On a team with two MVP winners and dozens of All-Stars, one voice rose above the rest on defense:
Mason Plumlee.
Per John Schumann’s NBA.com notebook:
I will say that Plumlee was the most vocal big man in the scrimmage. You can see the Kevin Garnett influence, because he’s always letting his backcourt teammates know if they’re by themselves on the perimeter or if there’s a screen coming.
Plumlee told YES Network about Garnett’s influence in March:
Schumann took note of Plumlee’s struggles on offense, too:
Plumlee struggled offensively in the scrimmage, missing two free throws and committing two turnovers (an illegal screen and a traveling violation). Second, in talking about the bigs, Krzyzewski said that Plumlee “is going to be in the scrimmage on Friday.” Reading between the lines (which may be a bad idea), it sounds like Plumlee probably won’t be with the team beyond that.
That will happen to a sophomore competing with the world’s most talented players. Still, Plumlee refused to shrink in a gym full of the game’s giants. The guy on the fringe of camp seized a leadership role on defense. No small feat.
Plumlee possesses the athleticism to be an impact defender, and all signs appear to him having the work ethic to reach that goal. Plumlee growing as a more vocal defender only improves his chances to make that next step.
The best defenses are frequent communicators, and it’s reassuring to see Plumlee take another page from KG’s book.
NBA.com — John Schumann, USA Camp – Day 3 Notes
