Defensive Matchup Difficulty: Which NBA Players Face Off Against the Best?

Defense is a difficult element of basketball to quantify. Traditional box score statistics like steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds are helpful, but they don't help fans understand which players are effective on-ball stoppers. After all, most steals and blocks are gotten while playing off-ball defense. Opponent shot tracking has helped to determine which players are … Continue reading Defensive Matchup Difficulty: Which NBA Players Face Off Against the Best? →

How to Guard the NBA’s Best Players

One of the hardest tasks for NBA defenses are to guard All-Star type point guards. Players like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving give defenses fits every night by being a threat to pull up, drive, or pass for the open shot. However, like all other players, these versatile playmakers can be … Continue reading How to Guard the NBA’s Best Players →

Tracking Defensive Plus Minus: Ranking the NBA’s Best Defenders

Player defense has been one of the hardest elements to quantify in basketball since the rise of analytics. The box score stats for player defense are limited to steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds, with no context for the number of shots defended and how many turnovers a player actually forced. However, recent tracking statistics have … Continue reading Tracking Defensive Plus Minus: Ranking the NBA’s Best Defenders →

The Keys to a Successful NBA Defense

Most of NBA analysis is pointed towards offense. Popular stats like points, assists, turnovers, and shooting efficiency all evaluate offensive ability, while defensive stats are often neglected. However, a great defense can lead a team to a deep playoff run: in the last 5 seasons, 64% of the teams with a top 5 regular season … Continue reading The Keys to a Successful NBA Defense →

Fact or Fiction: Defense Wins Championships

The old adage "Defense Wins Championships" is used in all sports, especially when the playoffs are around the corner. Coaches and players around the NBA are no exception, as it is always thrown around in post game interviews and pre game speeches. However, does defense actually win championships? Is defense actually more important than offense … Continue reading Fact or Fiction: Defense Wins Championships →