Your right - but it should be noted that Paul has improved his defense each year. And even before that, his liabilities at all stages have been fairly easy to mask when he’s the weakest link on the floor. You have to look no further than the 2020-21 finish at 16 in defensive efficiency with him logging +27 mpg.
The issue is when he’s not the weakest defender on the floor. Our defensive ranking of 53 last season doesn’t tell the whole story. Miller’s 7+ minutes a game were more impactful than he’s given credit for. His time replaced time that Paul was defending the perimeter with Hyatt or Jaden. It made a big difference.
The thing with Cam is - his defense is only a concern if he’s lighting it up in terms of offense. Pike is a defense first guy - if Cam isn’t nailing shots Pike will sub for our better defenders. That’s always been his style and seems unlikely to change. At minimum - Its hard to dispute the commentary in the podcast - Miller, Paul, Caleb, Mag, Cliff line up feels like a national defensive line up of the year contender should Pike choose to run with it. Of course - scoring would be a huge question mark but…
Bottom line - after listening to this commentary I walked away feeling that it’s reasonable to expect - either our offense will be better than I originally thought or the defense really can be elite (not just good). If both those things come true - watch out! Will be a fun year.