48 MoH: That Improved Spurs Defense

[Amuseddaysleeper]

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-defense-winning-streak-rodeo-road-trip

The San Antonio Spurs are riding high at the beginning of this Rodeo Road Trip, having won five games in a row. As we discussed on the postgame show following Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs are allowing just 85 points per game during the winning streak.

That’s a significant improvement, considering the Spurs are giving up 93.5 points a game on the season. If the numbers the Spurs’ defense is allowing the last five games are sustainable, I think San Antonio is one defensive big man away from being legitimate threats to contend for a title this season.

Allow me to throw some numbers as you, and we’ll see what sticks.

Right now, the Spurs are 19th in the league at defensive efficiency, giving up 100.6 points per 100 possessions. The team is 24th in the NBA at opponent’s field goal percentage, arguably Gregg Popovich’s only cherished statistic, allowing foes to shoot 45.6% from the floor. These two statistics point to the Spurs being a very mediocre defensive team.

The Spurs do, however, excel in a few other areas that help their defense. According to Hoopdata, the Spurs are fourth in the league in opponent’s offensive rebound rate at 24.1. This means the Spurs are limiting the number of offensive rebounds the other team is getting, thereby limiting the other team’s chances to score.

Likewise, the Spurs are leading the NBA in opponent’s free throw rate. Free throw rate is the number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt. The Spurs aren’t fouling a lot, and with not fouling, the other team isn’t getting chances at easy points from the free throw line. This also means the Spurs aren’t getting themselves into foul trouble. This is very good, especially for a team employing so many young or inexperienced players in the rotation. You may remember a couple of seasons ago when the Spurs were fouling at a very high clip for their defensive reputation.

One area where the Spurs leave something to be desired is turnover rate. The Spurs are 25th in the league at opponent’s turnover rate, which is the percentage of possessions resulting in a turnover. The more turnovers you force the better off you are, as turnovers often lead to easy points. The Spurs are near the bottom defensively, but they’re third in the league offensively. Consider it a wash. The Spurs don’t force a lot of turnovers, but they don’t commit many themselves.

Let’s break the Spurs defense down even further, since we have that capability with today’s statistics.

The Spurs allow teams to shoot a very high percentage at the rim. Teams convert 63.9% of their shots at the rim against the Spurs. We’ve known that the Spurs at-rim defense is weak for a while now. However, the Spurs are third in the league at allowing shots at the rim, limiting opponents to just 21.5 attempts per game. This is what Gregg Popovich wants. It’s harder for teams to convert shots at the rim when they can’t get there.

Where the Spurs give up most of their shots is in the mid-range. San Antonio allows the second most shots in the league from 10-15 feet (9.3) and the seventh most in the NBA from 16-23 feet (21.5). This is good and bad, as the 16-23 foot range is considered the least efficient shot in basketball. It’s the longest two-pointer you can take. The 3-pointer is farther, but you at least have the ability to get an extra point from the shot. Speaking of 3-pointers, the Spurs are 11th in the league from there, giving up 17.4 attempts from there (Miami is the worst, allowing 21.8 shots from 3).

Read more: http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-defense-winning-streak-rodeo-road-trip#ixzz1lp3azvah

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Would be curious to hear what you guys think. For me, opponent field goal % will always matter the most, and until the Spurs kick it up a notch in that department, their defense will always be suspect.

[Mel_13]

Would be curious to hear what you guys think. For me, opponent field goal % will always matter the most, and until the Spurs kick it up a notch in that department, their defense will always be suspect.


Opp FG% (rank and %)
Season to date: T23/45.3%
Last 10 games: 20/44.9%
Last 5 games: 6/42.2%

[jjktkk]

Getting Manu back, and, to a lesser extent, Ford, should see an increase in more steals. I like how slowly, but surely, the Spurs are becoming better defensively.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Opp FG% (rank and %)
Season to date: T23/45.3%
Last 10 games: 20/44.9%
Last 5 games: 6/42.2%

Sexiest stat I've read all day :toast

[SpurNation]

If the numbers reflect as such then I would have to agree with the article.

When is the last time the Spurs defended the pick and pop with efficiency? Enter Splitter and Duncan together along with new found perimeter defense in Leonard and Green...time will tell.

Get another "mobile" defensive big on the team...Spurs could possibly reduce opponents offense per 100 possessions to the low 90's.

[jesterbobman]

Opposing FG% is somewhat overrated. The aim is to concede the fewest points per posession, so a team that gives up a lot of 3's can appear to be doing well in that stat(as Teams will shoot a lower %), but will give up far more PPS than a team that gives up a lot of long two's. Also, FTA against is vital to overall defense, but doesn't show up in FG% defense. True Shooting % Defense is a better measure of shooting defense, Spurs are 15th in that categorylink (http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/opponent-true-shooting-percentage).

Still needs improvement, but I think TS% is better in illustrating defense than FG%.

[Cry Havoc]

Manu and TJ Ford out also hurt the defense, don't forget. Manu is a great defender/passing lane player, and Ford being out hurts offensive execution when Parker isn't on the floor, and can lead to a lot of transition buckets or easy shots for the other team.

[Cry Havoc]

Wrong thread.

[intlspurshk]

Giving more time to Tiago will certainly help the defense statistics. But I like that the defense is improving progressively. The team needs to peak at the right time.

[mercos]

The defense has seemed to be better to me since the Dallas game. I think the team has just stepped up their effort and that is why the numbers are a bit better over the last few games. They are still in need of a true fourth big, as Blair is a defensive liability. Trotting out a lineup of Parker, Manu, Leonard, Splitter, and Duncan would improve our defense even further imo. The most recent appearance of the new twin towers looked very promising.

[spectator]

opposing TS% or defensive efficiency (how many points does the team give up per 100 possessions) are the best indicators of a team's defensive prowess. usually, opposing TS% is not found on many rankings; you can use hollinger's stats to check defensive efficiency.

currently, the spurs allow 1 point per possession - which ranks 16th in the league. if we could get a defensive minded PF like taj gibson, we would be true contenders this year.

[jesterbobman]

Spectator, See my link. That site has TS% allowed, agree with TS% and defensive efficiency being the best indicators. Need to adjust for type and number of shots.