From John Schuhmann of NBA.com:
Looking at the league overall, the category above that correlates most with defensive efficiency is rebounding, but the Cavs and Lakers show that you don’t have to be great on the boards to be a great defensive team. For example, the Nets rebound well (they rank fifth in Def. Reb. Rate), yet still give up too many buckets (they rank 27th defensively).
Forcing turnovers ranks behind rebounding, but the Magic and Rockets show that you don’t have to get steals to get stops. Memphis, for example, forces a good amount of turnovers (ranking seventh), but it probably gambles too much as its opponents still put up points (they rank 23rd defensively).
After those two categories, pace is actually the next number that correlates most with defensive efficiency (more so than blocked shots or free throw attempts). But it’s probably that a quality defense creates a slow pace, rather than the other way around. A good defensive team, is going to force opponents to use more of the shot clock, resulting in fewer possessions per 48 minutes. When we looked at offensive numbers last week, there was no correlation between pace and efficiency.
There’s no exact formula for defensive success in the NBA, and the teams above use different schemes and abide by different principles to get the job done. It helps to have players with long arms and quick feet, but in the end, defense is about energy, desire, intelligence and communication.
Schuhmann breaks down the Celtics, Cavaliers, Magic, Rockets, and Lakers’ defense efficiency.
Check it out here.
