Defensive communication has a face this preseason: Yaxel Lendeborg, trying to contain Austin Reaves while accounting for Walker Kessler behind him. During Golden State’s October 13 game against the Lakers, those competing responsibilities pulled the rookie apart. The San Francisco Chronicle described him retreating toward Kessler on one possession and standing flat-footed against Reaves on another. “I messed up a bunch of coverages today,” Lendeborg told the Chronicle afterward.
Reaves finished with 28 points and seven assists in 25 minutes, according to his NBA player report. Golden State had given him plenty to examine. The revealing part comes before the finish. When does Lendeborg take the ball, and when does he stay with the big? His perimeter partner needs the same answer before Reaves turns the corner.
That makes October uncomfortable for coaches and fascinating for everyone watching closely. A rookie can understand the diagram, recognize the opponent and still hesitate when both start moving. By then, Reaves has somewhere to go.
One screen two plans
Watch the big man’s feet when a ball screen arrives. A step toward the guard announces one intention; retreating toward the basket announces another. The perimeter defender must organize his own route around that choice. This is where defensive communication needs to become specific. “Screen” warns a teammate about contact, but it leaves the coverage unanswered. Are the defenders switching assignments, trapping the dribbler or keeping the center nearer the rim?
For a rookie handling center minutes, that decision carries an uncomfortable tradeoff. Step up too late, and the guard reaches his shooting pocket. Retreat without support, and the ball handler attacks a defender moving backward. Teams fix this by setting clear rules for when to switch. They also need an answer when the screener changes his angle or slips away before contact.
The useful test comes on the next possession. Does the guard steer the ball toward the help his teammate actually provides? Two defenders can compete ferociously while executing different plans. Reaves does not need either one to quit. A brief disagreement gives him enough room.
Brooklyn’s preseason pressure attacks that same decision from the other direction. Instead of letting the guard survey his options, the Nets want to make him surrender the ball.
Pressure travels beyond the ball
In an October 11 report carried by Yahoo Sports, Demetrius Montero described the Nets blitzing ball handlers and switching Moritz Wagner onto guards. Wagner characterized their ball-screen defense as “super aggressive.” Brooklyn had forced 46 turnovers across games against Charlotte and Philadelphia. Those results give the approach substance. They do not guarantee that every rotation will hold.
A blitz commits two defenders to one dribbler. Once the ball escapes, the other three must account for four offensive players until somebody recovers. Defensive communication has to reach that second group before the pass does. The defender near the rim needs to identify the rolling big. His teammate must decide which shooter to cover while the original trap breaks apart.
The tension comes from how quickly those jobs change. A wing who sinks toward the paint may have to sprint outward as soon as the receiver turns his shoulders. Brooklyn’s pressure asks the offense to make a hurried decision. Its own defenders cannot afford a slower one. That makes the players behind the trap essential to the gamble. For a useful picture of those supporting movements, follow the Lakers away from the ball against Sacramento.
The help behind the trap
The double-team began in the post rather than at a ball screen, but it created a similar demand elsewhere on the floor. In his October 8 film breakdown for Silver Screen and Roll, Raj Chipalu traced the sequence. Sandro Mamukelashvili doubled a mismatch involving Bronny James. Jake LaRavia rotated toward the post, while Adou Thiero covered two weak-side threats and intercepted the pass.
The steal belonged to Thiero. Several teammates helped make it available. That sequence captures the part of defensive communication that disappears when viewers follow only the ball. Once Mamukelashvili commits, LaRavia and Thiero inherit different jobs. Each movement changes what the next defender can safely attempt.
A successful rotation needs boundaries. Who stops the immediate threat, and who protects the passing lane behind him? Without that agreement, an aggressive double can become an invitation to find an unattended shooter. Thiero’s interception shows the reward when the remaining defenders anticipate the release. The second rotation determines whether pressure becomes an advantage or a scramble.
Keep that sequence in mind when possession changes. Defenders face the same problem in transition, only now they must sort out their responsibilities while sprinting toward their own basket.
The corner nobody claimed
FOX Sports’ box score recorded Golden State winning the fast-break scoring 17–11 against the Lakers on October 13. That measures fast-break scoring, rather than every transition possession. Even within that limit, it gives this preseason’s discussion a concrete starting point: defenses must organize while opponents accelerate.
For a sharper picture, rewind three days to Golden State’s game against Sacramento. The Chronicle reported that Lendeborg drew two Kings defenders on a first-quarter break, leaving Stephen Curry open in the left corner. There was the dilemma in plain sight: stop the player attacking the paint without abandoning the shooter beside it. Curry’s location makes the mistake impossible to dismiss. Sacramento needed somebody to recognize that the drive had already attracted help.
Defensive communication in transition should resolve that duplication. One player claims the ball, another protects the basket, and the next identifies the dangerous receiver. Their positions determine the assignments; chasing familiar matchups can wait. The difficult moment comes when a trailing teammate arrives. Until he announces whom he has covered, the defenders ahead of him cannot confidently exchange responsibilities.
That is how defensive communication breaks down even after everybody sprints back. The effort gets five bodies into the picture, but overlapping decisions still leave an opening. Against Curry, that opening can sit several strides from the action that created it. The connection to Lendeborg’s difficult night against Reaves runs through those overlapping responsibilities. Whether defending a screen or retreating toward the paint, somebody must claim one threat so a teammate can handle the next.
What has to carry over
The next useful preseason possession might begin with an ordinary adjustment: a big man calling the coverage while the screener still approaches. His guard changes his stance. The weak-side wing checks the roller, then looks back toward his shooter. Nobody points after the basket because nobody has to explain a surprise.
That should be the standard for defensive communication as rotations settle. Coaches need evidence that a correction survives a substitution, a changed screen angle and a second action. Repeating the right answer in a timeout offers little comfort if the next lineup cannot execute it.
The evaluation also needs some honesty about physical limits. Clear calls cannot guarantee that a rookie stays in front of Reaves. A center might recognize the drive perfectly and still lack the foot speed to contain it. Those are different problems, and they demand different fixes.
Teams should review when the call arrived, whether a teammate acknowledged it and which responsibility changed afterward. The next opponent will supply a harder test by moving the screen or sending a shooter through the space behind the help.
For Lendeborg and other newcomers, progress means making one decision early enough for teammates to trust it. Another defender can cover a physical disadvantage more readily when he knows where help belongs. The possession worth watching ends with five players finding someone to guard before the offense finds someone alone.
READ MORE: When NBA coaches trust two-way players to handle meaningful rotation minutes
FAQs
Why do NBA preseason defenses look disorganized?
Changing lineups must coordinate screens, switches and help assignments at game speed. A brief disagreement can leave the offense an open lane or shooter.
What should defenders communicate during a screen?
They need to identify the screen and confirm the coverage. Both defenders must know whether to switch, trap or keep the center near the rim.
What is a blitz in NBA defense?
Two defenders pressure the ball handler to force a pass or turnover. Their teammates must cover the remaining threats until they recover.
Why does defensive communication matter in transition?
Defenders must quickly identify who stops the ball, protects the basket and covers shooters. Clear calls prevent two teammates from chasing the same threat.
Can better communication fix every defensive mistake?
Clear calls reduce confusion, but physical limitations still matter. A defender can recognize the correct assignment and struggle to contain a quicker opponent.
