SALT LAKE CITY — For most NBA players, the concept of team or help defense is something ingrained in them during their college days. If a teammate’s assignment is missed, do what you can to help out and avoid giving up easy baskets. But in the land of the Stifle Tower and Utah Jazz basketball, that concept isn’t as clear-cut as in other situations, prompting some new Jazz players to have to “unlearn” some old defensive tendencies.
“For myself, getting used to having a guy like Rudy (Gobert) protecting the rim (and) not having to help as much. … I had to get out of the habit of “over helping” because that was the norm for myself in the defensive schemes that I’ve been a part of,” explained forward Jeff Green. “But trusting in his abilities is something I have to get used to.”
Speaking at team shootaround Wednesday at Zions Bank Basketball Campus, Green said new Jazz players like himself have to get better at communicating on both ends of the court, but particularly on defense where the Jazz have struggled at times during a three-game preseason losing skid.
“For us new guys, having somebody like Rudy there (protecting the basket) is something we have to get used to,” he said. “There is no big quite like Rudy who can protect the rim like he can and cover space like he can with his wingspan and his height.”
It’s just a matter of getting more comfortable with Gobert behind the defense, he noted, and knowing there is help if needed who can stop penetration to the basket.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder reiterated that new teammates will have to work a little harder to understand how to play with Gobert and the team’s other rim protectors, Ed Davis and Tony Bradley. The sooner they figure out the scheme, the faster the team’s overall defensive output will improve, he said.
“For our group, anytime you want to improve something there has to be a focus,” Snyder said. “To change some of those (old defensive) habits does take time. Continuing to emphasize and feel that focus will accelerate (the improvement).”