Defensive assignments

[markprior22]

I'm a very casual basketball fan so this may be a dumb question. I usually play with the Celtics and often see Tatum assigned to opponents PG with other assignments leaving Kemba Walker on a PF or C. What would keep the center from posting up on Kemba every possession? I also wonder about quick guards and a big defender like Tatum. I understand wanting to match up good d on good offense but this doesn't make sense to me. I would like to hear other opinions.

[Gary Gorski]

It shouldn't be putting Tatum on a PG - does it happen with the default file or just in your game? Might need to have you send files in to support to look.

[markprior22]

I ran into this situation again and sent files to support. Thanks

[Gary Gorski]

Ok so the issue here is with the instructions you have set on the strategy page. You have listed three players to give defensive orders to - Smart for a perimeter player, Brown for any player and Tatum for perimeter player.

So what this is doing when it sets the assignments is it starts with Smart because he was your top assigned player and you assigned him to a perimeter player so it's going to look for the opposing team's best perimeter player and assign Smart to him. Then it goes to Brown since he's next and you chose any player for his assignment so its going to find whoever the best remaining offensive option regardless of position is and it puts Brown on him. You also gave instructions for Tatum to then next be assigned to a perimeter player so it's looking at who is left on the perimeter (which like you said often might be a PG) so he gets put on him. That leaves Walker and Theis for whoever is left which with two perimeter guys already taken up and likely a third there might be only the PF and C left to assign them to.

If you drop the Brown and Tatum assignments then it will assign the rotations more normally or you could assign Tatum to a post player. Really unless you are trying to do specific matchups you probably don't need to go three deep on your defensive assignment lists or else you might end up with situations like what I described where Kemba and Theis are left with a PF and C to guard because the other guys are already being set based on your instructions first.

[markprior22]

Makes sense. Thanks for checking it out Gary.