Lakers Draft Prospects: Skal Labissiere Breakdown

Defense

Dipping again into talking about Labissiere’s physical shortcomings, they make another appearance when it comes to his defense. Conversely to how he can’t get down onto the block consistently on offense, opponents have relatively routinely been able to back the Haitian big man down onto the block and gain position for good looks. Moreover, they’re able to keep him off the glass by simply overpowering him and pushing him out of position.

Another negative on the defensive end for Labissiere as of right now is the fact that the big man has a propensity for gambling and not making the smart or aware play on that end of the floor. That includes not playing proper help defense or being in position which has led to opposing scores, as well as trying to block shots and either mis-timing his jump or simply not having good enough position to make the play.

However, his shot blocking ability is one of his best attributes on the defensive end. Whenever he’s in the right position to make a defensive play, he normally has the instincts and simply the size to make the necessary defensive play:

See how he slides over on that play in help defense when it becomes clear that the guard is going to take the shot? That’s certainly a positive for player with his size that he has the instincts in place to make that play. However, his lack of strength and coming-and-going awareness on the defensive end make him far from a complete package in that regard.

Next: Mental Make-Up