Evan Turner’s Defensive Prowess, Part 3: Blazers Comparison

[Blaz06Draft]

This is my third post on Evan Turner’s defense. It compares Turner to the Blazers wings from last year on a number of defensive categories, using percentiles. A percentile is what percent of NBA players you rank better than in a given stat. So a 90% percentile means that you are better than 90% of NBA players.

Spot Up: 20% of NBA possessions
Turner 85.0%
Aminu 58.8%
Harkless 71.8%
Crabbe 78.5%
Vonleh 65.1%
Lillard 11.3%
McCollom 24.6%
Comment: Turner is best of the group in the most common NBA possession, with all but the Blazers guards being above average.

Ball Handler: 17% of NBA possessions
Turner 92.3%
Aminu 41.9%
Harkless 15.1%
Crabbe 49.0%
Vonleh 2.7%
Lillard 26.0%
McCollom 34.2%
Comment: Turner is elite at this 2nd most common NBA possession, Crabbe is average, and the rest are below average

Transition: 13% of NBA possessions
No individual defensive data provided.

Cut: 8% of NBA possessions
No individual defensive data provided.

Isolation: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 73.7%
Aminu 66.1%
Harkless 39.5%
Crabbe 41.7%
Vonleh 90.4%
Lillard 76.3%
McCollom 62.3%
Comment: Turner ranks well above average, surpasses only by Vonleh and Lillard, Aminu and CJ are above average, while Crabbe is only Blazer that is below average.

Post Up: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 44.9%
Aminu 53.7%
Harkless 19.2%
Crabbe 2.8%
Vonleh 82.4%
Lillard 46.2%
McCollom 17.3%
Comment: Turner is below average for one of the few times. Vonleh rates high, Aminu and Lillard are about average, and the rest are well below average.

Roll Man: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 34.2%
Aminu 59.4%
Harkless 85.6%
Crabbe 4.3%
Vonleh 67.6%
Lillard 78.3%
McCollom 5.8%
Comment: Turner is below average for one of the few times. Harkless rates high, with Lillard, Vonleh, and Aminu above average. CJ and Crabbe not so good.

Off Screen: 5% of NBA possessions
Turner 59.2%
Aminu 58.4%
Harkless 34.2%
Crabbe 14.0%
Vonleh 13.2%
Lillard 29.8%
McCollom Not listed
Comment: Turner and Aminu are the only Blazers above average. The rest are bottom third or worse.

Hand Off: 4% of NBA possessions
Turner 60.4%
Aminu 17.5%
Harkless 58.2%
Crabbe 36.0%
Vonleh 16.3%
Lillard 36.9%
McCollom 38.4%
Comment: Turner and Harkless are above average, with the rest below.

Putback: 6% of NBA possessions. Data available. Didn’t investigate.

Misc: 6% of NBA possessions. Data available. Didn’t investigate.

 

[Sinobas]

Interesting stats. I wonder what is up with Lillard's spot up defense. His isolation is really pretty good. I think he just gets caught on screens.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Interesting stats. I wonder what is up with Lillard's spot up defense. His isolation is really pretty good. I think he just gets caught on screens.

Kind of suggests to me that he is ball-focused. When his man has the ball and Dame has a chance to simply face-off with him one-on-one, he defends very well. But he doesn't see and respond well to screeners, and he doesn't follow his man quite as well off-ball.

Essentially, it seems like Dame has tunnel-vision on defense.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Kind of suggests to me that he is ball-focused. When his man has the ball and Dame has a chance to simply face-off with him one-on-one, he defends very well. But he doesn't see and respond well to screeners, and he doesn't follow his man quite as well off-ball.

Essentially, it seems like Dame has tunnel-vision on defense.

Steal opportunities; a lot of ball-handling guards have trouble NOT focusing on the ball at all times.

 

[Trackjack]

Interesting stats. I wonder what is up with Lillard's spot up defense. His isolation is really pretty good. I think he just gets caught on screens.

What have seen of Dame he don't pick up the screen soon enough so has the chance to force the dribbler to close to mid court or just get over the top.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Steal opportunities; a lot of ball-handling guards have trouble NOT focusing on the ball at all times.

Which is understandable, really. I wasn't necessarily proffering that analysis as a criticism so much as an observation and explanation. Although if he recognizes the same, it is definitely something he could work on and improve.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Which is understandable, really. I wasn't necessarily proffering that analysis as a criticism so much as an observation and explanation. Although if he recognizes the same, it is definitely something he could work on and improve.

I hope I didn't come off as defensive; I wasn't trying to be

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I hope I didn't come off as defensive; I wasn't trying to be

Not at all, just wanted to clarify. I think we're pretty much in sync on this one. What we're seeing in the stats meshes with what we can observe on the court, and those tendencies, while not uncommon to players in his position and role, are definitely something that can be improved upon.

Basically what it says to me is that the narrative of "Dame is a bad defender" is not etched in stone, because it seems to be based neither on his physical tools nor his effort, simply the direction of his focus, and that's something he can adjust with the right coaching. This gives me hope for the future.

 

[Orion Bailey]

This is my third post on Evan Turner’s defense. It compares Turner to the Blazers wings from last year on a number of defensive categories, using percentiles. A percentile is what percent of NBA players you rank better than in a given stat. So a 90% percentile means that you are better than 90% of NBA players.

Spot Up: 20% of NBA possessions
Turner 85.0%
Aminu 58.8%
Harkless 71.8%
Crabbe 78.5%
Vonleh 65.1%
Lillard 11.3%
McCollom 24.6%
Comment: Turner is best of the group in the most common NBA possession, with all but the Blazers guards being above average.

Ball Handler: 17% of NBA possessions
Turner 92.3%
Aminu 41.9%
Harkless 15.1%
Crabbe 49.0%
Vonleh 2.7%
Lillard 26.0%
McCollom 34.2%
Comment: Turner is elite at this 2nd most common NBA possession, Crabbe is average, and the rest are below average

Transition: 13% of NBA possessions
No individual defensive data provided.

Cut: 8% of NBA possessions
No individual defensive data provided.

Isolation: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 73.7%
Aminu 66.1%
Harkless 39.5%
Crabbe 41.7%
Vonleh 90.4%
Lillard 76.3%
McCollom 62.3%
Comment: Turner ranks well above average, surpasses only by Vonleh and Lillard, Aminu and CJ are above average, while Crabbe is only Blazer that is below average.

Post Up: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 44.9%
Aminu 53.7%
Harkless 19.2%
Crabbe 2.8%
Vonleh 82.4%
Lillard 46.2%
McCollom 17.3%
Comment: Turner is below average for one of the few times. Vonleh rates high, Aminu and Lillard are about average, and the rest are well below average.

Roll Man: 7% of NBA possessions
Turner 34.2%
Aminu 59.4%
Harkless 85.6%
Crabbe 4.3%
Vonleh 67.6%
Lillard 78.3%
McCollom 5.8%
Comment: Turner is below average for one of the few times. Harkless rates high, with Lillard, Vonleh, and Aminu above average. CJ and Crabbe not so good.

Off Screen: 5% of NBA possessions
Turner 59.2%
Aminu 58.4%
Harkless 34.2%
Crabbe 14.0%
Vonleh 13.2%
Lillard 29.8%
McCollom Not listed
Comment: Turner and Aminu are the only Blazers above average. The rest are bottom third or worse.

Hand Off: 4% of NBA possessions
Turner 60.4%
Aminu 17.5%
Harkless 58.2%
Crabbe 36.0%
Vonleh 16.3%
Lillard 36.9%
McCollom 38.4%
Comment: Turner and Harkless are above average, with the rest below.

Putback: 6% of NBA possessions. Data available. Didn’t investigate.

Misc: 6% of NBA possessions. Data available. Didn’t investigate.

You keep making posts like this and people are gonna start believing we just signed a perennial MVP candidate.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Not at all, just wanted to clarify. I think we're pretty much in sync on this one. What we're seeing in the stats meshes with what we can observe on the court, and those tendencies, while not uncommon to players in his position and role, are definitely something that can be improved upon.

Basically what it says to me is that the narrative of "Dame is a bad defender" is not etched in stone, because it seems to be based neither on his physical tools nor his effort, simply the direction of his focus, and that's something he can adjust with the right coaching. This gives me hope for the future.

Evan Turner might be the most useful as a deterrent; Dame gets moved off his strength (iso defense) by picks a lot, but the better Dame's teammates are at defense, the less useful that option becomes. Dame might get more iso opportunities on defense, making him a better defender by focusing on his strengths. Just like Stotts and Olshey focus on getting inconsistent three point shooters the right looks to maximize their shooting, getting the right looks on defense will make every contributor more effective. Turner (and The Threat of Turner) will be a big part of that.

 

[Blaz06Draft]

Evan Turner might be the most useful as a deterrent; Dame gets moved off his strength (iso defense) by picks a lot, but the better Dame's teammates are at defense, the less useful that option becomes. Dame might get more iso opportunities on defense, making him a better defender by focusing on his strengths. Just like Stotts and Olshey focus on getting inconsistent three point shooters the right looks to maximize their shooting, getting the right looks on defense will make every contributor more effective. Turner (and The Threat of Turner) will be a big part of that.

My "stats-clusion" is that Turner will make the Blazers better both on offense and defense, when the starters play and when he plays with the bench.

 

[Sinobas]

I wonder what exactly the category "ball handler" is referring to. The Blazers seem to epicly suck at it. Vonleh 2.7% percentile?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I wonder what exactly the category "ball handler" is referring to. The Blazers seem to epicly suck at it. Vonleh 2.7% percentile?

I interpret it as when you're defending your man while he's dribbling but not in an isolation situation.

 

[Blaz06Draft]

I interpret it as when you're defending your man while he's dribbling but not in an isolation situation.

Or it could be defending the ball handler on the pick and roll

 

[Blaz06Draft]

You keep making posts like this and people are gonna start believing we just signed a perennial MVP candidate.

Not MVP, but maybe "Most Valuable Glue Guy" for the Blazers. It looks like a good fit both offensively (Except the 3s, and he did shoot over .340 on corner 3s for the past two seasons) and defensively, where he stats out stronger than our current wings on the most frequent play types.

 

[Shaboid]

3 for 3 on the threads Blaz, I would say. When looking at defense statistics, it is tough to make a conclusion if the data you have given is significant or not. I think that is why I enjoy this topic. Elias Sports Bureau checks on RP2 if their evaluation is acceptable, probably.

My opinion, ET improves us on both sides of the court. I hope to see a Gerald Henderson sort of 3pt% improvement during his time with the Blazers. OR he sucks and we ship the/any terrible contracts off to Brooklyn. Isn't that the norm?