Six post players that proved the Detroit Pistons must improve interior defense

Al Jefferson

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There is a reason that Andre Drummond was adamant after the season that Al Jefferson was the toughest player in the post to guard last year. What is so beautiful about Jefferson’s game is it’s diversity. He’s really worked on finding tons of ways to score on you.

And when he can’t score — he’s more than happy dishing off the basketball to his guards and wings.

Scott Rafferty of Hardwood Paroxysm wrote about how Jefferson schooled the Pistons in mid February.

"It’s been known for years now that Jefferson is a killer on the low block, yet just how good he is down there often goes unnoticed. When he catches the ball in his sweet spot (which is anywhere within 10-feet of the basket) he’s hard to stop because he can score in so many different ways. He doesn’t just bulldoze his way to the rim or beat his defender with a quick first step. Instead he takes his time and makes a move depending on how he is being guarded, like a true veteran."

Jefferson is a student of the game on and off the floor. He used that to his advantage against the Pistons. When he noticed that help defense wasn’t in the paint, he went to the bucket. If they had the lane clogged, he torched the Pistons on the base line with easy looks like this at the basket.

When the Pistons went to double team him in the three games that they played against each other, he just dished the ball out back to the perimeter and let his guards do the work.

Jefferson’s domination of the Pistons last season further proves just how much work needs to be put in during training camp to grasp Stan Van Gundy’s defensive system.