully implemented back on 11/25 but I guess Bucks get the credit for doing it more than two weeks later.
Every team doesn’t have Bucks size or defenders. This is going to be tough 7 games in a row. And this just my boys 3rd season
How is it wise to stop Zion scoring just to give his teammates easy scores? So it feels better on the box sheet about his numbers even though they scored at the same efficiency?
Brandon Ingram is the answer 👌🏾 another shooter would be helpful though
BI is a shooter tho. efficient from 3 levels
They can use the non shooter as a screener to distract the help defense
You may see this option. With how much more spacing teams can deal with in the half court now, drive and kick spread isn't the only answer. In fact the non shooters should be doing DHOs around Zion along with the shooters who are moving around. Any movement that helps get the big out of the paint and Zion getting the ball downhill to the basket.
@@t4d0W Agreed, Draymond green is one of the few I see use the DHO very often.
If Brandon Ingram comes back before the playoffs, this strategy might be ineffective
guy needs to develop his other game, teams will expose him with his one dimensional skill set atm.
In a ton of the examples you showed the pelicans scored anyway. Zion having that gravity and pulling that big defender away is giving a bunch of easy opportunities to his team mates. I don't think they care if zion isn't scoring as much if it means the team wins anyway.
Ya the Miami Heat did the same thingcto Lebron in 2014 cause they knew that it doesnt flipping matter how much LBJ scores , we need more 3P oriented teams to stretchv the floor for himvOR to allow him to use his gravity to give our shooters air to breathe.
0:34 this is my nba2k defence
Until BI returns or the rest of the team start nailing threes, and until Zion adds the midrange pull-up, which he has shown a few flashes, yeah, this will slow him down, for now.
So you need to have arguably the best perimiter defensive player in the league on him with a him defending big man playing help defence
or a Former mvp. Yup that's a sustainable blueprint that any team can implement.
Not everyone has a JJJ and big ol Adams 🌊 lol