It’s not that I’m saying Russell is a good defender despite what you say Kev. I think it’s clear that he has potential, but isn’t giving defense the focus he should. Which I can understand, if his focus is on shifting to a pass first point guard, then I’m cool with it. A guy can only focus on so much at once. We see KD and Green have made big strides defensively in their 3rd year, and their positions aren’t as hard to learn how to play.

What I wonder about is coaching priorities. The two best examples that are easy for comment style discussion are his rebounding and switching. I’ve heard Etan and Brooks both say in this past week that it is a priority that all 5 guys rebound the ball. While they didn’t specifically state “offensively rebound the ball”, it makes me wonder where they are drawing the line. Maybe it’s acceptable to them to let Russell go for offensive rebounds, especially since he has a knack for it. Well, that obviously puts him out of position to get back on transition defense. Maybe he gets a -1 in your system for that, but maybe in Brooks system he doesn’t.

Also, I’m sure it depends on matchups for defensive switching, but maybe in your system Russell gets a -1 for letting a teammate switch to his man during the pick and roll. Is that something Brooks is allowing though? Is that switch acceptable? What is his opinion on going over or under the screen? Does it depend on the matchup or the offense that the opponent is running?

It’s hard to tell what Brooks wants from him until we see him develop more.

I will probably write a longer piece explaining my system in detail at a later date . . . I love comparing players with numbers, and the system lets me do that

Jax Raging Bile Duct :@J.G.
If I were to really do it right, I would have to start accounting for all sorts of defensive plays that the stats don’t show.*Such as only counting plays when Thabo is in the game with Roy.*When the offense was set up in a half court game so that Thabo has the full assignment.*Transition offense that happens because someone turned it over and Roy gets an easy fastbreak dunk without Thabo on the scene.*Transition defense where Thabo is on the scene.*Those situations when the offensive player makes a move to force a defensive switch to a matchup that he wants. A good defender won’t allow the offensive player to force that matchup.
And so on.
I know you’re joking, but being a stat expert for any NBA team would be a dream job, and I don’t necessarily love working with stats and numbers (though I do it enough in my current job already). But I’d do it in a heartbeat for the Thunder.
One other thing. It’s hard to establish a measure like this because you have to take into account the coach’s priorities. Ultimately, a player listens to his coach and tries to abide by that gameplan. I know Kev has his rating system for defense, and the last time I remember him explaining it, it sounded really well thought out. However, Russell scored a -2 against the Heat last game, yet coach Brooks claimed that it was Russell’s best game as a whole and that he was most proud of his defense. He even went so far to say that he thought Russell’s good game started with his focus on defending well for 94 feet. So is Russell scoring a 10 on coach Brook’s defensive scoring system? Or is it just coach speak? I think it’s quite possible that Brook’s defensive priorities and Kev’s defensive priorities for the PG position are different. So, if it’s that different, what is the only fair way to accurately rate Russell’s defense? It has to be according to the coach’s priorities, because that is Russell’s goal.
It’s these kinds of intricacies that make stats meaningful. Otherwise we’re just interpreting stats as our own mindset sees fit, and that may not be entirely accurate.

good points about Russell Westrook – let me elaborate on it, because it’s a great source of discussion.

Yes, I noticed that Russell was picking up 94 feet, and he hadn’t done that previously. That helps RW become more aggressive. But really, at the NBA level, all that does is take another 2-3 seconds off the shot clock and put a little pressure on the guard. RW didn’t force a turnover by doing it. I think Brooks was just using coachspeak. He’s never said RW stinks on defense even though that’s my opinion. Obviously, if a player is performing badly in some way, the coach (usually) isn’t going to berate him in public. I know that someone on the coaching staff sees what I see

1) not getting back on defense
2) giving up ALOT of penetration without picks (shocking given his youth and athleticism)
3) getting lost in transition
4) going underneath picks
5) switching off much more than anyone else on the team

actually, according to you, Brooks said it was his best defensive game as a whole – but his best game this year (on my rating scale) is like +1 (sorry I am not on my home computer so I can’t check). So it could be close to his best game this year, but his best this year is only about average for any other player. IMO, he’s got a long way to go.

Jax Raging Bile Duct :
I think it would be a good idea for a few stat heads to establish an average stat line for a player, and then choose a few benchmark defenders to see how they all compare.
For example…
Brandon Roy season averages:
44% FGA, 38% 3FG, 24 points, 2 turnovers

Roy vs Battier:
41% FGA, 36% 3FG, 19 points, 3 turnovers
Roy vs Sefolosha:
29% FGA, 20% 3FG, 16 points, 3 turnovers
etc.
Over time you could show the standard deviation from a player’s normal offensive production. Then you could also find other defenders who defend in a similar way statistically. So if Battier is a no-brainer for 1st team defense, and Thabo is similar statistically, you could make an argument using those comparisons to a player with an established reputation.
Of course, that would take some work, and there may be a better idea out there (or some good tweaks to this one), but surely there’s a Thabo apologist with some time on their hands… right?

I’ve got a stat and a site that charts a version of what you are talking about. I will do a post on it this weekend if I get time.

KingGondo :

f5alcon :
Once harden becomes a starter, thabo can be that much more aggressive because he wont have the minutes to get really tired

I actually really like Harden off the bench, as a scorer/distributor. Keep Thabo as a starter!

This season, yes. But Eventually Harden will come into his own and his talent will be hard to keep out of the starting lineup

I agree! Thabo starter, Harden 6th man!