Isaac Bonga is an underrated defender. Although the Wizards defence as a whole has been a massive joke, Bonga serves as a diamond in the rough on that end.

Across all positions, he ranks 26th in DPIPM, 22nd in Multi-Year DPIPM, T-44th in DRPM, T-49th in DRAPTOR, 14th in DRAPM, 11th in LA-DRAPM, 39th in basic defensive versatility, 76th percentile in DEPM, 88th percentile in RAD, and 84.3rd percentile in guarding PnR handlers.

What exactly is it that makes him so good though? Communication and ability to lead a defence, closeout abilities, anticipation, awareness, as well as length and size.

Of course, he is not a perfect defender. The number one weakness would be how prone he is to fouls, averaging 4.8 per 36 minutes. Much of this comes from him getting a little too touchy when matched up with the ball handler, or on ambitious plays such as drawing charges.

There is not much need to worry about all of this, though. The icing on the cake to everything I have said here today is that Bonga is only 20. Already this good a defender, many of the issues he has shown are bound to be ironed out with enough support and experience in the game.

Small things such as this can go a long way. Immediately after getting screened by Steve Adams, Isaac holds him in place for a split second to kill off momentum in the attempted PnR play. This clearly helped Thomas Bryant contest the shot.

Here he's initially gravitated towards a driving CP3 on the fastbreak, but instantly recognizes a pass to the perimeter and effectively closes out with composure. Not jumping or losing momentum prevented a launch from deep. Unfortunately, when SGA gets inside the foul issues show

This time he is positioned at the nail. Slight movements help him take up space while his arms are clearly ready to extend to disrupt potential passes. He's consistently aware of what's happening all over the court while anticipating each move, ready to close out or intercept

Bonga quickly recognized Randle cutting to the basket and tried to communicate this. He's there to not only meet him at the rim, but uses his timing and length to poke the ball away. It's rebounded by the Knicks, but Bonga who stuck with Randle in the paint was ready to contest.

Help defence from Bonga here first prevents the ball from getting to Embiid, them it stops Josh Richardson from getting the ball to Tobias Harris who is deep, and it then assists in forcing Ben Simmons to pause for a second. Ultimately, Isaac aided in the stagnation of offence.