Much has been made of the Blazers defense over the last few year, most of it bad.
Google “Blazers defense” and most of what you see is about how the defense needs to improve, or the team calling their own defense “trash.” Older posts skip the qualifiers and just point how it’s not great.
But times have changed.
Here are three quick reasons why the Blazers defense has gotten better, and why it might stay that way.
1) The Blazers have their best “Relative Defensive Rating” in franchise history
*record scratch*
HOLD UP. Did I just say the Blazers defense, relative to the rest of the NBA, is better RIGHT NOW, TODAY, than it ever has been? Like, ever??
It’s true, and it’s not even close.
As of publishing, the Blazers have a -5.8 relative defensive rating. When you sort by that stat (lower is better), you find the last time the Blazers defense has been this good compared with the rest of the league was in the year 2000, when they made the Western Conference Finals (-4.5).
In fact, if you look at the Blazers’ six best years of relative defensive rating, four of those teams either made the Finals or the Conference Finals.
While the season is still young, the signs are encouraging, to say the least. And no, we’re not saying to book your tickets for a Conference Finals matchup… it’s just good company to be in.
2) The Blazers are NBA leaders (or close) in a bunch of other defensive metrics
“OK,” you say. “What other ways can you prove the Blazers defense is better?
That’s fair, but it’s gonna take a bullet point list. If you want a screen shot of these stats as of publishing (via basketball-reference.com), you can click right here.
- The Blazers are tied for second in the NBA opponent points per game (97.5) with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and just behind the Boston Celtics (94.4).
- Portland is second in opponent total rebounds per game (40.4), and fourth in opponent offensive rebounds per game (8.4).
- They hold opponents to just 43.1% shooting, tied for second in the NBA.
- The Blazers are also second in three pointers allowed per game (25.0), and fourth in opponent three point percentage (33.0%).
Phew! That’s a lot of numbers, but they all say the same thing: The Blazers defense is pretty darn good. They limit opponents to poorer shooting, fewer shots, and limit the number of second chances their opponents get.
3) The Blazers’ stars have bought in
As we wrote last month, the defense from star player and team leader Damian Lillard has noticeably improved.
While his defensive rating has slipped to a more realistic 102 from 94 after the first three games of the year (lower is better), that would still be his career-best defensive rating.
Lillard also touts the best defensive box plus/minus of his career (0.4) and is blocking about twice as many shots per 36 minutes (0.6) as he ever has.
Next: Defense works! The Blazers beat the Kings, 102-90 (Recap)
The story is similar for CJ McCollum. He also has his best defensive rating (103), steals per 36 (1.3), and defensive box plus/minus (-0.6) since he became a full-time starter.
The eye test confirms for both players: with more hands in passing lanes, more tipped passes, and better effort over screens, their defense really have improved.
And it’s much, MUCH easier to ask of the rest of your team what your best players are demonstrating night in and night out. Let’s hope the Blazers keep it up.