Season goal for Admiral Schofield No. 2) Defend at a high level
The OKC Thunder are not going to be a good team next year. They have traded away most of the pieces that helped them get to the fifth seed.
However, they are a team who have always been proud of their defense.
This an area where a role player will make their mark next season.
While Schofield’s 3-point shooting will help his cause, it will be his defense that will make or break him. Due to the NBA transitioning to a perimeter league, his lack of height is not a huge problem defending the post.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗨𝗣 🎞️
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 13, 2020
On Dec. 4, Admiral Schofield became the first player in franchise history to play in a G League game and an NBA game in the same day.#RepTheDistrict | @admiralelite15 pic.twitter.com/GwLjwUfHOt
Schofield was never able to average over a steal per game in college and, last season, he averaged just 0.2 per game for the Wizards.
This number improves to 0.8 per 36 but, still, this is not really good enough either.
Due to his lack of height, Schofield needs to fill passing lanes.
Schofield is never going to be a good shot-blocker, but he can be a good weakside help defender, cutting off part of the court by getting in the ball-handlers line of sight. Schofield also needs to focus on the basics by making his defensive assignments.
This may not sound high level, but it got Andre Roberson an All-NBA defensive nod.