Individual defensive rating is a meaningless stat.
9 Likes
Says a guy who likely played no defense. In watching game film, the defensive rating is accurate, especially when comparing to others within that game.
Never played offense either. Not at any sort of meaningful level anyway. Individual defensive rating is still a terrible statistic. Zach has explained why when this came up before and there are also countless articles on Al Gore’s internet to break it down for you if you prefer that method.
3 Likes
There have been long discussions about why individual defensive ratings are problematic. As someone who relies so heavily upon advanced metrics, you really miss some of the nuances and caveats associated with them
4 Likes
I actually don’t miss nuance - I watch each game twice and break down film to see if the film matches the data. I post the data to allow others to do the same comparison.
Here’s a small example of what I watch for to add nuance to the data.
I don’t just use data. My first take is always from watching the game as a fan. Then I watch the game the 2nd time as a coach. Then I post the data after I study that. The data I post very rarely doesn’t match my eye test when watching. I watch for things like: does a guy get stuck on screens on D. Does a guy block out to allow for a team rebound. Does a guy give up penetration allowing for kick-outs to someone else. Does a guy make the hockey assist by moving the ball and making the right play. Does a guy curl off a screen when he is being trailed. Does a guy flare or flatten out his cut when the defender tries to cheat the screen. Does a ballhandler make the right pass coming off a ball screen and at the right time and in a catchable place for the receiver to actually do something good with the ball. Does a guy pass up a wide open shot and then proceed to allow the clock wind down resulting in a poorer team possession - this will hardly ever reflect in the data if that same guy isn’t the one who ends up missing.