re: Crystal Balls Flowing in for LSU re: Moussa Cisse

A starting five of:
Smart
Thomas
Days
Whatford
Cisse

This is a title contender

Is it the general consensus among the recruiting community that he is an elite defender? I know he is averaging an insane 9 blocks/game but how much does that translate to the next level. There is a lot more that goes into defense than being a strong shot blocker. I’m not going to pretend I have ever seen Cisse play so it is an honest question.

The best LSU example of this would be Jordan Mickey. He was an excellent shot blocker, especially for his size, but he had plenty of room to grow on defense because sometimes he would go for the block instead of going straight up to contest.

Mickey averaged more blocks than Bigby Williams but I would much rather have Kavell because of his ability to play team defense and alter shots. If Cisse can be the defensive presence that Kavell was, we would have a chance to be extremely special.

yeah give me Mickey defensively all day.

quote:

---

Another thing about blocked shots - what doesnt show up in the stat box is when you have a legitimate rim protector like a Cisse, Mickey or KBW about how it makes all the offensive players think twice about altering their shot close to the rim afraid it may get blocked.

---

And to tack on, another benefit is that having an elite rim protector and lane defender can allow your perimeter defenders to play more aggressively and confidently. For example, when a ball is in rotation and kicks to a 3 pt. shooter, it is the responsibility of the close out defender to try and close hard and run the guy off the 3 point line. However, when you do this (in the case of most defenders), it is easy for the shooter to give a fake and blow by the defender to the lane for an easy shot or dish. Having this happen can cause a defender to mentally be more measured in their approach and maybe not go as hard at the guy for fear of him blowing by for the easier shot. But having a player like KBW or Cisse back there can give you the confidence to go at the shooter hard b/c even if he goes by, then the shot will still likely get cleaned up.

I know it’s 9pm but

We Riding right?

quote:

---

KBW only blocked just under 3 shots a game, but how many shots did he make offensive players alter and not be as comfortable with

---

That was my point I was trying to make in my first post and why I think KBW is a better defender than Mickey. If you rewatch the beginning of the Yale game the amount of shots he altered was insane (I think KBW and Marlon for his defense on Oni were the MVPs of that game). I would rather have Cisse be the type of rim protector that KBW was instead of Mickey who seemed to always go for the block instead of going straight up.

In Mickey’s defense he was excellent at guarding smaller players on the perimeter and in the pick and roll so could not fault anybody for thinking he is a better defender. I believe it comes down to what you value from a defender.

quote:

---

That was my point I was trying to make in my first post and why I think KBW is a better defender than Mickey. If you rewatch the beginning of the Yale game the amount of shots he altered was insane (I think KBW and Marlon for his defense on Oni were the MVPs of that game). I would rather have Cisse be the type of rim protector that KBW was instead of Mickey who seemed to always go for the block instead of going straight up.

---

You don't think Mickey's presence, as the leading shot blocker in the SEC for TWO years, didn't alter just as many shots?

And if you don't think Mickey's presence wasn't huge (on LSU's best defensive team in the last 8 years), then go rewatch the 2nd half of LSU's NCAAT game vs. NC State. Mickey had 5 blocks in the second half. His defense was a big reason LSU had a chance to win the game up until literally the final second DESPITE not making a single FG for the final 10:00 of the game. LSU scored a total of FIVE points in the last 10:00 and NC State needed a last second tip in to beat them. Now, to be fair, it was Mickey's total collapse on offense during the stretch that did LSU in. But his defense almost single handedly kept LSU in a game when the literally could not make a shot outside of a FT.

KBW was a good defender (on an LSU team that was average but FAR from "good" defensively). But Mickey was a significantly better defender.

If Cisse is anywhere close to that, the LSU becomes a better defense instantaneously. If they can get everyone else to buy in, then they could become a really good defense.

quote:

---

That was my point I was trying to make in my first post and why I think KBW is a better defender than Mickey. If you rewatch the beginning of the Yale game the amount of shots he altered was insane (I think KBW and Marlon for his defense on Oni were the MVPs of that game). I would rather have Cisse be the type of rim protector that KBW was instead of Mickey who seemed to always go for the block instead of going straight up.

---

But again, the stats on the surface show Mickey was the better defender overall as well, which is why I brought up defensive box plus/minus, which isn't a perfect example but does shed some light on Mickey just being a shot blocker vs. good defender too. There are guys out there who can block some shots but aren't necessarily good defenders, granted I'd say that's more rare than common.

Again if Mickey was just an "out of position shot blocker" in his defensive stats like box plus minus stuff like that would show up and it doesn't, he had one of the best defensive box lines on the team.