So I have been really interested in defense lately. I started checking out the NBA.com stats for FG% against for different situations to find out if there's a statistical explanation for where our players are struggling most on defense.
First let's look at 3 point FG% against vs. what the opponent normally shoots. I'm only looking at our rotational players who have played 25 or more games for us to keep McRae, Felder, and James Jones from cluttering the data. Unfortunately that also excludes JR, but oh well.
Overall 3-point defense
So basically we are average at defending the 3. Taking a weighted average of the difference between what players shoot against us versus their season FG% from 3 yields us holding opponents to .31% less than their season average. Frye has been an absolute siege giving up 51.5% from 3 on about 2 attempts per game. Kyrie needs to improve. But very happy with TT, Shump, and Love. And obviously LBJ.
Ok so 3 point shooting defense is a tad above average. Let's check out 2 point shooting.
Overall 2 point defense
So LBJ takes quite a tumble here, but important to keep in mind how few DFGA against both LBJ and Kyrie there are here.
Again TT does a good job here (and has actually greatly improved in his DFG% from last season which he should be commended for). Everyone is mostly hovering around slightly above average to slightly below average here, but we can also take a deeper look into distance to the basket.
< 6 feet from the basket
So TT has really been excelling playing defense around the basket on a pretty large sample size of 6.2 DFGA per game which is a greatly encouraging sign. On the other hand literally everyone else (besides Channing) totally sucks within 6 feet of the basket, including LBJ. This is where our worst defensive difference in percentage occurs and where we really only have one player holding opponents to less of a shooting percentage than they average. This also confirms what we have seen where it often looks like a layup line out there.
So my contention is this. I really don't think our defense is all as bad as it's cracked up to be. I think we are just desperately missing someone other than TT to contest shots at the basket. TT plays <30 MPG and he is the only one even halfway competent at protecting within 6 feet of the basket besides Channing who gets roasted from 3 land.
I think not having a 5 that we can funnel drives into is what is killing this defense. And although that attempt would then go to the 5, that would take attempts away from our guards who are currently getting roasted at the rim