Maybe the drop-off later in games has something to do with Pop emptying the bench?
That's almost certainly the case. Looking at the average 1st half minutes vs. 2nd half minutes...
Kawhi - 17.2 minutes in the 1st half, 15.7 minutes in the 2nd half
LMA - 16.1 minutes in the 1st half, 13 minutes in the 2nd half
Parker - 15 minutes in the 1st half, 12.2 minutes in the 2nd half
Duncan - 14.8 minutes in the 1st half, 11.8 minutes in the 2nd half
Green - 13.7 minutes in the 1st half, 13 minutes in the 2nd half
Manu - 10.7 minutes in the 1st half, 10.4 minutes in the 2nd half
He doesnt seem to be much of a defender as of right now tbh.
Yeah he has the dpoy locked up for this year already and i dont see anyone getting close to him for some time. If tge team stays good after duncan retires, hes likely to have 5 straight .. obviously pending on health
Haven't really thought of this much since it's still so early, but yeah, his chances seem pretty good at this point. If the Spurs continue to have by far the best defense in the league (and possibly one of the best defenses of all-time), that will do a lot to boost Kawhi's argument for DPOTY.
One of the main guys I considered a threat was Gobert, and now he's going to miss a good chunk of the season due to injury. Whiteside might get some attention. He's nowhere near the best defender in the league, but he leads the league in blocks and Miami is on pace to be a top 5 defense in the league. DeAndre will likely get some votes too, but I can't see the Clippers being good enough on defense to allow him to actually win it.
Honestly the only guy I think can realistically challenge him for it is Draymond. If GS can get back to being a top 3 defense like last year, I could see him winning it...especially since some feel he got snubbed last season (received the most 1st place votes but didn't win).
Spurs are the best defensive team in the league. We'll see how it stacks up historically after all the dust has settled.
You think tim has any chance? It'd be awesome if he were to win it at 39.
If second place votes aren't supposed to count, there shouldn't BE any second place votes. It was a stupid thing to even talk about last year. Let it die.
I hope Timmy win the award, it is currently a top 3 (1ºDRTG)
I think with him playing fewer minutes than ever, and with Kawhi winning DPOTY last year (now having the reputation as the best defender in the league), Duncan will probably get less consideration than he deserves. Also, Kawhi's emergence on offense could make it even harder. As much as it doesn't really make sense, the media will likely give Kawhi more credit because now he's doing all these things on defense while also putting up 20+ ppg.
I agree. The argument never made much sense to me (Draymond's only argument was playing more minutes IMO) - just saying that there are people in the media who feel that way, and it could potentially lead to him getting some sympathy votes this time around.
Nah, I wasn't jumping on you about it. Just got sick of hearing that BS last year. I always wondered if any of them questioned what they SHOULD do with the second place votes, if they shouldn't count toward deciding the winner.
Those kinds of awards definitely include other considerations like that. But I don't think there is any chance of Tim getting picked - as in zero chance. And I doubt that they will pick Kawhi for a second year in a row. So Draymond is probably as good a guess as any.
That's more impressive when you consider that teams tend to try to pace their best players more in the first half. Pop has been trying to go for the kill shot much more this year, and that has helped keep minutes down to the point that Pop doesn't have to rest players as much as he used to.
Dray and Kawhi should be the top dogs to win DPOY again. If they keep their defensive game like they have been doing it, Spurs vs Warriors match-ups could play a big part of the outcome. Just like last season when Kawhi embarrassed Steph. That was huge.
Yup. I seem to recall you saying something similar about this earlier on in the season, but I'd rather guys get consistently lower minutes as opposed to normal minutes with intermittent games where they rest entirely. I think it bodes better for the team winning games, and it also helps expedite the process of getting new guys used to the system. Aldridge needs to learn how to play alongside Duncan/Manu/Parker - takes longer to do that if those guys are constantly missing games here and there for rest. Even if Duncan or Manu only play 15 minutes one night, that's an opportunity for some chemistry to develop.
Not exactly. Hassan Whiteside had more blocks by himself than like 7 NBA teams last week. Don't know if that stat held, but never forget how the media will chase blocks as a measure of defensive prowess before anything else.
I think it's Messina. I don't know about SportsVU cameras, but Messina and Pop (and their assistants) seem to have tailored the defense to have guys anticipate the motion of the ball based on popular passing lanes and popular sets, and generally clog up the passing lanes.
It's very similar to last year's defense, but I think LMA's length has let Messina tweak the defensive positioning and the default rotations, so as to block popular lanes, and close out on shooters. The only weakness is the increased motion, as evidenced by our susceptibility to speedy PG's.
Speaking of Messina, wasn't he the one who suggested a wall defense or something during training camp in which that Argentine coach visiting posted videos of the team running it but were then later removed?
Thats irrelevant, its not about kawhi winning it but about him losing it. He is the consensus top defender by wide margin and he only needs being in the top 10 in defensive rating to win it. Obviously he is #1 for players who play 30 minutes but thats easy considering the top 5 is all spurs lol
Irrelevant to you and people with good knowledge of basketball, maybe, but Whiteside is putting up gaudy stats that people love to anoint DPOYs with. Also there's a perception that Green was robbed last year, so he might get some votes, especially after his 5x5 performance.
Tbh i think that age is gone now. And i dont think anyone considers draymond as a legit defender tbh. He had a good year last year but he is no way near this year .
Thanks for the interesting post. I've been asking myself if we are really that good. It seems incredible that we are beating teams by these margins. It could be the quality of the teams, But then I think back to the finals against the Heat, and we beat them by record margins in the finals.
Playoffs will be interesting for sure, and as the saying goes: they are a different animal. I think Simmons and anyone on the perimeter will have to be a threat from 3.
But it is still a long season, we don't know yet whether Simms is going to increase his 3 pt shot attempts and %. That is really a need for his game. With his slashing and passing, he will really need to be shooting jumpshots better or his game will be nullified in the playoffs like Tony Allen.
I have seen this too, and I didn't realize this is probably what he was doing. Some 1st Q he had Kawhi 11 mins or all 12. He was going for the kill early.
My guess for Pop doing this: He's got young pups to train this year. He coaches them hard in the second half, calling Time Outs for mistakes and yelling at guys. He insists they keep the lead as they got it. He has discovered Simms by first giving him some leash in garbage time. Boban was spectacular some games. Bonner has shown to still have his shooting stroke and Kyle we guess is being trained for something in the future, as he's still a kid for Pop.
Pop also is coaching without complacency. I have seen him more willing to bench guys who are just plain sucking or not exerting the required effort during a game, than he did all last year. It didn't seem anyone got benched last season for mistakes or lack of effort.
I used to live in SLC and Locke knows his hoops. He learned from one of the greats, Hot Rod Hundley, and saw the elite defensive teams of Sloan. It is early, but what the Spurs are doing is very impressive. I personally find it refreshing. It's like the league was catching up to imitate Pop's motion offense and he flipped the script again...remember defense and rebounding? Yeah that still wins basketball games.
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