Lakers: 22.9 FTA
Opponents: 18.5 FTA
DRTG: 114.6
Post-AD trade (31 games):
Lakers: 23.5 FTA
Opponents: 23.9 FTA
DRTG: 112.8
To all those who previously argued that the Lakers' FTA differential was a sign of how much support they receive from referees: why has it changed? Is there an explanation for this shift?
Perhaps the FTA differential isn’t about which teams are favored by referees, but long-term rather about the defensive schemes they employ and the personnel they have on the floor? And there's no direct correlation between opponents' FTA numbers and your defensive level? Thunder and Magic are top2 defenses in the league and top6 in terms of opponents' FTA numbers this season. So, Lakers were having high FTA differential thanks to AD (one of the 'cleanest' shotblockers we've ever seen and defensive schemes) and now it's gone once AD is gone and those schemes have changed?
I wish it were an example for people not to create strange theories based on singular instances that can be easily explained by observable merits, but I know it won't be.
