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Re: GDT: ndsu bison vs SDSU Jackrabbits @ Frost Arena
At times he does make nice plays on the defensive end. Moreover, his willingness to grab rebounds anywhere near him has been a huge boost for the team. That is evident by him averaging a league best 9.8 rebounds/game, Javan White from ORU is second in the league at 8.7/game.
However, the times when he has been abused on the defensive end it has been the lack of movement with his feet. As quick as he is with his feet on the offensive end, you'd think he would be a better stopper in the paint. I think he's gotten away with being bigger and longer than his opponents that he relies on his wingspan to alter shots. (He's 5th in the Summit in blocks. He's also 2nd on the team in steals/game.) When I watched Theisen in the paint last night on defense, he worked his butt of with his feet first. Then he did a good job using his length and staying vertical to alter/block shots. Rarely did he leave his feet playing defense, which, kept him in good position for fakes and reduced the number of fouls. (He still is the 2nd highest in fouls/minute played on the team, but that has more to do with him not being as athletic.)
Daum is playing just over 31 minutes per game. His strengths are on the offensive end and that is his best defensive weapon. He wears people down at that end so they are less effective on the other end. With all of those minutes, I can see that he must be conserving energy on the defensive end of the floor. It appears to me that it is more mental than physical. I suspect that when he needs to step up in big games as the season progresses, that his focus will be stronger and he will have the ability to play strong at that end. Let's face it, he's so much more talented than anyone he's matched up against this year in league play that he hasn't had to push himself on both ends of the court.
What's great is that King has become a defensive monster and many other pieces on the floor have stepped up at certain points this year. When things click on defense like they often do on offense, you get games like last night. I look forward to more of that as the season winds down.
Originally posted by BTownJack
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However, the times when he has been abused on the defensive end it has been the lack of movement with his feet. As quick as he is with his feet on the offensive end, you'd think he would be a better stopper in the paint. I think he's gotten away with being bigger and longer than his opponents that he relies on his wingspan to alter shots. (He's 5th in the Summit in blocks. He's also 2nd on the team in steals/game.) When I watched Theisen in the paint last night on defense, he worked his butt of with his feet first. Then he did a good job using his length and staying vertical to alter/block shots. Rarely did he leave his feet playing defense, which, kept him in good position for fakes and reduced the number of fouls. (He still is the 2nd highest in fouls/minute played on the team, but that has more to do with him not being as athletic.)
Daum is playing just over 31 minutes per game. His strengths are on the offensive end and that is his best defensive weapon. He wears people down at that end so they are less effective on the other end. With all of those minutes, I can see that he must be conserving energy on the defensive end of the floor. It appears to me that it is more mental than physical. I suspect that when he needs to step up in big games as the season progresses, that his focus will be stronger and he will have the ability to play strong at that end. Let's face it, he's so much more talented than anyone he's matched up against this year in league play that he hasn't had to push himself on both ends of the court.
What's great is that King has become a defensive monster and many other pieces on the floor have stepped up at certain points this year. When things click on defense like they often do on offense, you get games like last night. I look forward to more of that as the season winds down.
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