Do NBA rookies find playing defense easier than offense at first? Don't ask that question to 76ers coach Brett Brown. He's not only going to disagree, but he's also going to give an emphatic "no" in the process of that disagreement. Brown says the idea that rookies are coming in better prepared on defense is a ridiculous assertion. 

"You take a 19-year-old kid and you throw him into a man's world with the strength and analytics and scouting and preparation and they are floored," Brown said. "They're not ready to play NBA defense and they shouldn't be. It's not a discredit. It's a hard league to defend."

Brown has a point and most of his coaching peers would agree with him. When rookies come into the NBA, they just aren't prepared for what to expect and what the league brings. The physicality, understanding and even the language of everything happening is on a different level from any league across the world. So how can even the most physically talented players come in and contribute?

That's a question worth asking, especially this season, because rookies from this particular class aren't just coming in and playing defense -- they're succeeding at it. This goes wildly against the status quo. Rookies are typically not good NBA players right away. Even the best ones don't usually come in and make their team better immediately. They need to learn and understand the game. 

So why is this class different?

"Defense is something that I don't have to do a lot of thinking," Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac  told CBS Sports. "I can let my instincts kinda take over. On offense in the beginning of the season I was still thinking a lot and defense was something I could just do.

"I think I have some intangibles and some great instincts that come to defense and being able to guard multiple positions and move my feet quickly. I would say I was ahead of the game."

Physicality and characteristics are certainly a part of it. This rookie class is filled with long, quick, athletic players like Isaac. At 6-foot-11, with a 7-1 wingspan and the speed of a wing, Isaac, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in limited action this season, is able to quickly adjust against the NBA's quickest players. He's able to switch onto any position and hold his own. Coach Frank Vogel has gone so far as to call him the Magic's best defender this season. As a rookie.

In Philadelphia, Brown might say rookies struggle for a reason, but that hasn't stopped Ben Simmons from showing his capability as a defender. His size (6-10) and strength certainly give him an advantage over the point guards he's going up against, and it always helps to have a legit Defensive Player of The Year candidate alongside him in Joel Embiid. Still, that hasn't stopped Simmons from being able to guard any position, which has helped Philadelphia reach a top-five level in defensive efficiency this season. 

While Simmons stands as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year due to his skill set and being such a complete player, some would argue he isn't a true rookie because he sat out a year with an injury. He disagrees.

"It's so funny reading comments and stuff like that saying I'm not a rookie," Simmons said. "I had an extra year. But at the same time it's difficult to come back from an injury and be better than you were before, and having that extra year kinda helped to an extent. At the same time, you don't really have that preparation until you hit the floor and actually compete against guys in the NBA."

Simmons and Isaac aren't the only rookies this season making a difference on defense for their respective teams. All across the NBA, teams are better defensively when they have their rookies on the floor than they are without them.

per NBA.com/stats:

Player

Team Def Rating On Court

Team Def Rating Off Court

Ben Simmons, PHI

101.7

104.6

Lonzo Ball, LAL

104.0

107.1

Jordan Bell, GS

102.6

103.8

Jonathan Isaac, ORL

102.5

109.4

Jayson Tatum, BOS

100.2

102.9

OG Anunoby, TOR

102.7

104.2

Frank Ntilikina, NY

105.1

110.7

These rookies listed above share many similarities. They're long, athletic and play in a good system that helps them. This class features so many players with specific body types that just gives them an advantage, especially in an NBA that is now placing more value on switching than ever before. The future of defense is the versatile Draymond Green-type defender -- someone who can guard all five positions. Some of these rookies fit that exact mold.

Physicality is also important on that end of the court, but there's more to it than that. There's a mindset that's necessary to playing defense. 

"Guys are physically capable," Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum told CBS Sports. "But I think it's just understanding team concepts in the NBA and how they're different from college."

Defense is one of those things that a lot of people believe is just effort. That isn't true, but there's definitely a mindset that's needed for it, as Tatum said. There needs to be an understanding. That's how many coaches see it as well.

"I think it just depends on the kid," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I think that one thing about rookies is to survive -- they better be able to guard. In this league, if you take a break you're gonna get embarrassed. So I think that you see guys that may not have had as much of a defensive reputation and they're busting it on every possession. Because they know what's coming if they don't."

One of those players who came into the NBA without being known for his defensive prowess is Lonzo Ball. The Lakers point guard always had the potential to be a great defender with his length and size, but he didn't show much of it at UCLA. In the NBA? He's causing chaos on that end. The Lakers are better when he's on the floor and he's been a difference-maker with his deflections and steals. A complete change from how he was viewed at UCLA.

"I'm not sure what it is," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "But I think they [rookies] understand if they want to play in this league you've got to understand the defensive concepts, the defensive philosophy, or you won't get a lot of time on the floor. I watch a little college basketball now, and I see a lot of guys defending and it warms my heart to see that because now they're not starting from scratch.

"Usually coming in out of college you see guys come in and the only thing they can do is shoot," Casey continued. "I think they understand that two-way players are far more valuable than a one trick pony."

That two-way concept is what makes so much of this class so valuable. Raptors forward OG Anunoby is a rookie and yet he's already been playing with the starters this season. That kind of respect isn't earned from coaches immediately. This is especially true on a team as deep as Toronto is this season. It speaks volumes to Anunoby's skills, not only on the offensive end, but on the defensive end as well because defense is typically where coaches have the least patience for rookies.

So it goes back to that same question from before: Do NBA rookies find playing defense easier than offense?

Vogel, while willing to call Isaac the Magic's best defender, says he's reluctant to say that rookies are coming into the NBA better, or more prepared, on the defensive end.

"I would say no," Vogel said. "It's kind of a large scale statement. I think Jonathan Isaac has defensive talent. Most rookies that come in still don't have what it takes to defend at this level. That's kind of why they're here. 

"Jayson Tatum has significant defensive talent. He's surviving and succeeding with his defensive talent. So I'd say it's more on those guys having individual defensive talent."

Coaches aren't willing to accept rookies as good defenders yet. They might have the skill set to be able to compete, and even contribute, at this level. However, it's the finer points that make and break defense in the NBA. Veterans understand the tendencies of players. They know scouting reports, angles, how certain players like to approach a possession. That's what separates elite-level defenders from merely good ones.

"I spend a lot of time looking at Game 7's, fourth periods and you're reminded of what really goes on," Brown said. "You want to cut to the chase and be reminded of what you better be ready to prepare for. What's around the corner. Go watch a Game 7. The fourth quarter ..."

Statistically, rookies are contributing this season on defense, but is it a trend? Most likely not. So much of this class is filled with special players who have the perfect skills for the modern NBA. These guys are going to stick around for a long time, thanks to their abilities. Some of them might even turn into Defensive Player of The Year candidates in the near future. Right now though? They're physically capable players who still need to learn the game better, and understand the details. 

This is the beginning for every rookie. Every great defender, whether it's Draymond Green, Kevin Garnett, Rudy Gobert or Gary Payton, all had to start somewhere. In a few years, someone from this dynamic draft class may have their name listed in that group and become even more special. But Brett Brown will remind you it's a process.