Is Shabazz Napier a secret weapon?

Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts got a lot of criticism for going small against the Brooklyn Nets last week.

In a minor spat of drama on a generally low-key Blazers team, many fans and analysts were critical of benching center Jusuf Nurkic in favor of a smaller lineup.

Over the past few games, however, a case is being made that going small may pay dividends.

Defense Matters

When Shabazz Napier was in college, he was heralded for his offense.

His defense was an afterthought, according to his profile on DraftExpress.com:

"Kevin Ollie has done a good job of using Napier’s strengths and minimizing his weaknesses on the defensive end of the court… Napier’s physical profile presents some obvious concerns on this end of the court when projecting him to the next level."

Over the last few games with more playing time, however, Shabazz’s defensive chops have been put on display.

Shabazz Napier appears in eight of the Blazers’ 13 best three-man defensive lineups over the last four games. Via stats.nba.com (click image below to expand):

While some of those lineups have only played a handful of minutes together, Napier appears in enough of them to make you think.

His individual numbers pack a punch, too.

In a (VERY) small sample size, there are a few things that pop out:

• Shabazz has gotten six steals over the last three games;
• He has a 5.1% steal rate over those games (the number of possessions that player’s on the court that results in them getting a steal);
• Napier also has a 3.5% steal rate on the season.

Let’s focus on that last stat.

The Atlanta Hawks’ Kent Bazemore is the NBA’s leader in steal rate at 3.3%. If Napier plays more and keeps up his same rate, he’ll lead the NBA.

And Napier has overperformed the Blazers’ margin of victory or defeat for the four games in a row, all of which he’s played over 14 minutes. The Blazers are +17 in their last four contests, while Napier is +35.

Napier Beyond the Stats

And yes, the eye test confirms the box scores.

Do yourself a favor and watch the 4th quarter of the Blazers’ 99-94 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Napier was humming around the perimeter, staying low and bothering ball-handlers above the arc. Even when behind the play, Napier was able to poke the ball away, and though poke-aways don’t always lead to steals, they put pressure on the defense and make them think twice.

Having a defender that can stay in front on their foe’s best perimeter players is something the Blazers could use, and badly.

It’s the kind of defense you can feel, both as a teammate and as an opponent.

Next: Portland Trail Blazers look to extend streak against Sacramento Kings

Beyond his own impact, Shabazz’s defense sets the tone and serves as an example for the rest of team.

Anybody who’s played on a team with even one player who’s SUPER into defense can attest: it makes you want to play a little harder.

Whether he can keep it up for the rest of year is another question. But for now, the Blazers have every reason to keep going small and giving minutes to Shabazz Napier.