NBA
NBA PM: The Truth About Rookie Defense
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Truth About Rookie Class Defense
As the NBA swings to the back part of the season and teams race to the finish line and the postseason in some cases, more and more focus will shift toward predicting the end-of-season awards. One of the more interesting races to watch will be the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is the frontrunner, as he’s having an impressive and consistent rookie campaign that couldn’t have been scripted any better. Then, there is New York Knicks sensation Kristaps Porzingis, who has exceeded everyone’s pre-draft expectations. Looming in the third chair is likely Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor.
No name in the rookie class is more polarizing these days than Okafor, whether it’s his over-hyped and overblown off-court antics, the perception that he’s the NBA’s worst defender or just a general dislike of a throwback big man who thrives in the low-post.
The off-court stuff is what it is. It’s never nearly as bad as it seems, but it’s certainly not a good look while campaigning for something (not that players actively try to get votes for such things).
The throwback style of play is what makes Okafor so special. He is arguably one of the most skilled low-post players in the game right now and he’s just a baby in his NBA career.
Which brings us back to the defense issue.
Before we get too far into this, it is important to say that almost no team in the NBA plays man-on-man defense. So trying to judge a player’s defensive prowess based on how he guards his man neglects that players have rules for how they guard that man based on the team defense. If the point guard misses his assignment, is that on the center for not being there to catch the play?
No one is going to look at Okafor and say he’s the next great defender. However, the stats say he’s not nearly as bad as some would paint him.
The NBA’s new SportVu camera technology allows for the tracking of things in a much more granular way. While there isn’t a great statistic to track defense, one that’s very credible is Defensive Field Goal Percentage, or what a player scores while being defended by another player. When you compare that percentage to a player’s average, you can see if the defending player is at least holding the offensive player to their average.
In looking at the rookie class, there were some interesting things that surfaced defensively, as measured by Defensive Foul Goal Percentage. Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis may be the best rookie defender who has played more than 30 games. Portis is holding offensive players to 37.8 percent from the field, while those same players are averaging 44.8 percent on the season.
Here are the top 20 rookies by Defensive Field Goal Percentage, based on 30 or more games played:
| Player | Â Age | Â GP | Â DFG% | Â FG% | Â DIFF |
| Bobby Portis | Â 21 | Â 36 | Â 37.8 | Â 44.8 | Â -7 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Â 20 | Â 60 | Â 42.4 | Â 46.6 | Â -4.2 |
| Nikola Jokic | Â 21 | Â 56 | Â 45.6 | Â 48 | Â -2.4 |
| Jerian Grant | Â 23 | Â 51 | Â 41.6 | Â 43.3 | Â -1.7 |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | Â 19 | Â 45 | Â 42.9 | Â 44.2 | Â -1.3 |
| Myles Turner | Â 19 | Â 37 | Â 45.3 | Â 46.1 | Â -0.8 |
| Justise Winslow | Â 19 | Â 55 | Â 43.1 | Â 43.9 | Â -0.8 |
| Nemanja Bjelica | Â 27 | Â 45 | Â 44.5 | Â 45 | Â -0.5 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Â 20 | Â 58 | Â 46.6 | Â 46.9 | Â -0.3 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Â 20 | Â 53 | Â 47.6 | Â 47.7 | Â -0.1 |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Â 22 | Â 42 | Â 45.8 | Â 45.4 | Â 0.4 |
| Larry Nance Jr. | Â 23 | Â 45 | Â 47.2 | Â 46.7 | Â 0.4 |
| Trey Lyles | Â 20 | Â 51 | Â 46.8 | Â 45.8 | Â 1.1 |
| Lamar Patterson | Â 24 | Â 32 | Â 45 | Â 43.8 | Â 1.2 |
| Frank Kaminsky | Â 22 | Â 57 | Â 46.6 | Â 45 | Â 1.6 |
| Boban Marjanovic | Â 27 | Â 33 | Â 49 | Â 47.4 | Â 1.6 |
| Stanley Johnson | Â 19 | Â 56 | Â 45.5 | Â 43.7 | Â 1.7 |
| D’Angelo Russell | Â 20 | Â 57 | Â 46.6 | Â 43.9 | Â 2.7 |
| Rashad Vaughn | Â 19 | Â 50 | Â 46.4 | Â 43.3 | Â 3.2 |
| Devin Booker | Â 19 | Â 50 | Â 47 | Â 43.7 | Â 3.3 |
The next part to look at is distance to the basket. When you measure Defensive Field Goal Percentage within 10 feet of the basket, things change a little. Within 10 feet, the top rookie defender ends up being Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis; he is holding opposing offensive players to 47.5 percent when their usual average is 55 percent.
Here are the top 15 rookies by Defensive Field Goal Percentage within 10 feet, based on 30 or more games played:
| Player | Â GP | Â DFG% | Â FG% | Â Diff% |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Â 60 | Â 47.5 | Â 55 | Â -7.5 |
| Boban Marjanovic | Â 33 | Â 49 | Â 54.8 | Â -5.8 |
| Nikola Jokic | Â 56 | Â 50.3 | Â 55.7 | Â -5.3 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Â 53 | Â 50 | Â 54.8 | Â -4.8 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Â 58 | Â 50.2 | Â 54.3 | Â -4.1 |
| Bobby Portis | Â 36 | Â 50.4 | Â 53.9 | Â -3.5 |
| Myles Turner | Â 37 | Â 50.7 | Â 53.9 | Â -3.2 |
| Frank Kaminsky | Â 57 | Â 53 | Â 53.8 | Â -0.8 |
| Justise Winslow | Â 55 | Â 53.2 | Â 53.4 | Â -0.2 |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Â 42 | Â 53.5 | Â 53.4 | Â 0.1 |
| Nemanja Bjelica | Â 45 | Â 54.1 | Â 53.9 | Â 0.2 |
| Trey Lyles | Â 51 | Â 55 | Â 54.4 | Â 0.5 |
| Larry Nance Jr. | Â 45 | Â 58.9 | Â 56.6 | Â 2.3 |
| Jerian Grant | Â 51 | Â 56.7 | Â 54.3 | Â 2.4 |
| Lamar Patterson | Â 32 | Â 59 | Â 55.6 | Â 3.4 |
The last part is closer to the rim, as measured by six feet or closer. When you look at Defensive Field Goal Percentage within six feet, the top rookie defender is again Porzingis, who is holding 49.6 percent on an average of 60.1 percentage. That’s a full 10.5 points below his oppositions’ average.
Another variable to consider is, how frequently are they defending a player at that distance? In the case of the six-feet sample, Indiana’s Myles Turner is seeing players within six feet 54.5 percent of the time, which makes his 50.4 percent Defensive Field Goal percentage on a 58.6 percent average all the more impressive.
Here are the top 15 rookies by Defensive Field Goal Percentage within six feet, based on 30 or more games played:
| Player | Â GP | Â FREQ | Â DFG% | Â FG% | Â Diff% |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Â 60 | Â 45.20% | Â 49.6 | Â 60.1 | Â -10.5 |
| Boban Marjanovic | Â 33 | Â 47.70% | Â 50.7 | Â 59.1 | Â -8.3 |
| Myles Turner | Â 37 | Â 54.50% | Â 50.4 | Â 58.6 | Â -8.1 |
| Nikola Jokic | Â 56 | Â 46.20% | Â 53.7 | Â 61.2 | Â -7.5 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Â 53 | Â 46.30% | Â 53.8 | Â 60 | Â -6.2 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Â 58 | Â 51.30% | Â 54.5 | Â 59.6 | Â -5.1 |
| Richaun Holmes | Â 42 | Â 38.80% | Â 54.8 | Â 58.9 | Â -4 |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Â 42 | Â 30.70% | Â 55.1 | Â 58.9 | Â -3.8 |
| Frank Kaminsky | Â 57 | Â 34.10% | Â 56 | Â 58.5 | Â -2.5 |
| Bobby Portis | Â 36 | Â 36.60% | Â 57 | Â 59.3 | Â -2.3 |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | Â 45 | Â 26.30% | Â 60.6 | Â 59.7 | Â 0.8 |
| Justise Winslow | Â 55 | Â 24.50% | Â 60.3 | Â 59.4 | Â 0.9 |
| Trey Lyles | Â 51 | Â 33.60% | Â 60.7 | Â 59.8 | Â 0.9 |
| Stanley Johnson | Â 56 | Â 21.20% | Â 62.2 | Â 60.8 | Â 1.4 |
| Nemanja Bjelica | Â 45 | Â 41.10% | Â 60.8 | Â 59.3 | Â 1.6 |
If you look at each chart, you’ll notice that Okafor ranks in the top 10 in total Defensive Field Goal Percentage among rookies. He ranks in the top five in both categories closer to the rim.
It’s safe to say Okafor has a lot of room to improve compared to the other veteran players in the NBA, but compared to his rookie class peers – including Towns – Okafor isn’t nearly as bad a defender as he’s often made out to be. Yes, he needs to do a better job getting in position at times (like all young centers), but when he’s actually guarding his man, he’s serviceable.
Also, some of Okafor’s defensive issues have more to do with the island he gets placed on, which wouldn’t occur on a better defensive team. Looking at the numbers and the situation he has been put in, it’s unfair how much hate Okafor has had to endure about his defense.
As the 20-year-old Okafor matures and his Sixers team matures defensive, both sides should see their numbers go up.
Some may argue the premise based on what they see on the floor; however, the stats paint a very different picture.
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