Elvin Hayes protecting the rim for the Bullets
The 2020-2021 Washington Wizards are a bad defensive team. And that might actually be an understatement. Given the personnel, it seems unlikely that this group will magically turn into a good defensive team anytime soon.
Larry Hughes and I have talked a lot about the team’s porous defense on the Bleav in Wizards podcast. On this week’s show, Hughes explained what it takes to be a good defensive team in the NBA and how they could improve.
We also discussed if anyone on this roster had the potential to make the jump to be an above-average individual defender. We both feel Rui Hachimura is one of the few guys with the potential to make a major leap defensively. We haven’t really seen that from Hachimura so far this season but he’s still young and should continue to make strides on that side of the ball.
Kevin Durant adds his voice to criticism of TNT: ‘Them old heads need to go enjoy retirement’
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Ratings for the NBA on TNT this season, a welcome relief for the league and the TNT production crew, considering the pandemic, but in recent weeks, game call and studio crew have taken some hits from fans and critics.
It’s not uncommon for example to hear game announcers misidentify players, as they did a few games back when Chris Webber on more than one occasion called Taurean Prince “DeMarre Carroll.” And eight years after the Nets moved to Brooklyn, there are been references to the New Jersey Nets.
January 18, 2021
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving is one of the best players in the NBA. He has career averages of 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Nets and won the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors with the Cavs.
A six-time All-Star and the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year, Irving will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. He’s got arguably the top handles of all time and puts on a show every night he steps on the basketball court.
However, Kyrie Irving is one of the most polarizing athletes in sports history despite being extremely talented.
NBA player
Kyrie Irving may be MIA from the Brooklyn Nets, but he’s remained involved in his social justice work. The outspoken player has been fined almost a million dollars for violating COVID-19 protocols after giving his sister, Asia, a birthday party with a group of guests that were not wearing masks. Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets calls a play during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center on January 03, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Wizards won 123-122. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
He’s also missed six games with no public explanation and with varying reports of the communication between him and the team. But despite his issues, Irving has used his platform to support his activism. As a vice-president of the NBA Player’s Association, Irving was one of the most outspoken NBA players in the league, advocating that the players boycott the last season’s re-start in the wake of COVID-19 and the summer’s r