Wait, I'm confused... how is drtg influenced by pace, when (being a per-100 possessions value) it's literally a pace- independent stat?
You’re absolutely correct. DRtg is a per 100 possessions statistic so it aims to eliminate pace of play for a more normalized comparison.
I think it’s me that’s confused, but not exactly for the reason you’re questioning. Even if you try to normalize for pace by making DRtg a stat based on a set 100 possessions, the actual pace you’re playing at influences how fast the ball changes ends of the court, how quickly fatigue becomes a problem, how fast defenders have to get back and get organized, etc. My confusion is that I was thinking the Blazers play a higher number of possessions per game than average. Turns out that’s not true. They actually are below average. The reason that they are a potent offense is that they’re generally pretty accurate from 3 pt. range, making the number of points they score per possession higher. All of which is to say, never mind.
to summarize: Stotts challenges the Blazers to become a top-15 defense by the end of the season. at the time they ranked 29th with a rating of 116.4. Since the challenge the Blazers have somehow become 2.7 points worse on defense in an easy 10 game schedule. it's reverse world
I think the entire focus should be just Stotts and not the players. At this point players are irrelevant if he asks Nurk for example to play the same way that Kanter does. He literally said Nurkic went rogue the other day that he trapped opponent guards, he didn't ask him to do it. It's just Nurk's defensive instict that made it happen. If he followed instructions he would just drop. And it's not usual for players to go rogue on D, more often than not they ll stick to the plan. At this point it's comical to defend Stotts when he is talking about missing players or who came back and will help etc. The guy clearly doesn't get the problem and he thinks it's just energy. If you ask a rabbit not to run then he will be like a turtle.
Quick got the tweet out just in time. He knows it won't be available in a week. Get the clicks while you can.
And I don't get this challenging nonsense. If he's not actually changing any schemes or lineups, just telling them to DEFEND won't do a damn thing to improve us.
It isn't just you. Don't worry I'm following just fine. Like i said. The word really doesn't mean much but it sure sounds like you know what is going on. Kinda like "At The End Of The Day". Here's a scheme- Play better defense, Cut down on unforced errors, Make your free throws, Communicate better on the court. Get players involved on offense. When all of that fails PRAY Dame/CJ will hit a shot! It might just work? For the Lakers substitute LeBron/Davis for Dame/CJ. For the Nets substitute Harden/KD for Dame/CJ.
It is depressing to read those team defense stats. Makes the idea of getting out of the first round seem pretty far fetched.
And when you tell a team (say, the Blazers) to "play better defense", how, specifically, should said team accomplish that?
Dame and CJ need to stay in front of their defenders. Kanter needs to be able to show/switch PnR out on the perimeter, yet disrupt shots in the key. Melo needs to be able to defend 3+ positions. Easy stuff!
