Analytics can tell you a lot of lot of things about a lot of players.
Today, I am taking a look at the five players whose defensive analytics are at the top of the charts.
Draymond Green was the easiest selection. His ranks and metrics show that he should have won the Defensive Player of the Year award. While DeAndre Jordan finished third in the voting, Rudy Gobert is the choice at the stopper in the middle. Kawhi Leonard’s advanced tools are phenomenal as well. Tony Allen still is a defensive rock star, and the in-season progress of Marcus Smart cannot be overlooked.
Draymond Green, GS
Green led the NBA in the most important defensive categories. He allowed .82 points per shot and .71 points per play. His rate of denying passes and deflecting passes was about twice the league average. He was significantly above average in defending every play type and did so while defending multiple positions. He ranked among the best 5 defenders in defensive win shares, defensive rating and defensive box score plus/minus.
Rudy Gobert, UTAH
Gobert was a beast at defending the rim. He led the NBA in blocks percentage by a wide margin (11.4%). And, 53.6% of his blocks were recovered by a teammate. He allowed .82 points per shot, nearly identical to league leader Draymond Green, and 10.9% better than DeAndre Jordan, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year award voting. He pursued defensive rebounds at one of the highest rates among centers. Being active didn’t just apply to blocks. On 47.8% of defensive rebound chances, Gobert moved out of his area to pursue the ball.
Kawhi Leonard, SA
The Defensive Player of the Year was first in defensive rating, and among the leaders in defensive win shares and defensive box score plus/minus. Leonard’s athleticism allowed him to switch on screens at a rate 69.0% higher than the league average. He forced turnovers at a rate 80.0% higher than the league average (and 30.9% higher than Draymond Green). He was second in the NBA in steals percentage, highlighted by deflecting passes at more than twice the league average. He also denied passes to at a rate 88.0% higher than the league average.
Tony Allen, MEM
At 33 years old, he’s still an elite defender. Allen led the NBA in steals percentage, led all wings in defensive box score plus/minus and was second to Kawhi Leonard among wings in defensive rating. He especially stood out in defending the pick-and-roll, allowing just .59 points per play (25.1% better than the NBA median). That ranked him as the premier pick-and-roll defender in the league among wings, second overall to Ricky Rubio (min. 100 pick-and-rolls defended).
Marcus Smart, BOS
This isn’t so much for what he did, but what he will do. Smart started off slow, but after the break he was phenomenal. His defensive rating made a massive leap forward after the break (a 3.5% improvement). This was largely because ball pressure became a major focus. Smart’s rate of pressuring the ball was 79.7% higher than the league average after the break. Some of the overall stats of Smart’s season aren’t impressive, but the improvement is quite something. His rate of fouling opponents dropped by about 20%. In the meantime, he was able to contest shots at a high level and keep opposing defenders in front of him, ranking in the top 10 among all players after the break.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.