The Box and One

The Box and One

Share this post

The Box and One
The Box and One
Strength-4: Identifying the Next Wave of Wing Connectors

Strength-4: Identifying the Next Wave of Wing Connectors

Part Two on the traits of successful NBA 4 men, which prospects could embody them, and a brief glimpse through the looking glass to see what trends may come next

The Box and One's avatar
The Box and One
Dec 28, 2022
∙ Paid

Share this post

The Box and One
The Box and One
Strength-4: Identifying the Next Wave of Wing Connectors
Share

If you missed Part One in our series on the Strength-4, make sure you check it out before reading any further.

The Box and One
Strength-4: Why the Position is Vital to NBA Success
It’s a rare occasion when the stylistic tendencies in the NBA start to mimic those of lower levels of basketball. What we may be seeing now is a stretch of seasons where a longstanding principle at l…
Read more
2 years ago · The Box and One

Part One of this series was vital as a philosophical thinkpiece and identification of a trend: teams were winning in the NBA by having a smaller, more versatile 4-man than ever before. Having one veteran role player at the 4 with defensive acumen has a correlation to success through the regular season and into the playoffs.

That’s the what. Here in Part Two, we hope to answer the why.

Right off the bat, several overlap points come when looking at successful archetypes like PJ Tucker, Jae Crowder, Robert Covington, Grant Williams, and Dorian Finney-Smith:

  • Size - all players are somewhere from 6’6” to 6’9” and, ideally, have decent length.

  • Exceptional strength - few offensive players can displace them on the block one-on-one. There are countless examples where isolation scorers get them in the pinch post and cannot easily back them down. They hold their ground and meet contact with a strong chest.

  • High defensive IQ - Being a defensive specialist doesn’t just mean following around another star player and beating the crap out of them physically. A great deal of awareness goes into avoiding switches, being a good team defender, neutralizing threats at other positions… and taking on the mental gamesmanship of outdueling the best in the world when they have an advantage.

  • Workable catch-and-shoot impact - There have been many potential defensive specialists who can fit the mold put forth by these five guys, including Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Andre Roberson. MKG and Roberson got played off the floor in postseason series in a way that these guys haven’t. The main reason is competence in standing on the perimeter and hitting open 3-pointers.

  • Accepting their role - The biggest X-factor between why some role players make it and others do not is their willingness to fully embrace what they’re being asked. These guys don’t average 15 points per game or get montage highlights on YouTube after every game. For this role in particular, it takes a special person to thrive year after year and become a professional star-stopper.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 The Box and One
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share