Detroit Pistons: Christian Wood vs Thon Maker explained

Deep down we’re all the same

On pick & roll situations they’re actually quite similar in the sense that they’re both similarly inadequate. They just lack the size to handle Casey’s drop coverage without any help from the weak side.

In an attempt to limit three-pointers, the Pistons coach wants to defend as many pick & rolls as possible with two people and that’s just not possible for either Wood or Maker.

The main principle they have to follow is keeping both opponents in front. That usually means backpedaling until the ball handler feels comfortable enough to take the shot. For Wood, at least.

Good perimeter defenders like Brown can recover during the backpedaling and contest the shot but asking Derrick Rose, Luke Kennard or Reggie Jackson and Wood or Maker to defend without help is ludicrous. You can do it but you have to live with the results.

Wood will tend to stay with his man and try to secure the board. With the ball handler getting middle penetration it’s impossible to keep his man in front of him which leaves him out of position for the board.

Commit too quickly on the shot and the lob is open. It took Drummond years to become the pick & roll defender that he is today and he has elite physical tools. Asking Wood or Maker to do the same is sending them to slaughter.

Side pick & rolls must be forced towards the baseline, where there’s a narrower angle to score or pass. The pocket pass is the first thing you want to take away in that scenario.

Maker does the same mistake but tops it out with a foul. That’s what the extra effort gets him most of the time. Life is not fair.

Finding himself between the ball and his man, guarding neither, is just a Tuesday night for him.

And overstepping to the side, leaving the pocket pass open is the most probable scenario when Maker is defending the pick & roll.

You can’t expect to have a good bench defense with this coverage. It just doesn’t fit the personnel. Why would you get undersized but mobile backup centers if you’re not going to take advantage of their mobility?

The whole point of having agile big men is to allow more switches and aggressive coverage. You can have one big man show on pick & rolls while the other one provides help-side defense on the back line.

Side Note: Watch how Andre Drummond is right there on Turner as soon as he gets the ball.