New signings Dillon Brooks and big man Alperen Sengun are key players in Houston's efforts to improve their defense.
The NBA has set a new efficiency record for the fifth time in the last six seasons. As of Wednesday, the league averaged 114 points per 100 overs7 points, up from 114 last season1 point and 107 six seasons ago (2017-18).8 points.
But there are 12 teams that concede fewer points per 100 rounds than last season. Here are the top five decliners.
Maximum drawdown, points allowed per 100 rounds.
As of December 20, 2023.
1.Houston Rockets.
The Rockets concede 131 points per 100 possessions9 points, as they have lost three games in a row but have still undergone a pretty incredible shift defensively. Compared to last season, they concede points per 100 rounds (8.).2) will be the third largest drop in the last 25 seasons.
Good (and bad) defense starts with an offensive and defensive transition, and that's where the Rockets' progress begins. Two seasons ago, they were averaging 25 points per game in offensive and defensive transitions, the highest score in 18 years that Synergy had tracked. Last season, they conceded an average of 27 points per game in offensive and defensive transitions2 points, at the top of the list. This season?The Rockets are averaging just 14 per game9 points, the fewest in the last 6 seasons of defense!
The Rockets may have had a bit of luck from beyond the three-point line, with their opponents shooting just a league-low 324%。But according to Second Spectrum's tracking, 14 percent of opponents' three-point shots were intense or very intense, compared to just 8 percent last season.
While effective shooting percentage from the outside has dropped dramatically, opponents have seen an even bigger drop in shooting percentage from the inside, from 60 percent last season4% (28th) dropped to 54 this season6% (7th). This can be traced back to improvements in the transformation process.
The Rockets' three-game slump defensively was the first three of their only five games in seven days, including games against the league's third- and fourth-ranked offense. They will take on the sixth-ranked offensive team (Mavericks) on Friday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) before finishing a best-of-seven game in New Orleans the following night.
2.Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wolves defended much better than they attacked last season. Moving up from eighth in the West to first place, they have improved even more defensively.
Like the Rockets, Wolves' opponents have seen a significant drop in three-point shooting. They didn't see a big jump in their opponents' three-point shooting percentage, but they were the only team to rank in the top five in both opponents' paint field goal percentage (third) and opponent field goal percentage (third) in effective shooting percentage (second) from outside the box.
The drop in points conceded by Wolves per 100 possessions was in Rudy Gobert's playing time (-5.).8) and departure time (-5.)4) are all significant.
Their opponents had the second-largest drop in free-throw percentage in the league. Naz Reid averages just 367 fouls, down from 5 per 36 minutes last season1 time.
Wolves are the only team on this list to play more games against the current top 10 teams (9) than against teams in the bottom 10 (8). Those numbers will remain unchanged after they host the 24th-ranked Lakers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
3.Orlando Magic.
Like Wolves, the Magic were better defensively last season, and they improved to be in the top five on the defensive end.
Unlike the other four teams on this list, the Magic actually saw a jump in their opponents' three-point shooting percentage. But their opponents saw the second-largest drop in three-point shooting percentage in the league, from 42 last season5% (fourth highest) dropped to 385% (14th from the bottom). Their basket defense is better than the team that has dropped the most (Indiana).
The Magic are at the top of the list when it comes to limiting opponents' shooting opportunities and are the only team to rank in the top five for both opponent turnovers and defensive rebounds.
Jonathan Isaac may be the Magic's best defensive player, but his total playing time is limited to 259 minutes, and in all 19 games he plays, he has played less than 20 minutes. When Isaac is on the floor, the Magic concede just 102 per 100 possessions2 points, while he is the only player in the league who averages at least two steals and at least two blocks per game per 36 minutes.
The Magic are on a three-game losing streak for the first time, and their schedule is still tough. They will play against the top three offensive teams in the league for the next seven days and visit the Bucks (third place) on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
4.Portland Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers have slipped defensively lately, but they remain one of the league's most improved teams defensively, in part because they were so poor last season. In fact, they've been in the bottom five in the defensive rankings for each of the last four years.
The best thing the Trail Blazers do defensively is where they force turnovers. Their opponents have the second-highest turnover rate (16. per 100 overs0 times), up from 19th place last season (13.).6 times), a large jump to the largest in the league.
According to Synergy tracking data, they are averaging just 23 times (ranked 14th), down from 136 times (ranked second).
While the Trail Blazers shot their opponents from the field (54.).8%) in terms of comparison with the average (54.).3%), but that's a significant improvement from last season. But all of that improvement came from shooting from outside the box. Their opponents shot 622%, the league's highest opponent score) compared to last season (59.).1%, 10th highest) is much better.
5.Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder were the most improved team in the league last season (statistically), and that improvement was more due to their offense, which ranked 30th last season. This season, when you consider the league average, their defense has improved even more.
Shay Kyrgyz-Alexander is known for averaging 2Eight steals lead the league, up from 1. last season6 times (fourth). The Thunder lead the league in opponent turnover percentage (16 per 100 possessions3 times), although this is the same rate as last season when they were in second place.
Their opponents saw the third-largest drop in effective shooting percentage in the league, with a greater drop in the paint area than outside shooting. They also saw a significant drop in the percentage of opponents shooting on the inside, from 50% last season (13th from the bottom) to 46% this season (second from the bottom).
Chet Holmgren hits the same percentage on the court and when he's not on the field, although when he's on the floor (531%) opponents shot more from the field than when he wasn't on the floor (544%) to be worse. 。
Only five of the Thunder's 25 games have come against teams that are currently in the top 10 offensive rankings. They will play the Clippers on Thursday, who are seventh in offense (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).