WASJU doesnt see the difference between calling a someone a bad defender and saying someone has the worst effort he has ever seen. He was a bad defender, no one has said he was a good defender. The kid absolutely tried.
I agree. His effort was always more than satisfactory to me. He hit the glass, hit the deck for loose balls, and he was all over the place. I actually saw him make a huge mistake covering a guy by going for a fake...he had the quickness to completely recover as the man drove to the basket (which nobody on the team would have been physically able to do) and then he went for another fake as his man laid it in uncontested.
On another play he was so lost Ponds two-hand shoved him (and not in a nice way) to where he should be. Nobody will ever mistake Ponds for Gary Payton on defense either, but he is so alert that he could instantly pickup where he needed to be and where Dixon needed to be. That is what Dixon lacks.
LJ is not a good defender either, but he makes up for it with positioning and instincts (and long arms).
We need two-way players to fill out the depth.