How would you improve the defense?

[theheroatl]

Ok, for years now we have been a top 10 or top 5 offensive team.

Our defense is currently #23rd. This is our massive weakness.

We have a new scheme, however there are still personnel issues. 

How would you improve the defense other than scheme? You have to sub out playing time for any playing time of players acquired.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/defensive-efficiency

Is it as simple as acquiring a KAT or Gobert and plugging him in place of Capela?

For those arguing about scheme... this is transcending schemes at this point. We don't have many (if at all) defensive stoppers. 

[Gray Mule]

Without changing any players, I would offer this simple solution:

Have a plan.  Work your plan.

[Atlantaholic]

If we had Clint from a few years ago we'd be in great shape. Should have traded Clint several years ago when his chronic achilles condition and his resulting declining play started rearing their head. 

[NBASupes]

Trading Trae for a stud 2 

Move Murray to 1

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by NBASupes

[JayBirdHawk]

A lot of it is lack of communication (when I can hear the players talking thru my TV, it works) and/or sometimes miscommunication. Grabbing defensive rebounds is when the defensive assignment on that play ends. We are giving up too many OREBS which are directly leading to additional possessions and points. Fixing that part of it will help.

Last thing - if you are supposed to be a defender: defend like your life depended on it. Effort, effort and more effort.

[JTB]

52 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

A lot of it is lack of communication (when I can hear the players talking thru my TV, it works) and/or sometimes miscommunication. Grabbing defensive rebounds is when the defensive assignment on that play ends. We are giving up too many OREBS which are directly leading to additional possessions and points. Fixing that part of it will help.

Last thing - if you are supposed to be a defender: defend like your life depended on it. Effort, effort and more effort.

This! ….it’s funny that we are ranked so low defensively because we actually do get opponents to miss their shots but when you allow offensive rebounds as often as we do , it’s like you’re not completing the full job.

Per some …Capela isn’t around the goal as much in this new defensive scheme. I haven’t really rewatched games to make my own analysis…but I would say we need to find a way to keep this scheme going but making significant efforts to crash the boards! Then and only then our defense will look improved on paper and by the eye test.

 

If we don’t see why improvement I’m not opposed to starting Jalen at 3 , OO at 4, & CC stay at 5…..we need urgent steady aggressiveness in the front court. These 3 will get at it defensively and on the glass. Maybe we can’t take a step backwards offensively to be more balanced.

[JayBirdHawk]

9 minutes ago, JTB said:

This! ….it’s funny that we are ranked so low defensively because we actually do get opponents to miss their shots but when you allow offensive rebounds as often as we do , it’s like you’re not completing the full job.

Per some …Capela isn’t around the goal as much in this new defensive scheme. I haven’t really rewatched games to make my own analysis…but I would say we need to find a way to keep this scheme going but making significant efforts to crash the boards! Then and only then our defense will look improved on paper and by the eye test.

 

If we don’t see why improvement I’m not opposed to starting Jalen at 3 , OO at 4, & CC stay at 5…..we need urgent steady aggressiveness in the front court. These 3 will get at it defensively and on the glass. Maybe we can’t take a step backwards offensively to be more balanced.

View all 13 Orebs in the Sixers game: out-hustled and out-muscled.

Video and Shotcharts | Stats | NBA.com

 

View all 14 Orebs in the Knicks game: where it was optional to actually put a body on someone ..particularly when it's the other teams guards and SFs getting ORebs:

Video and Shotcharts | Stats | NBA.com

[JayBirdHawk]

It would also help if we actually play some defense in the 1st quarter of games.  Too many point given up in the 1st has been too much of a bad habit.  Lots of WIDE OPEN 3s given up has been problematic.  Then we decide to play defense.  STOP DOING THIS!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Points in the paint:                       Hawks - 50.8 ( 13th best )           Opponent - 54.2  ( 25th worst ) . . . . . . . .  -3.6 differential

Fast break points:                         Hawks - 17.9 ( 5th best )             Opponent - 17.2  ( next to last ) . . . . . . . . +0.7 differential

2nd chance points:                       Hawks - 14.8  ( 14th best )          Opponent - 14.6  ( 20th worst ) . . . . . . . .  +0.2 differential

Points off turnovers:                     Hawks - 18.6  ( 10th best )          Opponent - 18.6  ( 25th worst ) . . . . . . . . . push

 

The opponent rankings are how we stand in the league for that metric.  The points off turnovers and fast break points more than likely correlate with each other.

Edited November 21, 2023 by TheNorthCydeRises

[AHF]

Just now, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Points off turnovers:                     Hawks - 18.6  ( 10th best )          Opponent - 18.6  ( 25th worst ) 

That seems strange.

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Points in the paint:                       Hawks - 50.8 ( 13th best )           Opponent - 54.2  ( 25th worst ) . . . . . . . .  -3.6 differential

Fast break points:                         Hawks - 17.9 ( 5th best )             Opponent - 17.2  ( next to last ) . . . . . . . . +0.7 differential

2nd chance points:                       Hawks - 14.8  ( 14th best )          Opponent - 14.6  ( 20th worst ) . . . . . . . .  +0.2 differential

Points off turnovers:                     Hawks - 18.6  ( 10th best )          Opponent - 18.6  ( 25th worst ) . . . . . . . . . push

does that mean we give up the most fast break points in the league?  or am i reading it wrong. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

13 minutes ago, AHF said:

That seems strange.

Opponents points off turnovers.  That's how many points we're giving up off of turnovers.  Seems pretty accurate to me.

 

Hawks points off turnovers

12 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

does that mean we give up the most fast break points in the league?  or am i reading it wrong. 

Close to it.

Only Portland gives up more.

 

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by TheNorthCydeRises

[AHF]

Yeah - I'm being stupid.  Was thinking it was saying that 18.6 was top 1/3 of the league but opponent 18.6 was bottom 1/3 of the league.  (It is still top 1/3 but shows we have been really bad at limiting transition scoring instead of really good).  

[JayBirdHawk]

Here's another little nugget on what we can do defensively. Stop getting back door cut: learn to see the ball and your man.

 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

More:

 

This explains a lot with the positioning of our players fully facing the ball vs at an angle where they can see ball and player.

[lethalweapon3]

((Inserts Breaking Away movie joke here))

~lw3

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Here's another little nugget on what we can do defensively. Stop getting back door cut: learn to see the ball and your man.

 

 

 

 

That graph is crazy!

[JayBirdHawk]

6 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

That graph is crazy!

[JTB]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

More:

 

This explains a lot with the positioning of our players fully facing the ball vs at an angle where they can see ball and player.

Damn so second chance points being allowed cause we can’t get a defensive rebound even when we make the opponent miss and on top of that we allowing a historic amount of points on cuts!

geeeezzzzz I mean I didn’t think it could get worse after the second chance points issue but I stand corrected.

 

now during the games that’s the main two things I will be looking out for as I tell the players names while giving orders at my tv.

[Bonkers]

6 hours ago, NBASupes said:

Trading Trae for a stud 2 

Move Murray to 1

 

Getting rid of Trae is the 1st thing that would have to happen. You will never have a good defense if he is on your team, I promise you that. 

Other teams have gone crazy hunting for him and it's just been terrible to watch.

Besides that, these guys gotta stop ball watching all the time (looking at you Dre). That's why other teams make easy cuts against the Hawks. And we also need more rebounding.

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Bonkers