RealGM

Paint-Protection. A lot of ink has been spilled arguing for it as the singularly most important component of an individual defender’s ability to help his team prevent the other guys from scoring. It’s also an aspect of the game that is poorly quantified, especially pre-data ball. Blocks are by and large the primary measure people use, but a look at usage (rim-load) reveals that even players who offer very little rim-protection can be made to look like centerpieces if one limits their evaluation to counting how often contact is made with the ball:
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=2387572

That said, I think rim-load has a glaring blind-spot. What if the reason a player is used as a paint-protector…because the opponent wants them to be used as one?

Corzine and Oakley both were the primary or co-primary paint protectors on a boatload of possessions above. But is Corzine’s relativity to Oakley there the Bull’s doing, or their own? Jokic spends alot of time defending the paint, even compared to other bigs. Is he a great rim-protector? Or is he just being hunted by opposing offenses?

To answer these queries, I present the latest product of Eye-Test, Inc:

Irrational Avoidances (IA).

The following conditions must be met to rack up an Irrational Avoidance…

1) More of your team’s defenders are on the opposing side of the floor for a sequence (There can be multiple sequences per possession)
2) Despite this the attacker/attacking team chooses to attack the side with more defenders
3) This decision is made after a reset or in the half-court/semi-transition

Note, “the floor” here really describes the area of space a set of defenders covers, not the literal floor. Additionally the sides are determined using the vantage point of the initial ball-handler. If you can imagine a symmetric line being drawn from the ball-handler’s POV to the basket…being to the left or right of said line determines what side you’re on. I will also exclusively look at how a sequence starts.

A “sequence” ends whenever there is a pause in the ball-handlers movement or the possession finishes.

So I can kill 5 6 birds at once, I'm going to track the first 80 possessions(40 each) from a game all 5 6 played. Game 5 if the finals. You might remember this was a game Sampson left early, offering us an opportunity to assess how Sampson’s presence influences Olajuwon. I will also ascribe “paint-protectors” or “co-primary paint protectors” (PP) for each possession and make notes on how these avoidances end up working out. Since I am tracking 5 players I am also going to add a live tally (in parenthesis) of how many IA’s has been counted for each player so I don’t lose count.

For those who just want the results, you can skip to the bottom.

There is a great deal more grey area here than with the creation stuff I think. Vetting and perhaps some discussion on what should be counted or not counted is welcomed.



Possession 1 - Houston - 12:43

Sampson nearly secures an IA with Ainge initially looking for a pass the opposite side before moving to the right. Hakeem follows Parish as he tries to get open under the basket and then switches with Sampson. With the prospect of option to try and deal with both of them Ainge settles for a shot. On the inbound Mchale receives the ball and is picked up by Sampson with Hakeem providing backline insurance while keeping Parish in check. Mchale gets free of Sampson with a spin but misses his jumper. Hakeem boxes Parish out and goes for the defensive Board only for Sampson to grab it. With Hakeem spending more of the possession at the rim while checking the opposing center, I’ll consider him the primary here (Hakeem - 1 PP)

Possession 1 - Boston - 13:25

Sampson speeds forward in transition but the defense is set and the play resets. Bird and Parish are on the right so the ball is swung to the left where Mchale is waiting. Mchale hangs around the basket the most and spends most of the possession keyed in on Sampson. I’ll count him as the primary (Mchale - 1 PP)

Possession 2 - Rockets - 13:31

Bird fires it to Mchale who posts up unsuccessfully on Sampson. Sampson spends the possession near the basket keeping Mchale in check and stops him from scoring inside. He’s the clear primary here. To his credit, Hakeem does the most to secure the board(keeping Parish from the ball) but that isn’t enough to be considered the main paint-protector. (Sampson - 1 PP)

Possession 2 - Boston - 13:39

Bird stops the fast-break at the paint. The Celtics fail to win the ball back. Reid scores inspite of Mchale’s best efforts. (Bird - 1 PP)

Possession 3 - Houston - 14:06

Sampson is on an island near the rim next to Mchale. The Celtics decide to exploit this and are vindicated with Sampson letting Mchale slip for an easy dunk. (Sampson - 2 PP)

Possession 3 - Boston - 14:12

Bird starts the possession on the less crowded side and McCray attacks accordingly. Once near the basket he runs Bird into Hakeem and then tries to exploit the opening. Except Parish switches immediately and there’s no opening to be had. His efforts are in vain as Bird is beat by Olajuwon for the board and the putback. Parish is closest to the basket, spends half the possession containing Hakeem, and snuffs out an attempt at the rim when Bird is taken out of the action. He’s the primary (Parish - 1 PP)

Possession 4 - Houston - 14:30

Hakeem records the first IA (1) in this tracking. He is on the less crowded side of the floor and Boston, in the half-court decides to attack the other way. The decision does not pay-off as Sampson forces a travel. In terms of rim-load Hakeem spends nearly the entire possession in the paint containing Parish. Accordingly he’s counted as the primary (Hakeem - 2 PP)

Possession 4 - Boston - 14:38

Robert Reid throws the ball to the less-crowded left hoping to exploit the space between Sampson and Bird. Bird is too close however and after catching Hakeem spins into a triple and misses. Reid is near the basket and dealing with Hakeem nearly the whole time and ultimately snuffs thwarts him near the basket.(Parish - 2 PP)

Possession 5 - Houston - 15:00

The Celtics easily convert the fast break. Robert Reid does **** all but as he is in the vicinity of the basket for more time than any other rocket including the end of the possession, he is noted as the primary. Remember, rim-load measures usage, not efficacy.

Possession 5 - Boston - 15:40

It’s Houston's turn to break. Parish starts at the basket but comes out to force a reset with Bird briefly manning the rim. Mchale takes over quickly and spends the rest of the possession watching Hakeem at the basket before trying and failing to stop Sampson from dunking. (Mchale - 3 PP)

Possession 6 - Houston - 15:50

Celtics try to break but Houston’s defense is set. Parish recieves the ball with his back to Hakeem, fakes, and airballs. Bird gets Mchale a Board. Hakeem moves across the baseline to try and contest a second shot but it’s too little too late as Mchale backs up and converts an open jumper. Hakeem spends the possession containing Parish near the basket, defends Parish at the post, and then unsuccessfully tries to stop Mchale. Pretty clearly the primary this poss. (Hakeem 3 - PP)

Possession 6 - Boston - 16:05
Hakeem receives the ball in the post, spins and scores. Mchale is at the rim the whole time and does the most to try and prevent Hakeem from scoring. His effort is unsuccessful but he will be noted as the primary regardless. (Mchale - 4 PP)

Possession 7 - Houston -16:17

The Celtics call a quick timeout. After they leave the huddle the ball is swung to Bird who swings it to Mchale. Sampson stonewalls Mchale but his teammate commits a foul swiping the ball away. Sampson is the closest to the basket throughout the possession and engages Mchale in the post. Clear primary this poss (Sampson - 3 PP)

Possession 7 - Boston - 17:08

Sampson gets the ball at the key and then dances around Boston’s defense to score. Don’t see much difference in Parish or Mchale’s usage here so (Mchale - 5 PP, Parish - 3 PP)

Possession 8 - Houston - 17:52

Mchale gets the ball at the top of the key and then fires it to Bird who scores it despite Hakeem’s contest. Hakeem spends the entire possession watching Parish in the paint up until the end where he fights the screen and contests Bird’s jumper. (Hakeem - 4 PP)
https://youtu.be/sw7b1hEcY8E?t=1085

Possession 8 - Boston - 18:49

Mchale gets the Celtic’s first IA (1) with Reid deciding to pass the ball to the more crowded side of the floor opposite of where Mchale was waiting. Sampson doesn’t see anything there so he throws it back to Reid. Reid dumps it to Hakeem who Mchale swallows up with a little assistance from Bird (Mchale - 6 PP)

Possession 9 - Rockets - 19:29

Celtics get the Rockets unprepared in transition and Johnson coverts an open jumper, wins a free throw, and converts the free throw. Reid is the primary rim-dude by default.

Possession 9 - Boston - 19:39

Mcray nearly turns it over but Bird last touches the ball. On the inbound the Rockets throw it to Hakeem who finds lloyd while drawing 3 defenders. Lloyd then finds sampson who converts the open jumper. Mchale spends the most time near the basket throughout the possession. (Mchale - 7 PP)

Possession 10 - Houston - 22:49

Reid knocks the ball out of bounds. On the inbound the ball is thrown to Mchale who bumps into Sampson before getting easy separation for an open jumper, which he misses. Sampson isn’t very effective, but preventing Mchale from trying to score inside and spending nearly all the possession inside the paint attached to Mchale makes him the obvious primary here. (Sampson - 4 PP)

Possession 10 - Boston - 22:56

Mchale records a second IA (2) with Houston’s ball-handler choosing to try and drive around more defenders on the other side rather than throw it to Hakeem or drive the ball using Mchale’s side of the court. This doesn’t work out as said ball-handler immediately turns the ball over. (Mchale - 8 PP)

Possession 11 - Houston - 23:00

Celtics launch a fast break of the turnover with a 2 v 1 vs Robert Reid. Robert Reid comes out on top doing just enough to prevent an easy basket.

Possession 11 - Boston - 23:07

Semi-transition opportunity as Reid brings the ball up. Exploits the space ahead of him to take a shot and misses. The ball rolls out of bound but it’s Houston ball. Inbound play also fizzles out as Sampson misses an off-balance jumper. Mchale and Parish both spend nearly all of the possession waiting near the basket but Mchale stays back at the end while Parish is pulled to the perimeter. (Mchale - 9 PP)

Possession 12 - Houston - 23:43

Celtics get another big fastbreak opportunity and this time capitalise. Reid doesn’t do much but he’s the only guy in any sort of position to offer deterrence of any sort.

Possession 12 - Boston - 23:50

Parish and Bird both get an IA(1, 1) as Mcray decides to pass it to the other side instead of trying to drive on the two of them. The ball gets to Lloyd who fires and misses a jumper only for Hakeem and Sampson to beat out Mchale and Parish for the rebound. Sampson ends up with the ball and the putback. Parish is clearly the most involved rim-defender (Parish - 4 PP)

Possession 13 - Houston - 24:07

Jones brings the ball forward and finds Bird. Bird shoots it over his defender to score. Not much happens here but Hakeem spends the most time in the paint and is tracking Boston’s center. I’ll call him Houston’s primary paint-protector here. (Hakeem - 5 PP)

Possession 13 - Boston - 24:23

McCray brings the ball forward and drives towards Bird. He then runs Bird into a screen and tries to pass it low past Mchale and Parish. Instead he hits one of their legs and the ball goes out of bounds. Wiggins hit a wide-open jumper off the inbound. Parish is the only celtic at the basket before and after the ball goes out of bounds so he’s the primary. (Parish - 5 PP)

Possession 14 - Houston - 24:55

McHale finds the ball in the paint and is met by Samson who he, again, shakes off immediately for an open jumper. .He misses but he baits a foul and Mchale converts both free throws. Again, rim-load is not a measure of efficacy. Sampson has not been effective dealing with Mchale but he is being asked to deal with him inside so he is noted as the primary Paint-guy. (Sampson - 5 PP)

Possession 14 - Boston - 25:47

Ainge fouls Sampson trying to get to Reid. On the inbound Mitchell gets a bit of separation from Bird after Houston forces a switch and hits the jumper. Bird spends the most time at the basket so he’ll be considered the primary. (Bird - 2)

Possession 15 - Houston - 26:19
Possession ends early due to Bird double-dribbling. Sampson is closest to the basket so (Sampson - 6 PP)

Possession 15 - Boston - 26;46

Mchale picks up a third IA (3) as Boston elects to swing it to Wiggins on the opposite side of the floor. Wiggins misses the jumper and Mchale beats Hakeem to secure the board. Spending the whole possession at the basket and fighting Olajuwon makes him the primary. (Mchale - 10 PP)

Possession 16 - Houston - 26:53

McCray blocks Dennis Johson. After the jump-ball Hakeem blocks Parish strong-side. Both will be noted as primaries here (Hakeem - 6 PP)

Possession 16 - Boston - 27:49

Sampson leads the break and tries to drive on Bird but Ainge blocks it weakside. Bird is clearly the paint-protector here (Bird - 3 PP)

Possession 17 - Houston - 27:52

Ainge leads the break and gets a blocking foul on Reid. Usage =/ efficacy so Reed is noted as the primary.

Possession 18 - Boston - 28:40

McCray uses an Olajuwon screen to gain some separation and attempt a jumper. He misses but Walton boxes out Sampson allowing Bird to pick up the rebound. As he spends the whole possession checking Sampson near the basket and prevents a potential putback he’s the primary here.

Possession 19 - Houston - 28:53

Bird nearly turns it over but Dennis Johnson wins the ball back and gets it to Mchale. Walton beats Sampson clean to receive the ball but Hakeem stuffs him strong-side. As Hakeem spends more time in the paint and plays a bigger role in the block, he’s the primary here (Hakeem - 7 PP)

Possession 19 - Boston - 29:04

McCray tries to break but is fouled. Sampson tries to score but is stonewalled by Wallton and gets off a wild misfire. Hakeem stops the ball from going out of bounds and is fouled. On the inbound Hakeem receives the ball in the post and spins into a double and misses again. Mchale spends most of the possession in the paint and also directly prevents Hakeem from scoring again.Walton also spends most of the possession in the paint and directly prevents Sampson from scoring,They are co-primaries. (Mchale - 11 PP)

Possession 20 - Houston - 30:35

Ainge gets the ball, fires from a long way and comes short. Hakeem spends the possession checking Parish in the paint and seals him to secure the rebound. (Hakeem - 8 PP)

Possession 20 - Boston - 30:40

Sampson gets the ball in the post, gets separation, and converts over Walton. Walton is at the basket the whole possession and stands between Sampson and the basket at the end of the poss. He’s the primary here.

Possession 21 - Houston - 30:50

The Rockets have their wired crossed and Boston capitalises taking advantage of Robert Reid being Houston’s primary.

Possession 21 - Boston - 31:10

Hakeem gets the ball in the post but fires it back with Mchale guarding him and Ainge helping. The ball is redirected to Mcray who drives on Walton. Ainge is called for a foul. Mchale and Walton are used about the same way. (Mchale - 12 PP)

Possession 22 - Houston - 34:40

Bird gets the ball high elbow. First he bounces it to Ainge. Ainge doesn’t see an opening and gives it back to Bird. Bird then gives it to Mchale who turns it over under pressure from Aampson. Sampson is the primary here . (Sampson - 7 PP)

Possession 22 - Boston -34:52

Houston have a 3 on 2 fast-break thwarted by a flying Dennis Johnson Not a particularly sustainable approach to shot-blocking but it does the trick and Dennis shall be recognised as the primary.

Possession 23 - Houston - 35::06

Boston bring it right back and Ainge banks it in despite Reid’s best efforts

Possession 23 - Boston - 35:24

Hakeem gets the ball far from the basket, and gives it back to Reid who gets a defender to bite before firing an open three. He airballs but Wiggins get up a shot that is retroactively revised to count.

Possession 24 - Houston - 36:17

Hakeem picks up another IA (2). Mchale brings the ball up and fires it to the opposite side of Hakeem. Johnson gets the ball and gives it back to Bird who gets Hakeem up in the air-with a shot fake, and then hits an open 2. Usage is not efficacy and Hakeem us clearly used the most here. (Hakeem - 9 PP)

Possession 24 - Boston - 36:25
Wiggins gets the ball but the sequence ends with Walton fouling Sampson. Sampson shoots free throws. Efficacy =/ Usage. Walton is the primary

Possession 25 - Houston - 37:30

Ainge gets the ball to Bird who drives, spins to get open, and hits a jumper. Hakeem and Sampson can share usage here. Hakeem spends more time in the paint, but Sampson gets closer to the basket. (Hakeem - 10 pp, Sampson - 8 PP)

Possession 25 - Boston - 37:40
Hakeem receives the ball near the basket but is bumped off-balance by Parish and loses the ball. Bird and Parish capitalize. (Parish - 6 PP)

Possession 26 - Houston - 37:51

Wiggins tips Bird’s outlet pass out of bounds. Ainge receives the ball after the inbound and fires an open three. He misses and Hakeem seals off Parish to secure the rebound. (Hakeem - 11 PP)

Possession 26 - Boston - 38:17

Hakeem gets the ball at the post, spins and scores a fadeaway over 2 defenders. Mchale spends the most time in the paint, checks the opposing center, and gets closest to the basket. (Mchale - 13 PP)

Possession 27 - Houston - 38:33

Sampson gets his first IA (1) with Dennis Johnson throwing the ball to the opposite side and finding Ainge. Ainge fires it to Walton who misses a jumper contested by Hakeem and Sampson. Hakeem then blocks off Parish helping Wiggins pick up the board. (Hakeem - 12 PP)

Possession 27 - Boston - 42:00

Wiggins gets the ball mid-post and drives and hits a jumper over Walton. Walton spends the most time in the paint and helps prevent a potential drive, making him the primary again.

Possession 28 - Houston - 42:19

Stitching gets the ball at the top of the key and then gives it to Bird who hits a 3, Hakeem and Sampson are used the same way so (Hakeem - 13 PP, Sampson - 9 PP)

Possession 28 - Boston - 42:39

Reid gets the ball and throws it to Sampson who weaves through a double and dunks on Parish. Parish spends the whole possession near the basket and directly challenges Parish as he dunks. (Parish - 7 PP)

Possession 29 - Houston - 42:53

Stitching throws the ball to Walton who blows by Sampson. Hakeem initially stops Walton with a weak-side block but his attempt to stop Walton’s follow-up strong-side is in vain. Had the play ended with the block Sampson would be noted as the primary but the strongside contest makes Hakeem the primary rim-guy for the play (Hakeem - 13 PP)

Possession 29 - Boston - 43:15

McCray gets the ball in the post and backs down Bird before finding Hakeem open with a bounce pass. Hakeem converts.

Possession 30 - Houston - 43:35

On the inbound Bird initiates a give and go with Walton by the basket only to be stuffed by Olajuwon on what would have otherwise been a wide open dunk. (Hakeem 14 - PP)

Possession 30 - Boston - 44:05

Wiggins drives on Boston’s three bigs but his shot hits the rim. Hakeem gets the rebound and converts a putback. Walton was the primary. Efficacy =/ Usage

Possession 31 - Houston - 44:20

Bird gets the ball and airballs a three. Hakeem catches it. Hakeem was the closest to the basket and contained Parish. Doesn’t really do anything but he’s the primary here (Hakeem 15 - PP)

Possession 31 - Boston 44:25

Wiggins drives and throws it to Reid who hits an open 3. Walton seems like the primary. Sampson throws a punch and a fight ensues.

(Sampson is ejected)

Possession 32 - Rockets - 50:42

Possession stops early as another fight breaks out. Hakeem picks up his third IA with Stitching opting to pass to the opposite side despite Hakeem’s side being less crowded. (Hakeem - 16 PP)

Possession 32 - Celtics - 56:45
Wiggins drives on Bill Walton and travels. Bill Walton is the primary here.

Possession 33 - Houston - 57:02

Bird fires it to Walton who tries to find Mchale with a touch-pass. Peterson intercepts and is the primary.

Possession 33 - Boston - 57:08

McCray drives at Bird and floats it over both Bird and Walton to extend the Rocket’s lead, Walton is the primary again.

Possession 34 - Houston - 57:17

Stitching bounces the ball to Mchale who spins and goes up to the basket only to get blocked on the weak side by Hakeem, Stitching turns it over. Hakeem is in the paint for most of the possession and blocks Mchale on the weakside.(Hakeem - 17 PP)

Possession 34 - Boston - 57:30

The Rockets have a 3-1 against Larry Bird. Peterson dunks. (Bird - 4 PP)

(houston get the ball again)

Possession 35 -Boston - 58:20

Hakeem is fed the ball in the low post going up against Walton. Hakeem gets doubled, goes up, and draws a foul. Usage =/ Efficacy and Walton is too big of a factor to keep ignoring (Walton - 11 PP)

Possession 35 - Houston - 59:13

Parish gets the ball going up against Hakeem. Parish puts up a shot and misses. Hakeem secures the board despite Bird’s best efforts. (Hakeem - 18 PP)

Possession 36 - Boston - 59:24

Hakeem gets the ball, nearly loses it, and then scores over a triple. Mchale is near the basket the whole possession so (Mchale - 14 PP)

Possession 36 - Houston - 59:40

Mchale dumps the ball to a cutting Bird who throws the ball over Hakeem to find Parish who is fouled. Hakeem is in the paint for the whole possession and initially keeps track of Parish. Efficacy =/ usage. (Hakeem - 19 PP)

Possession 37 - Boston - 1:03:05

Wiggins penetrates and hits a floater, Mchale is the closest to the basket and spends the whole possession near the basket. (Mchale - 15 PP)

Possession 37 - Houston - 1:03:53

Mchale gets by Peterson, tries to float the ball over a jumping Hakeem and misses. Hakeem blocks off Parish and secures the Board. (Hakeem - 20 PP)

Possession 38 - Boston - 1:04:10

Rockets break. Mcray finds Wiggins who shoots and misses. Mchale secures the board despite multiple Rockets lurking. (Mchale - 16 PP)

Possession 38 - Houston - 1:04:14

Mchale fires an outlet. Reid knocks the pass, preventing an almost guaranteed two. On the inbound, the ball gets to Parish who is challenged by Hakeem and misses. Reid and Hakeem both get to be primaries here. (Hakeem - 21 PP)

Possession 39 - Boston - 1:04:34

McCray runs down the court and gives the ball to Hakeem who posts up on Bird, gets a bit of separation, and misses. Bird spends the most time in the paint and prevents Hakeem from driving inside. (Bird -> 5 PP)

Possession 39 - Houston - 1:04:39

Parish picks up his own dribble. Houston ball.

Possession 40 - Boston - 1:04:55

Peterson takes it to the hole but is swamped by Parish and Bird. (Parish -> 7 PP, Bird -> 6 PP)

Possession 40 - Houston - 1;05:11

Houston gets called for illegal defense. After the inbound Peterson stonewalls Johnson along the baseline, helps swarm Walton, and helps set-up Hakeem for his near-block on Johnson’s 2nd baseline foray. Peterson will be noted as the primary for the final possession of this tracking.


Tally and Analysis

Let’s start with rim-load distribution (PPs) among the 6 defenders tracked




Here is the distribution of IAs:




Hakeem leads both teams comfortably in terms of usage. An interesting outcome since I didn’t necessarily have it as given he’d lead his own team there. His main argument over Sampson would be effectiveness but if this sample is representative, it would seem Hakeem has a big edge in volume as well as efficiency. Hakeem was tied for the lead in IA’s though it’s notable to me two of those IA’s were picked up after Sampson went out. Perhaps more notably(and predictably), Hakeem’s usage skyrocketed without Sampson with Olajuwon being the primary dude in nearly all the subsequent possessions. Mchale leads the Celtics overall but interestingly if one adjusted per-possession the lead would be Walton. Mchale saw a drop in terms of usage when he shared the court with Walton.

Bird unsurprisingly(at least I’d hope) comes last. He’s 1 short of Parish but he also played significantly more minutes. This also might serve as a warning about reliance on defensive box-score. Parish led the team in blocks compiling as many as the rest of his teammates combined. Yet, he finishes second to last in actual usage.

There’s a big caveat here though.

Usage =/ Effectiveness

Sampson and Walton were used as paint-protectors alot. But being used a lot doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing that well. Sampson got burned, not overpowered, but outmaneuvered by the shadow of Bill Walton multiple times. Almost every time he went up against Mchale, Bird, Parish, or Waton, he was rendered a non or minute-factor.

Hakeem on the other hand, nearly always getting something positive engagement against opposing bigs and yielding some of the most valuable returns possible (multiple strong side blocks). As impressively, he largely maintained that efficacy despite his usage spiking with Sampson out.

Mchale was also pretty effective despite often taking the particularly difficult assignment of dealing with Hakeem.

Walton was a mixed-bag and I’m genuinely curious to what, if any, degree that high usage is a product of opposing teams seeing him as a liability in space.I’d say Bird mostly was ineffective as the primary rim-protector though it’s perhaps unfair to judge him too harshly here considering he was playing that role in near hopeless situations like 3 v 1s.

Ultimately for this sort of tracking to be truly comprehensive, I’ll need to be able to count proxies for efficacy, not simply volume/usage. Speaking of

IAs need rethinking

I was expecting them to occur much more frequently. Instead we have just a few instances to extrapolate from. Part of this expectation is noticing a fair-share of IA’s when I did a bit of creation-tracking for Lebron in the first game of the 2007 finals.

Them practically being non-existent here could speak to a variety of factors. Here are some potential explanations.

Mobile defenders render avoidance pointless

For an IA to occur, a player must decide to face more defenders rather than a particular defender. If the defender being avoided is excellent at covering ground, going tgrough a more crowded route may be less likely to offer you the avoidance you seek.

Good defensive teammates hurt
If you are wary of defenders on the side opposite to the player as well, is it worth shifting?

It’s possible the ideal scenario for IA accumulation is one where a player isn’t timely or capable of help and is surrounded by terrible rim-protectors.

I may need to lighten the conditions for what’s being counted. While I’m not going to use it much for analysis, I still plan on counting them for future defensive tracking ventures to see how different situations affect the frequency of them occurring.

Anyway, that's all for now.