It seemed clear to me that defense is our problem

Zion is a liability at this point (defensively)

but I would have thought between Zo, Jrue, Ingram, and Favors we would be a little better

that is a lot of length on the perimeter with a solid presence in the paint. Zion may not be the best lateral mover but he is capable of altering shots...

kinda surprised at how bad we are at times on defense

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timely defense is an issue

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There are 3 major contributors to this.

- Zion is a rookie
- Ingram is not good at defense
- Favors anchors the defense but isn't always who you want finishing games

Zion and Ingram will get better as their games mature.
Favors needs to be upgraded to someone like Myles Turner.

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There are 3 major contributors to this.

- Zion is a rookie
- Ingram is not good at defense
- Favors anchors the defense but isn't always who you want finishing games

Zion and Ingram will get better as their games mature.
Favors needs to be upgraded to someone like Myles Turner.

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If only they had a rookie on the bench who has shown a willingness to be disruptive on defense and whose raw talent needs more than 8 minutes a game to develop.

He also doesn't solve the spacing issues that have most teams in the league going small to finish games.

As much as we all love Jaxson, I think he'll be one of the first major pieces that gets traded.

Defense is not as big a problem as it may seem. Last night, Lebron single-handedly beat us. We don't have anyone to guard him, so we have to send doubles and their role players made shots in key moments. We have to live with that, just as most every other team in the league does minus teams with superstar wings who can guard him 1 on 1.

Our problem last night was scoring ONE basket in the final 3 minutes and change of play. We lost by 8, yet if we have just 2 good possessions late in the game it puts all kinds of pressure on the Lakers to not be able to play free or shoot free throws to end the game. Offensively, Alvin just doesn't do a good job resetting us when we get too fast or out of character when the game is on the line.

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shown a willingness to be disruptive on defense

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Jaxson's tendency to chase blocks and get himself completely out of position is certainly disruptive

Sure the fit is bad today but that could easily change in an offseason with some development. Hayes needs to develop his defensive game as well as gain upper/lower body strength first and foremost. Then Hayes must embrace his role as a sidekick in a weak side finisher role.

Zion’s passing ability and scoring ability should help Hayes become an effective offensive threat on the court and keep double teams honest. Hayes needs to develop into Zion’s De’Andre Jordan. May not seamlessly happen by next year but we should see flashes of their potential together next year.

What Zion is able to do regardless of who plays next to him has been incredible. The Lakers were literally sending 3 guys his way on a lot of possessions and he’s still getting what he wants.

That may come to pass, but it's not set in stone on Hayes.

He seems to have the athleticism to switch. He seems to have a chance to grow into a big who can hit jump shots.

Everyone wants Myles Turner next to Zion now. Hayes has the potential to grow into a Myles Turner type. I do think Hayes/Zion pairing at this point is akin to lighting the defense on fire

I remember 1 possession where BI played really good D on LeBron

One of our biggest problems is we have absolutely no matchup for big wings like Lebron, Kawhi, Giannis, etc.

Yes those guys have very few matchups and are super elite, but we don't even have a warm body we can throw it them.

We need a 3/4 that is over 6'8" and isn't skinny as a rail that can provide even some token resistance.

It is a real problem and one that needs to be addressed.