SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Let me put it this way, if all you knew was the guys on this roster and that we are currently ranked 13th in defensive rating (I guess we've moved up a spot since the last time I checked) wouldn't you say that the scheme seems to be working?
As for the Coach being an idiot or incapable of playing to his personnel... in the 3 years of Mike Brown this team has ranked 25th, 14th, and now 13th (so far) in defensive rating after spending the previous 16 years ranked no higher than 20. I don't like the open 3's either, but the numbers suggest our 3pt defense hasn't been the absolute disaster that we think it is.
In a way it is if for nothing more than the difference in PPP and how it shakes a defense to the core when teams start bombing on you. Giving open 3's and closing the middle is a theoretical defense based on giving up lower percentage shots rather than paint shots. It's a little antiquated and I think it largely employed to cover up for Domas as a rim protector. Domas can be a really good defender but he is going to have to defend with his feet, not his size. To me that means pressing up and switching, much like Horford does. If the Kings offense is top 5, top 14 should be pretty good. That said, with the amount of talent grouped in the West now, that bar of year 2 as potentially being a top 3-5 team getting into that Nuggets range defensively might not be reality any longer. That bar might be higher.