Ariza Gives Hornets Much-Needed Defensive Stopper
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
August 25, 2010Along with the fact that they’re either an NBA shooting guard or small forward, what did Orlando’s Vince Carter, Golden State’s Reggie Williams and Washington’s Al Thornton have in common during the 2009-10 regular season? Here’s a hint: the only way you might know this is if you watched the New Orleans Hornets play regularly.
OK, time’s up. The answer: Carter, Williams and Thornton each compiled one of the best offensive games of their professional careers vs. New Orleans. Carter put on a one-man offensive show on Feb. 8, pouring in 48 points, 14 more points than he scored in any other 2009-10 game. Williams racked up 28 points on March 8, in only his fifth NBA appearance after being called up from the D-League by Golden State. On Nov. 17, Thornton deposited 30 points for the Clippers in NOLA.
Amid the Hornets’ decline from ninth in defensive efficiency in 2008-09 to 21st last season, an inability to contain opposing wing players became a glaring problem. With opponents often penetrating into the lane or roaming freely on the perimeter, it made it exceedingly difficult for frontcourt starters Emeka Okafor and David West to protect the basket. Okafor did finish 11th individually in the NBA with 127 blocks, but New Orleans’ defensive field-goal percentage of 48.3 ranked 28th in the league.
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“If your safeties are your leading tacklers, that’s a problem,” Williams has said. “It means you’re not stopping anyone at the line of scrimmage. It means that you need to go get better defensive linemen and linebackers.”
Although Williams will try to improve the Hornets’ overall team defense from a collective standpoint, he’ll also need better individual defenders to push New Orleans back into the upper half of the NBA’s rankings at that end of the floor.
Enter Trevor Ariza.
Ariza, an Aug. 11 trade acquisition from the Houston Rockets, initially received acclaim for his clutch three-point shooting with the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers championship team. He further demonstrated his offensive ability by averaging a career-high 14.9 points per game with the Rockets last season. Still, since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2004, the athletic, 6-foot-8 Ariza has always been known more for his defensive prowess. Along with the potential development of versatile 6-foot-6 rookie small forward Quincy Pondexter, Williams believes Ariza gives the Hornets a chance to upgrade their ability to slow down high-scoring opposing shooting guards and small forwards.
“I think (Ariza) makes us more attractive for a number of reasons, but most importantly, we have some opposition (on the wing) that keeps Emeka and David from having to do all of the work,” Williams said. “For our defense to get better, we had to improve in that area. And if Quincy can come along as fast as I think he can, it’s going to make our bench even better.”
“When you have a guy who can match up with the Kobes and Paul Pierces (on defense), those kinds of guys, I think it only helps your club,” said first-year New Orleans vice president of player personnel Gerald Madkins, who watched Ariza closely last season while Madkins was in the Houston organization. “Hopefully we can get Trevor to a point where he’s competing on a nightly basis with those guys… He’s known around the league for being a lockdown defender. I had a chance to work with him last year. His reputation is well-earned. He will definitely provide a defensive presence to this organization that they may not have seen.”
Ariza’s combination of length, quickness and leaping ability have given his prior NBA coaches the flexibility to match him up against players at four different positions, including point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and even some power forwards. That’s a luxury Williams is excited to explore and will give the Hornets more options in trying to game-plan against opponents in 2010-11.
“The threat of having someone (strong defensively) changes the other team’s preparation,” Williams said. “Trevor is a guy you have to account for. And it gives Quincy someone who can do what I’m teaching. Quincy’s going to be able to watch a guy who is actually doing it.
“Guys who can guard multiple positions, they always find a way onto the floor. Trevor has already proven he can win games with his defense. He had a huge steal in the (2009 Western Conference finals). He has a knack for that kind of thing.”
As a player who primarily came off the bench and attempted fewer than five shots per game over the first four seasons of his NBA career, Ariza quickly embraced the role of defensive stopper, realizing it was the easiest way for him to earn playing time. He’s improved his skill level and expanded his offensive game in the past two seasons with the Lakers and Rockets, but maintained a reputation as a relentless defender.
“Defense is mostly will,” Ariza said. “It’s mostly effort and the will to want to do it. If someone gets by me or scores on me, I take it personally. That’s what you have to do to become a really good defender in this league, because everyone can score the ball. Whatever’s asked of me, I’m going to try to do it. I’m going to go out fighting.”
Madkins: “He’s very intense and is all about winning. He’s a team-first guy. He’s going to make the sacrifices on the court that don’t show up in the statistics. He’s a guy who’s going to dive on the floor and (guard) the toughest offensive player on the floor every night. He’s hard-nosed and tough. Folks here in New Orleans who like hard-working guys, they’re going to gravitate toward Trevor, because that’s what he does. He plays at the highest level with energy and effort on a nightly basis.”
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