Bazemore is a Proficient Defensive Playmaker

The Rockets are going to miss the defensive impact that Trevor Ariza provided them. It’s absolutely crucial that they manage to fill at least some of that void with a replacement. James Ennis is not known to be an overly impactful defensive threat, so an outside option like Kent Bazemore could be a better solution.

Something that seems to go under the radar about Bazemore is his defensive playmaking ability. While his 6’5″ height may not be ideal, his 7’0″ wingspan along with his quickness allows him to force turnovers and block shots better than most guards. It would not only fill a defensive playmaking void left behind by Ariza, he would likely surpass his impact.

To put it into perspective, Bazemore averaged 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks last season within an average of 27.5 minutes. From an efficiency standpoint, he produced a 3.2 percent steals percentage and a 1.2 percent blocks percentage. He ended up averaging the same number of steals as Ariza and 0.5 more blocks in an average of 6.4 fewer minutes.

Of course, a player’s defensive impact is far from made up of only defensive playmaking. What made Ariza so helpful was his on-ball defense and his 6’8″ height helped. An issue that the Rockets could face is Bazemore’s height preventing him from matching up with the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Paul George during a Western Conference playoff series.

Not every acquisition is perfect and an acquisition of Bazemore would be no difference. He would be able to make a great impact in a ‘3-and-D’ role as a defender throughout the regular season but certain matchups could be an issue in the playoffs. They would have to be ready to make help defensive rotations in these situations.

Next Up: Bazemore is a Better Playmaker Than Ariza