If that would have even been the strategy.
We've gone to a heavy focus on defense because we were always going to be limited offensively these first two years. TJ was also here when we were a high powered offense with very little defense. It wasn't his show back then of course, but he seems to be pretty adaptable to the talent he has.
I interpret the present focus on defense as the following --
(1.) The transfer and NIL market value (or overvalue) offensive production. Offense is "sexier" and easer to quantify than defensive ability with hard numbers. TJ is able to land undervalued defensive assets like Gabe Kalscheur because his offensive metrics look so bad... but he plays good defense.
You are probably picking up on the
Moneyball theme here. Frankly, we can't afford the guys who can score (e.g., Nijel Pack, Tyrese Hunter, etc.), so TJ is bringing in what he can afford on an ISU budget.
(2.) Analytical models do a good job describing a team's offense as the net sum of its parts, but a team's defense is usually measured in aggregate, not on an individual level. This implies defense is more of a team effort in terms of playing together with a strong element of coaching. TJ happens to have the best defensive coordinator in college basketball, so he's hoping bringing in good defenders and letting Kyle Green mix them together is giving you enough of a salty defense to be competitive in every game you play.
And so far... this is working out splendidly, though I wonder what ceiling it is going to have.