How Washington Wizards Two-Way Prospect Jordan Schakel Shines As A Solid Defensive Wing
Dakota Schmidt breaks down the defense of Washington Wizards two-way player Jordan Schakel
Let me start this piece by being honest with you. At the start of the 2021-22 G League season, San Diego State alum Jordan Schakel wasn’t one of the players that I had my eye on whenever I started up a Capital City Go-Go game. That attention was drawn to the likes of two-way players Cassius Winston & Joel Ayayi or big Jaime Echeneique, who impressed me when I went to watch film of his time with Acunsa GBC of the Spanish ACB league.
In something that has both happened before and will occur in the future, the 6’6 wing quickly demanded my attention with his play in a Go-Go uniform. That engrossment came through witnessing his activity on the defensive end. While impressive on-ball, he reminded me more of an NFL free safety with how he was able to use a mix of his frame, quick feet, and tremendous processing skills to survey the floor and make an impact while working off-ball.
Back in January, yours truly utilize film and voice over to break down an impressive sequence that occurred in their game against the Windy City Bulls. Despite being part of the Go-Go for just two months, the rookie showed an incredible comfort in being able to direct his teammates, on where to go in the play. Following him working as the director of the defense, he was able to both shade in to help on the driver before using his quick feet and balance to lay an amazing closeout that forced a pass out.
Schakel was able to quickly move in the direction of the recipient that forced another pass. As the shot clock was running down, he went into the restricted area recognizing that a cut was coming and was able to use his long arms to affect the layup attempt from Ethan Thompson.
Coinciding with that penchant of working as the G League’s version of Nick Collins through being a strong off-ball defender, Schakel was the furthest thing from a slouch when asked to defend his man in one-on-one scenarios. When put to the test, the San Diego State alum regularly was able to stick like Velcro no matter if he was asked to move horizontally or vertically. In either scenario, tremendous footwork is exhibited which prevents the ball-handler from getting any kind of breathing room.
While trying to use your body to stay in front of a ball-handler could lead to some defenders getting into foul trouble, he didn’t have a problem with that last year, as our subject averaged only 2.5 personal fouls in 32 minutes per game for the Go-Go. Jordan is able to do that by knowing where to place his hands and arms and using his chest to keep the offensive player from getting good positioning on their drives.
For a good example of Jordan’s footwork and how he uses his frame to defend on-ball drivers, all you need to do is look at the clip below. Matched up against veteran wing Sheldon Mac, the San Diego State alumdoes a great job of reacting to the drive and being able to stay on his hip and using his force to prevents him from getting a good angle on the drive. To finish out, the Go-Go wing does a tremendous job of defending the layup attempt by using verticality to prevent the ball-handler from getting a good look on his shot attempt.
Although the defensive numbers weren’t the best during his rookie year, as he averaged .9 steals and .3 blocks per game with the Go-Go, footwork, ability to use his frame, and defensive awareness still allowed him to be a positive force on that end of the floor.
Along with the film I’ve shown, another example of the impact that has on this end is shown by how Capital City were one of the finest defensive teams in the league. During the regular season, opponents averaged 106.7 points per 100 possessions against Capital City, which was the fifth lowest average in the G League.
One of the reasons behind that rests with how they held teams to shooting only 32% from beyond the arc, the second lowest average in the league. While other guards or wings like Jordan Goodwin, Joel Ayayi, and Craig Sword played their own role in guarding the perimeter, you’d have to believe that Mr. Schakel’s knack of defending off-ball and being able to move his feet to stay in front of his man made a significant impact in the success of the Go-Go’s defense.
As we now look ahead to the upcoming 2022-23 season, it’s going to be interesting to see how Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld, Jr. will fit the San Diego State alum into the team’s rotation that currently has Bradley Beal, Will Barton, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, and Johnny Davis as the team’s wings. While the jury is still out on how the rotation minutes will shake out, I hope my words have made it clear that Jordan Schakel stands as someone tahat can make a positive impact on the defensive end.