Interior defense: Bargnani has second lowest opp percentage.

[hsb]

http://www.sloansportsconference.com/wp ... %20NBA.pdf

B) Proximal FG%: the relative efficiencies of shooters in the proximity of the defender. Overall, when there is a qualifying interior defender within 5 feet of a shot attempt, the NBA shoots 45.6% from the field; however this value varies considerably depending on which defender that is. The most effective proximate defender in our study was Larry Sanders; opponents shot only 34.9% when he was within 5 feet of their shot. Conversely, Anderson Varejao was found to be the least effective proximate defenders with a proximal FG% value of 54.2%. Table 1 summarizes the best and worst players according to proximal FG%, but a complete list of proximal FG% values can be found in Appendix 2.

Thought this was kind of cool. Saw it on the general board. There are limitations on data collection, so don't mind the title, but a good read nonetheless.

[RapHippy]

I'm pretty sure we've been aware of Bargs 1 on 1 D which is actually not bad. But even with that, his disgusting rebounding (He'll stop a shot but let the same player rebound the ball while he watches), horrible help D and becoming a liability on offense just frustrates me, and im pretty sure other fans that want us to win.

[Darkseid]

Yeah those stats don't mean much when he sucks at everything else.

[Primal]

Cool but the problem is Bargs is always more than 5 feet away from providing help D

[theonlyeastcoastrapsfan]

If he'd get the ball after forcing the miss, he'd have something there. But any coach worth his salt will send two to the offensive boards when he's in the game. And he'll box out one of them, and then they'll get another possession.

[FTW]

Cool but the problem is Bargs is always more than 5 feet away from providing help D

Hah - yeah, I think one of the first things CLE did after Bargs entered the game was a drive across the top, turn the corner and run down the clear path and lay it in while Bargs watched helplessly underneath the basket, half-way between leaving his man and sliding over.

And of course, the rebounding point is completely legit - I'd love someone to come up with the stats for opposing offensive rebounds off a missed shot when Bargs is on the court....

[OhMyBosh]

Interesting stat to look at face value.

However, when you objectively watch each game, you can tell that Valanciunas will more often than not receive a foul when the opponent misses their shot. That could be attributed to Jonas being a rookie, but his chances on a possession will likely either result in a made basket or foul shots if the other player misses. I believe that skews the stat out of Jonas' favour in a big way.

On the other hand, it's nice to see that Bargnani has respect from officials where he can get up on his man and not get called for ticky tack fouls like Amir and Jonas do.

[whoknows]

I do hope that AB will get traded soon so he can get under a real big man coach environment (he never had one).

With proper guidance comes motivation and hopefully he can reach his potential, since there is no question in my mind guy is skilled well above average player - just needs to get his mind into it.

Of course there is also the more realistic chance that he will never reach his potential, like the majority of very skilled players who are lacking the motivation.

[Basketball_Jones]

If there was no three second violation, we could park Bargs underneath the basket and he'd stop everything!

[ATLTimekeeper]

I do hope that AB will get traded soon so he can get under a real big man coach environment (he never had one).

Scott Roth worked with Dirk and Pau. At 27, he doesn't need a personal coach, he needs a heart transplant.

[whysoserious]

I do hope that AB will get traded soon so he can get under a real big man coach environment (he never had one).

With proper guidance comes motivation and hopefully he can reach his potential, since there is no question in my mind guy is skilled well above average player - just needs to get his mind into it.

Of course there is also the more realistic chance that he will never reach his potential, like the majority of very skilled players who are lacking the motivation.

Do you honestly believe that a change of scenery is what's going to turn it around? Most guys at 27 don't just suddenly get it and blow up.

There's no doubt the guy is talented and very skilled. That really has never been in question. It's his effort, engagement, consistency and motivation. That's not something someone else can give him, that's on him and is a major flaw in him as a basketball player.

[advaita]

great, valanciunas one of the worst

[UcanUwill]

Interesting, but its not worth sharing. Its such a vacuum stat its useless. I guess it shows defensive potential though?

But here you go, Varejao is the worst in this stat. He is great at rotating, is defensive anchor hustler. He literally defends so much, he often there to provide last chance defensive effort. And that weakens his %. If he was there not trying and not rotating, he would be a terrible defender, yet his % would be greater.

On the other hand you have Perkins at nr. 3 (not to mention Bargs..). Perkins is a good post defender, but he is quite opposite to Varejao. He sticks at one spot, defends it well and has great %. He is not providing any threat really, is not menacing off ball defender at all. I mean some defenders like Ibaka or same Varejao really impacts the game just being there. It lowers offensive confidence knowing there are guys who can appear from nowhere and contest your shot. You cant calculate that, this is why I dont like advanced defensive stats that much. Some of these stats just laughs at good defenders.

[Yoga]

great, valanciunas one of the worst

I was surprised to see that.....Jonas V has been rebounding, blocking shots and overall good D

[Indeed]

Its already been discussed. Although it is man defense (not interior defense), but many people still in their disbelieve that Bargnani is a very good man defender, maybe average overall in defense (as long as he rotates, he has some effect).

Meanwhile, on the stats, there are some influence by their teammates, where Varejao may not be the worst after all.

[Thelonious]

Why go at Bargnani when you can go at any of the other 4 players and wait for Bargnani to screw up his help rotation for an easy open lane?

[Thelonious]

When a teammate gets beat, Bargs is still focusing on crowding his man. After the opponent just shot the ball, that's when Bargnani provides help D. Bargnani does all these things pretty well, but rarely at the right time.

He's not good at the 5 on 5 version of basketball.

[I_Like_Dirt]

The thing with this data is it shows the % of makes by the opposing offensive player when the defender is within 5 feet of the play. If you don't bother trying to be close to the play in the first place and only try when they're more likely to make a stop, you look great. If you try on every play no matter the chances, you look worse. Looking closer at the numbers, you see that Andrea is among the bottom in attempts defensively.

[Jakay]

Pretty sure Bargnani's not allowed to be good at anything.

[ATLTimekeeper]

The whole study doesn't really indicate that much. I mean, we don't know who's guarding who, what kind of defense they're playing, second chance effort, who their teammates are, tempo of play, minutes played, role on team. It does tell us that Bargnani, when he is in the right spot, shuts the door among the best. So you can see why he's a frustrating player to be around and also might have value around the league.