Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:
Stephenson’s biggest problem has been off-the-ball defense.
He’s sticking to the true meaning of man-to-man defense. He stays on his man and doesn’t pay attention to where the ball is on the court.
That was the case during a recent scrimmage when Stephenson stood and watched as fellow rookie Paul George caught the ball, squared his body to the basket and took an uncontested 3-point shot in the corner.
“I’ve got to be at the right spot on the court and see the where the ball is at when my man doesn’t have it,” Stephenson said. “The ball will be across court and I’ll still be on my man. I’ll get better at it.”
The 6-5, 210-pound Stephenson is also having difficulty defending the pick-and-roll. He gets screened instead of fighting through the pick, or going around it when the opportunity is there.
O’Brien wants him to pressure the ball so it would be harder for Stephenson to get picked.
