Monta Ellis has never been considered a good defender in the NBA. The coming generalization about Monta defense is that it’s non-existent. Monta was asked by Gregg Doyel how he felt about being known as a poor defender.
I asked new Pacer Monta Ellis about his rep as a subpar defender. His answer, in two parts. Part I: "It's all opinions …"
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) July 14, 2015
Monta did seem to improve as a defender under Rick Carlisle. For many young guys when they first enter the league it’s harder for them to buy into defense philosophy. Particularly great scorers who must be used to simply outscoring everyone else. Monta even addressed with Doyel the state of the league’s defense.
Monta Ellis, Part II: "I think it’s only a handful of guys in this NBA that play defense. You can name 5 of them, and one…is on my team."
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) July 14, 2015
It not a defense driven league Monta is right about that. With Iguodala winning the NBA Finals MVP because of his defense that may change.