With Paul George in street clothes for the Boston Celtics’ 109-93 loss to the Houston Rockets, Baylor Scheierman got his first start of the season. That start came with the unenviable task of matching up with Kevin Durant on defense.
There’s a ton of talking points coming out of the loss to Houston. From the Celtics struggling to implement their new style of offense, to the continued bleakness of their three-point game (28.6% shooting on 42 attempts), all the way down to another impressive showing from Luka Garza.
For me, though, Baylor’s production caught my eye, especially how he looked to defend Durant. So, that’s what we’re going to be focusing on today.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I’ve watched a bunch of Rockets basketball to start this season. I couldn’t tell you how they like to get Durant involved.
Fortunately, this isn’t a breakdown of the Rockets’ offense.
What I can tell you is that Baylor fought like hell to keep Durant from getting the ball on handoffs or peeling off pindowns.
The signs were there from the opening minute of the game.
Watch Baylor’s effort as the Rockets look to get KD going via hand-off that then turns into a Zoom1 action. It’s the body positioning for me. Baylor looks to deny the initial handoff by top-locking2 Durant. Amen Thompson reads Baylor’s top-lock and pitches the rock to Alperen Sengun before setting up for a Zoom action.
Baylor, who got a little caught up on Thompson’s screen, sticks with the play, pressuring Durant in the rearview. Baylor ultimately gets back near Durant’s hip, closing any gap between Sengun and Durant and leading to a blown play where Baylor somehow comes out on top with the steal.
Defense is rarely executed perfectly. It doesn’t have to look aesthetically pleasing. It just has to work, and it did.
Here’s another example, this time from midway in the second quarter.
