Island Defender
Peat’s athleticism also translates very well to the defensive end of the floor. His size and lateral quickness allow for him to guard multiple positions effectively and enables his team to utilize various lineups to control the momentum of a game. He maintains good post discipline to anchor the paint in smaller lineups and reads the ball off the rim well to eliminate second-chance opportunities. His success in guarding players on the block helps to force bigs further away from the rim to feel like they can comfortably get shots off against him.
This level of discipline and impact at this stage of his development is impressive, but it works just as well against guards too. Most ball-handlers try to take him off the dribble and get to the rim, however Peat’s footwork and ground covered is enough to deter these moves. Guards and wings are better suited to switching to other defenders via the pick-and-roll to garner better looks. As ball-handlers look to attack him on the ground, they must revert to off-balance jumpers or utilize less space than desired.
As Peat can mentally affect their decision making in this way, he also displays excellent ability to change directions defensively to recover against these moves and impart his big frame into the path of the shooter’s intended arc. As a result, many shooters are required to make micro-adjustments in the air that end in misses. These collective traits allow his teammates to confidently leave him guarding ball-handlers by himself.