David West Makes Pick And Roll Defense So Tough

I don’t think enough people appreciate what David West does to your pick and roll defense. West, honestly, doesn’t really set screens as much as he floats his body in different directions to get open on pick and pops. That’s so counterintuitive to defend, especially for an aggressive team like the Heat.

That explains why, on one play, Udonis Haslem initially stepped up to cut off Darren Collison, then ran far away from him while Collison still had the ball. Haslem was so scared about West’s ability to get open on the pick and pop that he left the guard with the ball. Collison penetrated and found Paul George for an open corner three, and Haslem got an earful from Dwyane Wade coming down the court.