James: Defensive communication is crucial in the era of defense switching. The Knicks protected Brunson well

Basketball 12:24am, 4 July 2025 118

Recently, in the latest episode of the "Brain of the Field" podcast, James and Durant discussed the difficulty of defensiveness in today's NBA.

Durant: "Would you say that the defense has become better? Or is it more creative?"

James: "Not exactly that. I wouldn't say that the defense is more creative now, because it's a popular league for switching. Everyone wants to switch defenses. To be honest, you can switch defenses effectively only when you have the right players. I think it's a good job like the New York Knicks... Sometimes when Jaylen Brunson gets replaced to Pa When Scal Siakam, they were able to push him out of the defense area well, let him go to the weak corner or find other players on the weak side. After the switch occurs, there are not many players who can pass the ball quickly and find opportunities to score on the weak side. Few players in our league can do this. So, I think there is indeed some improvement in this regard. But at the end of the day, the key to defense is communication. With effective communication, you can make up for a lot of problems."