Kent Bazemore often faces a considerable size disadvantage when playing small forward.
When Mike Budenholzer was asked recently about the issue of Bazemore defending bigger opponents, the Hawks coach responded with a query of his own.
“Are you calling Baze skinny?’ he asked with a smile.
Well, yes, as a matter of fact.
It’s nothing that the 6-foot-5, 201-pound Bazemore hasn’t heard before. Many times.
“It’s been pretty much the story of my life,” Bazemore said. “I’ve always been too skinny, too lanky. There’s always an excuse.”
Bazemore has started at small forward in four of the five Hawks’ exhibition games this preseason and could start the season as the replacement for DeMarre Carroll at the position as Thabo Sefolosha returns from a broken right leg. If Sefolosha at some point assumes the starting spot, Bazemore will still play significant minutes. Replacing Carroll is the biggest question facing the Hawks entering the 2015-16 season.
“For me, I go out there and play hard,” Bazemore said. “With our team defense concepts, Coach does a great job of absorbing the blow of me guarding bigger guys. I’ll funnel them to the baseline or we’ll come over and trap if they get a deep catch.
“For me, it’s making it tough on them. They are big guys. When I was in L.A. I started at the 3 a lot and guarded Rudy Gay, Joe Johnson, Carmelo (Anthony), Kevin Durant, Nicolas Batum. So I’ve played against the bulk of the small forwards in the league.”
Ironically, Bazemore calls part of his defensive strategy “getting skinny.” He can turn his body and use his arms to deny his man the ball or harass the entry pass. Or, as he says, be a nuisance.
Of the 29 other projected starters at small forward in the NBA this season, only the Bulls’ Tony Snell, the Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins and the Wizards’ Otto Porter Jr. are listed as weighing less than Bazemore.
Budenholzer said there are no plans for Bazemore to add weight.
“Each night will be a little bit different,” Budenholzer of the team strategy. “Baze, first of all, is very long. That’s hard to appreciate. His length is the equivalent or better than a lot of small forwards in the league. When it comes to the bulk, we are going to have some schemes to help him, put different guys in different places.
“He is fearless. He wants every challenge. He thinks he can probably guard centers or point guards. He is a great defender, a willing defender. When you start there, it’s a good place.”
There are two ends to a basketball court and that’s where Bazemore feels he has an advantage. If he has to guard bigger players, then they have to keep up with him. When the Hawks get a defensive rebound, Bazemore wants to take off in the other direction.
There he can use his athleticism to get to the basket, make a back-door cut or be in position for a 3-point shot. Extending his shooting range is an area Bazemore has worked on since joining the Hawks last season. He said there have been times when his defender has asked to switch defensive assignments with a teammate.
“If we keep doing this 94-feet thing all night, I like my chances,” Bazemore said.
Bazemore and the veteran Sefolosha (6-7, 220 pounds) have worked together on defending bigger players. They study film on playing angles and being in the proper spot once the opposition enters the zone. If they are caught defending deep in the post, help should be on the way.
The Hawks have experimented with a big lineup during the preseason, one that includes Paul Millsap at small forward. It has received mixed reviews.
“It’s a challenge,” Bazemore said of his stature. “That’s why I embrace it. I’m giving up 40-50 pounds, 60 pounds to LeBron (James). It don’t bother me. That’s my matchup. They’ll try to post me up but it’s going to be harder than it looks. I wear that chip on my shoulder every night.”
