Post by James Kay on Apr 12, 2021 17:37:11 GMT
Here are the top 20 Rim Protectors by DFGA (defended field goal attempts). More or less, these are the 20 players who face the most shots at the rim per game:
This is not an analysis of defensive players in the NBA, nor is it an analysis of even the top big defenders in the NBA. Notable players that did not make the cut – Bam Adebayo, Deandre Ayton, Ivica Zubac, Draymond Green, Wendell Carter Jr. These players all show very solid rim protection numbers, but they didn’t make my arbitrary cutoff point of the top 20 DFGA players.
I also examined how these players impact their team's ability to defend shots in transition, halfcourt, putbacks, at the rim, mid-range, and 3-point range (Note I used PTs/Miss for Putbacks as I thought that was a better metric). This chart also includes DRPM for comparison:
This amount of data might be somewhat overwhelming, so I've taken the liberty of sorting these players into tiers, based on the data. These tiers represent which of these players seem to be impacting opponent's shooting the most, with a slight weight given to rim protection as I think the other metrics will have a greater degree of noise. I've ranked them in a soft order, although I don't feel as strongly about the intra-tier rankings.
Myles Turner, Clint Capela, Rudy Gobert, and Jakoc Poeltl are clearly the top tier of these defenders. According to these numbers, Poeltl is highly underrated by the typical NBA fan. His DFG% allowed at the rim, his transition impact, and his halfcourt impact are all the top mark within this group. His biggest weakness is Team 3P% allowed but his other metrics are so strong that they still push him into this group. Capela was another surprise here as I didn't realize his impact was so significant, but his numbers are amongst the very best here.
Embiid certainly leads this group with very good rim protection and halfcourt defense, but is somewhat plodding in transition – where his team gives up more points when he’s on the court than when he’s off. Holmes is a surprise for this tier, but his rim protection along with transition defense and team FG% against distance shots is impressive. Wood doesn’t defend the rim as frequently as these other players, but he has essentially zero weaknesses and is very solid in all metrics. Brook Lopez is similar with little weaknesses, though the team allows better distance shooting when he’s on the court, which checks out with his slower agility.
Noel’s combination of frequency and DFG% is elite, but he allows a lot of putbacks and isn’t that great in transition either, which is surprising given how mobile he is. Jarrett Allen has very solid rim protection numbers, but is not a positive in transition, gives up way too many putbacks, and his team allows opponents a decent higher eFG% with him on than off. John Collins doesn’t have flashy rim protection numbers or standout impacts in any one area, but is similar to Wood in that he has very little weaknesses and is a positive in nearly every metric. Valanciunas is providing similar rim protection as Collins but is very weak in transition. However, he turned in the best mark for team 3p% allowed by a significant amount. I'm not sure how much we can trust that this is due to him, though.
KP would be higher if it were just about rim protection, but Porzingis has mediocre numbers in transition and halfcourt defense. It’s his team’s ability to defend from distance while he’s on the floor that brings his ranking down the most. Sabonis isn’t quite as good as a rim protector, but has solid metrics in transition and the halfcourt overall. Towns is a good but not great rim protector, however his transition play is BAD and puts him in this tier. Kanter is a big surprise here. His DFG% numbers are atrocious, as are his transition numbers. However, the team’s FG% allowed at the rim is actually not as bad as one might expect, and overall, teams are only shooting a slightly higher eFG% with him on the court.
Player | Team | Age | G | FREQ | DFGM | DFGA | DFG% | FG% | Diff% |
Myles Turner | IND | 25 | 46 | 0.565 | 5 | 10.4 | 47.9 | 61.6 | -13.7 |
Clint Capela | ATL | 26 | 47 | 0.598 | 4.6 | 9.2 | 50.2 | 61.5 | -11.2 |
Joel Embiid | PHI | 27 | 35 | 0.597 | 4.8 | 9.1 | 52.8 | 61.9 | -9 |
Rudy Gobert | UTA | 28 | 52 | 0.47 | 4.5 | 9.1 | 49.6 | 62.9 | -13.3 |
Richaun Holmes | SAC | 27 | 49 | 0.548 | 4.4 | 8.4 | 51.6 | 61.7 | -10.1 |
Jarrett Allen | CLE | 22 | 43 | 0.563 | 3.9 | 8 | 49.1 | 62 | -12.8 |
Kristaps Porzingis | DAL | 25 | 34 | 0.507 | 4.2 | 7.7 | 53.8 | 62.2 | -8.4 |
Domantas Sabonis | IND | 24 | 46 | 0.491 | 4.5 | 7.7 | 58.3 | 61.9 | -3.6 |
Jakob Poeltl | SAS | 25 | 50 | 0.49 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 47.5 | 61.8 | -14.3 |
Nikola Jokic | DEN | 26 | 53 | 0.488 | 4.7 | 7.4 | 63.7 | 62.2 | 1.5 |
Christian Wood | HOU | 25 | 30 | 0.436 | 3.9 | 7.4 | 52.5 | 61.7 | -9.3 |
Brook Lopez | MIL | 33 | 52 | 0.457 | 3.8 | 7.4 | 50.8 | 61.8 | -11 |
Nerlens Noel | NYK | 27 | 48 | 0.607 | 3.5 | 7 | 50.1 | 61.6 | -11.4 |
Nikola Vucevic | CHI | 30 | 53 | 0.496 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 62.2 | 62.3 | -0.1 |
Mason Plumlee | DET | 31 | 49 | 0.556 | 4.1 | 6.8 | 60.1 | 63.1 | -3 |
Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 25 | 33 | 0.484 | 3.9 | 6.8 | 57.6 | 62.6 | -5 |
Enes Kanter | POR | 28 | 51 | 0.53 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 65.5 | 62.9 | 2.6 |
Jonas Valanciunas | MEM | 28 | 46 | 0.527 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 59.1 | 62.3 | -3.2 |
John Collins | ATL | 23 | 47 | 0.46 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 58.1 | 62 | -3.8 |
Andre Drummond | LAL | 27 | 26 | 0.525 | 3.7 | 6.3 | 57.9 | 62.8 | -4.9 |
This is not an analysis of defensive players in the NBA, nor is it an analysis of even the top big defenders in the NBA. Notable players that did not make the cut – Bam Adebayo, Deandre Ayton, Ivica Zubac, Draymond Green, Wendell Carter Jr. These players all show very solid rim protection numbers, but they didn’t make my arbitrary cutoff point of the top 20 DFGA players.
I also examined how these players impact their team's ability to defend shots in transition, halfcourt, putbacks, at the rim, mid-range, and 3-point range (Note I used PTs/Miss for Putbacks as I thought that was a better metric). This chart also includes DRPM for comparison:
On/Off | On/Off | On/Off | On/Off | ||||||||
Player | Team | Age | G | Transition Pts/Play | Halfcourt Pts/Play | PUTBACKS: Pts/Miss | eFG% | Rim | All Mid | All Three | DRPM |
Myles Turner | IND | 25 | 46 | -12.5 | -4.9 | -7 | -5% | -4% | -3% | -3% | 3.27 |
Clint Capela | ATL | 26 | 47 | -14.2 | -7.1 | -2.2 | -4% | -6% | -1% | -2% | 4.63 |
Joel Embiid | PHI | 27 | 35 | 4.2 | -3.9 | -1.7 | -2% | -6% | -2% | 0% | 2.7 |
Rudy Gobert | UTA | 28 | 52 | -4.8 | -7.9 | -9.6 | -5% | -7% | -3% | -2% | 6.21 |
Richaun Holmes | SAC | 27 | 49 | -12 | -2.5 | -2.5 | -3% | -3% | 0% | -3% | 1.08 |
Jarrett Allen | CLE | 22 | 43 | 0.7 | -0.4 | 3.1 | 1% | -3% | 1% | 3% | 1.47 |
Kristaps Porzingis | DAL | 25 | 34 | 7.2 | 4.5 | -1 | 2% | -4% | 0% | 4% | 1.15 |
Domantas Sabonis | IND | 24 | 46 | -5.9 | 0.4 | -2.1 | 2% | 2% | -2% | 3% | 1.31 |
Jakob Poeltl | SAS | 25 | 50 | -17.2 | -3.3 | -1 | -2% | -9% | -1% | 3% | 3.24 |
Nikola Jokic | DEN | 26 | 53 | 25.7 | 6.3 | -2 | 4% | -2% | 6% | 5% | -0.06 |
Christian Wood | HOU | 25 | 30 | -1.7 | -2.5 | -2 | -2% | -4% | -2% | 0% | 2.82 |
Brook Lopez | MIL | 33 | 52 | -0.9 | -1 | 0.7 | -1% | -7% | 0% | 2% | 1.87 |
Nerlens Noel | NYK | 27 | 48 | 6.2 | -0.2 | 3.8 | 1% | -4% | 1% | 2% | 1.38 |
Nikola Vucevic | CHI | 30 | 53 | -13.8 | 16.1 | -2.8 | 6% | 7% | 5% | 5% | -0.66 |
Mason Plumlee | DET | 31 | 49 | 6.4 | 5.4 | -1.6 | 4% | 7% | 1% | 2% | 1.36 |
Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 25 | 33 | 11.3 | -1.7 | -0.7 | 1% | -2% | 1% | 2% | -1.04 |
Enes Kanter | POR | 28 | 51 | 17.5 | -1.2 | -0.7 | 0% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 0.69 |
Jonas Valanciunas | MEM | 28 | 46 | 8.5 | 0.2 | -4.6 | 0% | 3% | 5% | -3% | 1.72 |
John Collins | ATL | 23 | 47 | -2 | -0.1 | -0.1 | 0% | 0% | -1% | 0% | 1.37 |
Andre Drummond | LAL | 27 | 26 | -7.1 | 3.8 | -0.1 | 4% | 5% | -2% | 4% | -0.15 |
This amount of data might be somewhat overwhelming, so I've taken the liberty of sorting these players into tiers, based on the data. These tiers represent which of these players seem to be impacting opponent's shooting the most, with a slight weight given to rim protection as I think the other metrics will have a greater degree of noise. I've ranked them in a soft order, although I don't feel as strongly about the intra-tier rankings.
Tier 1:
Rudy Gobert - Jakob Poeltl - Myles Turner - Clint Capela
Rudy Gobert - Jakob Poeltl - Myles Turner - Clint Capela
Myles Turner, Clint Capela, Rudy Gobert, and Jakoc Poeltl are clearly the top tier of these defenders. According to these numbers, Poeltl is highly underrated by the typical NBA fan. His DFG% allowed at the rim, his transition impact, and his halfcourt impact are all the top mark within this group. His biggest weakness is Team 3P% allowed but his other metrics are so strong that they still push him into this group. Capela was another surprise here as I didn't realize his impact was so significant, but his numbers are amongst the very best here.
Tier 2:
Joel Embiid - Richaun Holmes - Christian Wood - Brook Lopez
Joel Embiid - Richaun Holmes - Christian Wood - Brook Lopez
Embiid certainly leads this group with very good rim protection and halfcourt defense, but is somewhat plodding in transition – where his team gives up more points when he’s on the court than when he’s off. Holmes is a surprise for this tier, but his rim protection along with transition defense and team FG% against distance shots is impressive. Wood doesn’t defend the rim as frequently as these other players, but he has essentially zero weaknesses and is very solid in all metrics. Brook Lopez is similar with little weaknesses, though the team allows better distance shooting when he’s on the court, which checks out with his slower agility.
Tier 3:
Nerlens Noel - Jarrett Allen - John Collins - Jonas Valanciunas
Nerlens Noel - Jarrett Allen - John Collins - Jonas Valanciunas
Noel’s combination of frequency and DFG% is elite, but he allows a lot of putbacks and isn’t that great in transition either, which is surprising given how mobile he is. Jarrett Allen has very solid rim protection numbers, but is not a positive in transition, gives up way too many putbacks, and his team allows opponents a decent higher eFG% with him on than off. John Collins doesn’t have flashy rim protection numbers or standout impacts in any one area, but is similar to Wood in that he has very little weaknesses and is a positive in nearly every metric. Valanciunas is providing similar rim protection as Collins but is very weak in transition. However, he turned in the best mark for team 3p% allowed by a significant amount. I'm not sure how much we can trust that this is due to him, though.
Tier 4:
Kristaps Porzingis - Damontas Sabonis - Karl-Anthony Towns - Enes Kanter
Kristaps Porzingis - Damontas Sabonis - Karl-Anthony Towns - Enes Kanter
KP would be higher if it were just about rim protection, but Porzingis has mediocre numbers in transition and halfcourt defense. It’s his team’s ability to defend from distance while he’s on the floor that brings his ranking down the most. Sabonis isn’t quite as good as a rim protector, but has solid metrics in transition and the halfcourt overall. Towns is a good but not great rim protector, however his transition play is BAD and puts him in this tier. Kanter is a big surprise here. His DFG% numbers are atrocious, as are his transition numbers. However, the team’s FG% allowed at the rim is actually not as bad as one might expect, and overall, teams are only shooting a slightly higher eFG% with him on the court.
Tier 5:
Andre Drummond - Mason Plumlee - Nikola Jokic - Nikola Vucevic
Andre Drummond - Mason Plumlee - Nikola Jokic - Nikola Vucevic
Drummond is the best of this group, which should tell you something about how the rest will shape out. He isn’t a bad rim protector, and is actually solid in transition as well. However, the halfcourt defense is not good and teams are shooting way better at the rim and from three when he’s on the court. Plumlee has a pretty solid DRPM, so I’m actually not sure how this checks out. His personal DFG% at the rim is not terrible, but the team is allowing a staggering 7.3% higher FG% in shots at the rime when he’s on the court. He’s also not great in transition. The Nuggets actually defend the rim better when Jokic is on the court than off, but Jokic still has the worst transition numbers of the group, the 2nd worse DFG% at the rim, the worst FG% allowed from 3-point range, and the 2nd worse of the halfcourt. His DRPM isn’t horrific, which I suspect is related to his ability to generate steals. Vucevic is somehow great in transition, and yet catastrophic everywhere else. I do not understand how this is possible, but he has the 3rd best transition numbers and yet blows everyone else out of the water when it comes to his on/off numbers for shooting accuracy. Teams are scoring way better in the halfcourt when he’s on the floor – shooting better from every range.