When ranking the best defensive backcourts in the league, Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday will be a duo that comes up quickly on that list. Holiday himself has already spoken about it and players around the league know of the proven pedigree of Holiday and the potential of Ball.
E’Twaun Moore is amongst those who are excited about a potential backcourt featuring that duo. In a recent interview with HoopsHype, Moore talked about the potential of those two on the court together defensively.
Oh man, they could be real dominant. Both of those guys hawk the ball and are really aggressive. They can both switch one-through-three or one-through-four. They can lock down most people. They’re going to make us very versatile and they’re going to be really tough to play against.
Holiday himself sees the duo as a potentially great force, as he recently said in his own interview during a Summer League game.
“I’m excited about that. I’m excited about that. So seeing Lonzo play ever since UCLA, play with my little brother, being able to play against him now for a couple years in the league, how he gets after it, how active he is, how he can pass, how he can even get to the basket and make plays. But his defense is where I feel like I love him the most because I’m a defensive guy. Being able to be aggressive, get steals then after steals, being able to make the right play, that’s him.”
In reality, the only team with an objectively better defensive backcourt is the Clippers with Patrick Beverley and Paul George. Aside from that, not only will the Pelicans have one of the best defensive backcourts but one of the best defensive teams period.
Brandon Ingram is still one of the best young perimeter defenders, Derrick Favors is an underrated defender down low and Zion Williamson flashed moments of brilliance on the defensive end at Duke.
The quintet may be in their first year together but there’s reason to believe they could form a formidable force defensively next season.
