He is also one of only six high-load rotation players in the league who are saving their teams at least 20 points per 100 possessions. SHARE. Ben Simmons jumped out to a huge lead in the Matchup-Based Defense leaderboard, and got a lot of buzz as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Robert Covington has indeed carried a heavier load than Capela this season, and done so more effectively, but the data suggests the gap between the two is rather slim (and Capela’s production rate per 100 possessions is slightly higher than RoCo’s). In his NBA minutes, Dort has saved the Thunder 177 points at an outstanding rate of 22.6 PS/100. great job again Mr. Steele, our owner Mr. Duran just requested us to post your piece on our site and we definitely enjoyed reading it a lot! He ranked ninth in the nation with 2.7 blocks per game last season. One of the most talked-about moves at the deadline was the Warriors/Wolves deal centered on Andrew Wiggins and D’Angelo Russell. ... 2020 NBA Draft Prospects: Best Defenders. Terms of Use | 6 Kansas rides expectations, uncertainty into season, UCLA picked to win Pac-12 in preseason poll. The entire dataset is now features prominently on the homepage, and you can pull any player card for any season from the Google Sheets tool. Your privacy is safe with us. Among players who have played at least 500 possessions this year, the weakest defenders on a per-possession basis are: These bottom ten players all save their teams less than 9.0 points per 100 possessions. Long-Term Test Update: 2020 Audi A6 Allroad . Recent callup Juan Toscano-Anderson (66 PS, 19.9 PS/100) has made a good start on the defensive end, though we probably don’t have enough data yet to know if that’s for real or not. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1583625044856'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); A number of players with varying defensive representations were traded before this season’s trade deadline. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Chicago Bulls and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Path to the draft: Anthony Edwards is a star with room to gr... Report: Wichita State expected to cut ties with HC Gregg Mar... No. Among recent All-Defensive selections, Patrick Beverley (358 Points Saved, 20.7 PS/100), Marcus Smart (419 PS, 18.8 PS/100), and Eric Bledsoe (376 PS, 18.7 PS/100) are performing at similar levels this season. Harris’ teammate Torrey Craig is also saving over 20 points/100, but limited playing time has kept him to a total of 222 Points Saved. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. Who are the best wing defenders in the 2020 NBA Draft class? In previous posts, I’ve used the defensive matchup data at stats.nba.com to create a model for defensive performance since 2013-14. Which 2020 NBA Draft prospects could the Chicago Bulls and Arturas Karnisovas look into that are the overall best defenders in this class? it will apply to data controlled jointly by the NBA and WarnerMedia as well as other data controlled by WarnerMedia. He's also an adept 3-point shooter, connecting on 41% of his career attempts from deep. If you make a request through the WarnerMedia Privacy Center, Best NBA Players 2020: Ranking the Top 10 Honorable Mentions Not Voted into the Top 10 List of the Best NBA Players. Any of these players could be the next defensive menace. Written By Eric Fawcett @Efawcett7. The table on the homepage can be filtered by Defensive Load and Relative Load (adjusted for team context). Okongwu only stands 6-foot-9, but his elite length and vertical helped him emerge as one of college basketball's top shot-blocking big men during his freshman year at USC. Here are the five talents in the class of 2020 with the most defensive potential: One of two 3-and-D prospects on this list, Bey shot a blistering 45.1% on 3-pointers as a sophomore in 2019-20, earning a unanimous All-Big East first-team selection in the process. The move was hailed in some quarters as a revolutionary commitment to small ball and defensive versatility by the Rockets. I Love Haenyeo’s Salad Dressing So Much, I Asked the Chef How to Make It. The best defender in the league on a per-possession basis is Gary Harris, the leader of Denver’s cadre of two-way wings. Click through this slideshow for full analysis. The best defender in the league on a per-possession basis is Gary Harris, the leader of Denver’s cadre of two-way wings. Onyeka Okongwu, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images). Here is our homage to you guys: https://advanceprobasketball.com/2020/03/12/the-best-defenders-in-the-nba-this-season-by-greek-god-of-stats/. The bottom right white space is usually going to feature scorers – guys who play a lot of minutes but are not very effective defenders on a per-possession basis. Matchup-Based Defense identifies Luguentz Dort as a high-impact defensive prospect. Andre Iguodala and Justise Winslow, both accomplished perimeter defenders, traded places in another trade. Jrue Holiday, who deserved the award in 2017-18, has also risen to the top of the ranks this year and looks poised to join him. If you make a request through Recently hired executive vice president of basketball operations (and former Denver Nuggets general manager) Arturas Karnisovas is about to face one of his first big tests this offseason with the NBA Draft. Which means that the Knicks … won a trade? No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. What needs do they need to fill in this draft to put this team in the best position to succeed heading into the fourth year of the rebuild? The 19-year-old has significant room to grow on the offensive end of the floor. Simmons’ versatility and indispensability to the jumbo-sized Sixers help him stand out as an elite high-load stopper. Harris is the only player in the NBA besides Holiday to have saved his team 500 points already. If he still has enough left in the tank, Miami could be a stingier defensive squad now than they were before the deadline. The Best Defenders in the NBA this Season, https://advanceprobasketball.com/2020/03/12/the-best-defenders-in-the-nba-this-season-by-greek-god-of-stats/, Denzel Valentine (the worst … just ask Jim Boylen). var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1583625139134'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='727px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); You can also get an idea of the shape of the data using the color-coded chart below. Powered by Minute Media © 2020 All Rights Reserved. 19 Texas has mix of experience and elite young talent, Top rebounding tandem Tshiebwe, Culver back for No. WarnerMedia Privacy Center | The Florida State product's 3-and-D potential is off the charts thanks to his high motor and impressive defensive fundamentals. Another significant trade in terms of defensive impact was the four-way trade that sent Robert Covington to Houston and Clint Capela to Atlanta. Tre Jones | Guard 6-3, 185 pounds | Duke. Aside from scoring on putbacks and dunks off rolls inside, Azubuike doesn’t possess any real concrete skills. Harris is the only player in the NBA besides Holiday to have saved his team 500 points already. Be sure to check back soon! Don't Blame Cam Newton For Bill Belichick's Roster Failures, Chicago Bulls: RJ Hampton has modeled his game after Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls: Writer expects to stay put at fourth overall. He’s also a very poor free throw shooter, making just 41.6 percent of his attempts from the stripe during his college career. Ranking NBA's Top 10 Defenders So Far in 2019-20 #9 Khris Middleton Only three players in the NBA have a defensive rating under 100 while starting in at least 30 games so far. While it’s certainly possible that Morris might make the Clippers’ defense slightly better against the Lakers, it is not accurate to say that the Clippers beefed up their defense in the trade. Okoro possesses tremendous foot speed, which allows him to stay close to guards when they attempt drives. Other notables are Jahlil Okafor (11th-worst), Darius Bazley (13th-worst), Davis Bertans (15th worst), and Kevin Knox (17th worst). Okoro is this draft's crown jewel of defensive prospects, projecting as the top perimeter defender in the class of 2020. The Bulls definitely had plenty of time to prepare for this draft, as they haven’t played in a meaningful NBA game since mid-March. Isaac Okoro, Auburn. Placing him on a different team or in a different scheme might impact the results observed, so it pays to bear in mind how much a player is being asked to do. He ranked top 15 in his conference in both block and steal percentage to earn All-ACC second-team honors. This site is operated jointly by NBA and WarnerMedia. Can statistical models get ahead of the curve by identifying undervalued players before they can be recognized by the eye test? Inspecting the columns on the right side of the table provide more insight on these distinctions for this season’s data. Flynn, a 6-foot-1, 22-year-old point guard, has a nose for the ball and does a great job pressuring ball handlers up the floor, which led to many opponent turnovers and breakaway scoring opportunities for he and his teammates. While the top end of this draft class is headlined by offensive stars in … One of the best ways to use advanced statistics is to detect up and coming prospects before the competition. NBA Privacy Center | Neither has played enough yet this season to produce a reliable picture of their value.