cupcakesnake wrote:G R E Y wrote:itsxtray wrote:Goldsberry was comparing Wemby's on/off to entire teams defensive ratings not specific players thats why Hoopvenue used JWill and OG as examples of players with even better numbers than Wembys to show Goldsberrys approach was flawed.
Flawed, ok, but still showing a trend that is true. It's clear that both Wemby and OG are excellent defenders, all the more important to teams like ours with poor D while on the rebuild. That OG's D impact is apparent on a good team - and that they traded for him for it to begin with - is also a testament.
I am not talking about JWill because I really don't know much about his two-way game.
Like you can't argue against D impact of a single great defensive player even if KG's method may be flawed. This highlights the issue of the method itself, not the impact.
I think it's pretty common for writers to compare single lineup ratings to team ratings. I think the point is to give the read a frame of reference for what a 106 Drtg means, assuming all readers don't know what the average Drtg for a lineup is. Also it's a lot more work to look up more relevant lineup date. It's just a quick anecdote to let people know that an individual player is having big impact on the lineups he's in.
To me, lineup data like this is pretty flawed and only gives us the slightest of indicators. You need to know the other 4 players in any lineup. Lineup data assumption always seems to be: Wemby any ANY OTHER 4 mystery box players produce X Drtg. In reality, rotations are usually more consistent and lineup data is about who you're most tied to. It boosts the guys who play in the strongest defensive lineups (including bad defenders), and hurts the good defenders used to prop up vulnerable lineups.
I haven't watched the Spurs enough to have strong feeling on this. I know it's been better lately but why is the Spurs defense so bad? Who is to blame. It's obviously anybody but Wemby, but I'm just wondering. Vassell and Sochan were both great defensive prospects coming into the NBA, but I haven't deep dived into them lately.
'Who is to blame' is not really as constructive. Do rebuilding teams have good team D? Is that a thing right off the bat or do they grow into it both internally via development and via draft, trades, FA, etc.?
As you point out, we have some good individual defenders. And some bad ones. All of them are young and playing together now (ie/ not as buoyed by vets of yesteryear) while most are learning the system, accepting that for us two way play is primary, sometimes needing benchings for the mindset of D effort to sink in.
Branham stands out here.
Vassell's D is still good but his O has also taken a leap and that balance is something of a WIP. Between last season's first half of starting for the first time and this season, he's learning what it takes in this role.
Tre is a dogged defender but he also has physical restrictions that just are what they are.
Sochan is often tasked with defending the best opponent scorers, switching 1 through 4. He's coming along on D.
Other times, it's good raw D material that needs fine tuning that reps provide. Blake Wesley is a good example of it. Dom Barlow, too.
All of which is to say that a rebuilding team needs time to put it together. And to say that some players won't be with us much longer.
