Claxton would double Embiid, and his length combined with Johnson’s physicality made life difficult for the All-Star center. Alize Johnson - an shorter, but active player - was put on Joel Embiid while Nic Claxton - a long, rangy big - checked Ben Simmons. But when the Nets “stay ready” squad made a late-game comeback in Philadelphia just a few weeks ago, the coverage reflected this one. The Nets have struggled with Embiid in the past, often just opting to put DeAndre Jordan on him and living with the results. I’d like to see the Nets employ this strategy against some of the best in the East, namely Joel Embiid.

He ultimately passes to JaMychal Green under the rim, but KD is already in the area - and it’s a swat. And once again, Durant will come over to help once Jokic has fully committed to his upward motion. Jokic will dominate in the post by using his weight to throw defenders off of their center of gravity, but Griffin is able to match him step-for-step. Here, Blake Griffin is once again matched up with a European center - the presumptive MVP, Nikola Jokic. More often than not, he’s going to be coming over from the opposite side to emphatically slap the ball away. Due to his slim frame, he’s usually not going to be meeting players at the rim Bam Adebayo-style. Similarly to his years in The Bay, the main way Durant is making an impact as a shot-blocker is from the weak side.

When he’s on the floor, opponents shoot 2.8 percent worse at the rim, which puts during in the top fifth of the league in that category,įor the Nets, a team whose struggles on the defensive end of the floor have been well-documented, a revitalized defensive game from one of their best players is sure to be a welcomed sign in the quest for a championship this summer. He’s back in the 97th percentile of Block Percentage, this time at 1.9 percent. In the midst of a tumultuous debut season in Brooklyn, Durant is starting to regain his shot-blocking form. Durant’s prime years as a rim protector came in Golden State, where he posted Block Percentages of 2.4 percent and 2.5 percent (ranking in the 97th and 100th percentiles) en route to his two NBA Championships. What he doesn’t get as much credit for, however, is how that 7’ 5” wingspan helps him be a deterrent on defense. Aided by those freakishly long arms, he’s able to use the skills of a guard to rise up and fire over any defender. For Kevin Durant, it’s his absurd size and length. Every superstar has a game-breaking ability.

Kd wingspan