Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce has opened up on his defensive philosophy.
In an interview with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pierce revealed that he scrapped his previous defensive concept — which he dubbed “finish over length” — as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Each of the Sixers players had length which allowed them to switch on defense. However, that hasn't been an option with the Hawks.
Hawks defense: Prevention and protection – and then Lloyd Pierce can get to all in his back pocket.https://t.co/2KL5kTr7Ff pic.twitter.com/vWc0uk0oN4
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) June 6, 2019
Instead, Pierce implemented a defensive scheme which he calls “prevention and protection” with the Hawks, a strategy which doesn't allow penetration into the restricted area. If it happens, the players must adjust to protect the rim, per Vivlamore.
“In a nutshell, it's hard because we don't have the luxury right now to say finish over length,” Pierce explained. “We have to protect everyone with rotations, with crowds, with positioning. That takes time. It takes trust. It's not even a scheme thing. It's a principle thing.”
“We haven't even got to schemes yet because our principles need to be better. It takes two to three years for you to become really good defensively, and a lot of it goes back to prevention. Elite teams prevent. Championship teams prevent and protect.”
Pierce's approach hasn't exactly worked wonders in Atlanta. The Hawks had the worst defense in the league this season, allowing 118.3 points per game. They finished 26th in field-goal percentage (.473) and defensive rating (113.0). They also finished 27th in opponent field goals made (42.4).
The 43-year-old coach said it takes two to three years before a team becomes good defensively. Can the Hawks turn things around during that span? If Atlanta wants to improve on its 29-win season, it must tighten the screws on defense. No ifs and buts about it.
Follow Us
Subscribe