LeBron James was a below-average defender on his best day in his first three seasons in the NBA. He gradually improved, however, over the next four seasons in Cleveland, emerging as an elite defender in the last year-and-a-half with the Cavs.
If these two put in the effort, and nothing is indicating they aren't, there is a serious chance they improve enough.to have a good enough defense to win multiple titles. It's certainly not a guarantee, but it's not far-fetched.
The modern NBA youngster tends to be a very underdeveloped defender. The elite players in high school rarely play comparable elite talent outside of the AAU circuit and AAU is a setting that rarely emphasizes defense. Love has actually shown plenty of signs of being a very good defender. He may never be a rim protector, but he's elevated every other aspect of his defense since he's entered the league. Kyrie hasn't shown a great deal of progress as a defender, but for a guy who will be playing for his third coach in four years, I am not going to necessarily hold him 100% responsible for his lack of progress on that end of the floor. LeBron and Blatt will hold him accountable more than Byron Scott or Mike Brown ever did.
