No doubt, JBJ can still defend very well. My point was designed to show that I don't think he's the same as we remembered him in his peak years (2014-2018). Yes, he put up great defensive metrics in 2021, so maybe I'm overstating that point. The fact is, his 9 year career, based on 3 year intervals, shows steady declines in UZR/150 and DRS per inning in CF. My own personal observations do not necessarily coincide with such the somewhat steep decline his metrics show.
One point needs to be made concerning JBJ's defense: declining slightly from greatness can still be great.
It will come down to his offense, but this whole defense discussion was geared towards Kike vs JBJ in CF or RF. If Kike plays 2B, there is no debate. If JBJ plays, he's in CF. Period.
I also realize I'm basing my opinion on Kike over a rather small sample size in 2021. However, a 1500 innings sample size is pretty significant, even if scattered over 6 seasons.
MLB CF'ers with 1500+ innings in CF since 2016:
16.2 Bader (39 DRS in 2881 innings)
15.1 Kiermaier (93 in 4739)
11.3 Hamilton (49 in 4517)
10.9 Kike (16 in 1532 or 1 per 96 inning)
10.7 Buxton (55 in 3664)
12. JBJ at 6.1 (43 in 6157 or 1 per 143 inning)