Defense!

[Bricklayer]

Figured we needed a more positive thread around here, so let's talk about something we have started to do really well: defense.

Confronted with two entirely different sets of personnel, a defensive set, and an offensive set, Westphal chose to start the season with the offensive group at nearly every position, then inserted Dalembert to give us a little backbone, and finally went all in with defense as Donte and Head arrived in the lineup. Last game with the arrival of JT as a starter that philosophy has reached its culmination. We have had three distinct defensive epochs in this early season:

1st 5 games, All Offense (Cousins, Beno, Landry, Casspi (1gm of Donte):
Opp PPG: 109.2 (NBA Rank: 28th)
Opp FG%: 47.9% (NBA Rank: 28th)
Opp > 100: 5/5

2nd 5 games, Dalembert Arrives as Starter:
Opp PPG: 102.8 (NBA Rank: 22nd)
Opp FG%: 50.5% (NBA Rank: 30th)
Opp > 100: 4/5

Last 5 Games, All In For Defense (Daly, Donte, Head, now JT):
Opp PPG: 89.2 (NBA Rank: 1st)
Opp FG%: 42.7% (NBA Rank: 2nd)
Opp > 100: 1/5


And so while this season has often felt out of control, and as if nothing we try works, that's not entirely true. While the offense has been a muddle, its clear that on defense we have been able to substantially control our own fate by lineup changes. On that end, to a substantial degree whatever Westphal has tried has worked. There are in fact some stark, and I do mean stark, numbers illustrating the break between our defensive personnel and offensive personnel statistically.

Per 82 Games.com, On/Off Court Defensive Points Allowed Per 48min:
Head -13.4
Greene -12.1
Thompson -10.3
Dalembert -6.4
------------------------
Cisco -2.3
Evans +4.9
------------------------
Cousins +8.2
Udrih +8.6
Casspi +15.1
Landry +16.6

Now +/- numbers are always dicey because they depend so much on rotations/who you are playing with, and hence for instance Daly's impact is muted by having played with the non-defenders for 5 games, Tyreke is always going to absorb all the good and bad numbers because he's been the constant starter through all three epochs with both the good and bad defenders etc., but for the most part that is still a very dramatic break. We have guys who can play defense, and guys who can't, and by playing the guys who can, we have actually been putting up elite defensive numbers for the last couple of weeks. If we could find a way to score as few as 95ppg with a defense playing at that level we would win a lot of games.

 

[SCKingsfan]

wow. what we've sustained the last 5 games is nothing short of miraculous. Highlights just how bad are offensive troubles have become. It's been a 15 - 20 point swing on both the sides of the ball, unfortunately in opposite directions.

 

[mr. moustache]

Paul's finally playing the lineup I wanted to see when the season started. Actually, I preferred Garcia, but Head's shown me more success alongside Tyreke than Garcia has this season.

 

[Entity]

OMG. Things are getting Bad when Brick is having to start positive threads just to keep people from jumping off bridges.

 

[cuad]

you know, these last few games Casspi hasn't been a liability on defense off the bench. Maybe it's been the matchups, or maybe it's cause, next to Cousins, anyone can look first team all defense.

either way he's been aiight.

 

[Sac.1989]

Defese wins championships baby

 

[Section 101]

Figured we needed a more positive thread around here, so let's talk about something we have started to do really well: defense.

Confronted with two entirely different sets of personnel, a defensive set, and an offensive set, Westphal chose to start the season with the offensive group at nearly every position, then inserted Dalembert to give us a little backbone, and finally went all in with defense as Donte and Head arrived in the lineup. Last game with the arrival of JT as a starter that philosophy has reached its culmination. We have had three distinct defensive epochs in this early season:

1st 5 games, All Offense (Cousins, Beno, Landry, Casspi (1gm of Donte):
Opp PPG: 109.2 (NBA Rank: 28th)
Opp FG%: 47.9% (NBA Rank: 28th)
Opp > 100: 5/5

2nd 5 games, Dalembert Arrives as Starter:
Opp PPG: 102.8 (NBA Rank: 22nd)
Opp FG%: 50.5% (NBA Rank: 30th)
Opp > 100: 4/5

Last 5 Games, All In For Defense (Daly, Donte, Head, now JT):
Opp PPG: 89.2 (NBA Rank: 1st)
Opp FG%: 42.7% (NBA Rank: 2nd)
Opp > 100: 1/5


And so while this season has often felt out of control, and as if nothing we try works, that's not entirely true. While the offense has been a muddle, its clear that on defense we have been able to substantially control our own fate by lineup changes. On that end, to a substantial degree whatever Westphal has tried has worked. There are in fact some stark, and I do mean stark, numbers illustrating the break between our defensive personnel and offensive personnel statistically.

Per 82 Games.com, On/Off Court Defensive Points Allowed Per 48min:
Head -13.4
Greene -12.1
Thompson -10.3
Dalembert -6.4
------------------------
Cisco -2.3
Evans +4.9
------------------------
Cousins +8.2
Udrih +8.6
Casspi +15.1
Landry +16.6

Now +/- numbers are always dicey because they depend so much on rotations/who you are playing with, and hence for instance Daly's impact is muted by having played with the non-defenders for 5 games, Tyreke is always going to absorb all the good and bad numbers because he's been the constant starter through all three epochs with both the good and bad defenders etc., but for the most part that is still a very dramatic break. We have guys who can play defense, and guys who can't, and by playing the guys who can, we have actually been putting up elite defensive numbers for the last couple of weeks. If we could find a way to score as few as 95ppg with a defense playing at that level we would win a lot of games.

Off the top of my head:

First 5 games 3-2
Next 5 games 0-5
Last 5 games 1-4

So we are 1-9 since Dalmbert joined the starting lineup

 

[Arkitect]

Off the top of my head:

First 5 games 3-2
Next 5 games 0-5
Last 5 games 1-4

So we are 1-9 since Dalmbert joined the starting lineup

We also were in double digit holes in all 3 of the wins we got at the start of the season and eeked out victories by less than 5 points IIRC. I think we got really lucky to start the season. We could be as bad 1 - 14 .

 

[Kingster]

Just give me this defense with Tyreke of last year and they start winning some games again...

 

[Section 101]

Just give me this defense with Tyreke of last year and they start winning some games again...

He defense is the same.

 

[kingsboi]

I don't think there should be another thread on the defense for awhile. As soon as someone mentions our defense, we go and play like we did tonight and just way too many easy shots for Indiana, a lot of open shots missed too. It doesn't help that our only shotblocker is most likely out now for who knows how long with a rupture.