Andre Roberson, 2013’s Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, is a nightmare of a defender. It’s not very often that one can say they locked DOWN a two-time defensive player of the year, but Dre could argue that he did that to Kawhi Leonard in the 2015-16 playoffs. The following series, he was tasked with matching up against one of the two Splash Brothers, and he never flinched in the face of that challenge. He took it to them, along with a locked in and inspired Kevin Durant on defense, they pushed the reigning champion, and 73 win Warriors to the brink. He’s continued that level of defensive intensity this season, and if he continues at this pace, he should garner all-defensive team honors.
There’s not a whole lot that needs to be said about Dre’s defense. He’s basically hawking the ball regardless of who has it, getting through screens like he’s your shadow, and just hounding the living hell out of the opponents. He’s long, smart, and just unforgiving in his pursuit of his mark. Russell Westbrook’s historic numbers may be the reason why Oklahoma City has remained dangerous despite the exodus of a 4x scoring champion and former MVP, but Roberson and his dynamic defending might be the force that keeps the Thunder crackling.
The front end is more of the flashy stuff, blocks and ripping people, but if you can manage to stick around, the back end is all about how he forces good offensive players into either bad shots, turnovers, or to pick up the ball after deny most or all of their options. I even included a few clips where he'll chase guys around screens and deny the first look, essentially blowing up the set.
*Description from May 2017
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13 окт 2018
