NBA Storylines: Rockets, Timberwolves among 5 most improved defenses
The improved defense of Houston significantly involves new addition Dillon Brooks and big man Alperen Sengun as key players.
The NBA is breaking its own record for efficiency for the fifth time in six seasons. As of Wednesday, the league’s average score is 114.7 points per 100 possessions, an increase from last season’s 114.1 points and a significant jump from 107.8 points six seasons ago (2017-18).
However, 12 teams have conceded fewer points per 100 possessions compared to the previous season. The following are the five teams that have experienced the most significant decrease…
Biggest drop, points allowed per 100 possessions
| Team | 2022-23 | Rank | 2023-24 | Rank | Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 118.6 | 29 | 110.4 | 6 | -8.2 |
| Minnesota | 113.1 | 10 | 107.5 | 1 | -5.6 |
| Orlando | 113.7 | 18 | 110.2 | 4 | -3.5 |
| Portland | 118.0 | 28 | 114.5 | 15 | -3.5 |
| Oklahoma City | 113.2 | 13 | 110.1 | 3 | -3.1 |
Through Dec. 20, 2023
1. Houston Rockets
The Rockets have allowed 131.9 points per 100 possessions as they’ve lost three straight games, but have still undergone a pretty incredible transformation defensively. Their drop in points allowed per 100 possessions from last season (8.2) would be the third biggest in the last 25 seasons.
- Good (and bad) defense starts in transition, and that’s where the Rockets’ improvement starts. Two seasons ago, they allowed 25 points per game in transition, the most in (at the time) 18 years of Synergy tracking. Last season, they topped that, allowing 27.2 points per game in transition. This season? The Rockets have allowed just 14.9 transition points per game, the fewest for any defense in the last six seasons!
- The Rockets have maybe had a little bit of luck from beyond the arc, where their opponents have shot a league-low 32.4%. But according to Second Spectrum tracking, 14% of their opponents’ 3-point attempts have been tightly or very tightly contested, up from just 8% last season.
- The perimeter effective field goal percentage has experienced a significant decrease, however, the opponent field goal percentage in the paint has seen an even larger decline, moving from 60.4% (28th) last season to 54.6% (seventh) this season. This can be attributed to improvements in transition.
This three-game slide the Rockets have suffered defensively has been the first three games of their only stretch of five games in seven days, and it’s included games against the league’s third and fourth-ranked offenses. They’ll face the sixth-ranked offense (that of the Mavs) on Friday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass), before finishing the five-in-seven stretch in New Orleans the following night.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Last season, the Wolves performed more effectively on defense than on offense. Their improvement in defense played a significant role in their ascent from eighth to first place in the Western Conference.
- Similar to the Rockets, the Wolves have also experienced a significant decrease in opposing teams’ 3-point percentages. Although they have not seen as much of an increase in the proportion of their opponents’ contested 3s, they stand out as the only team that ranks in the top five for both opposing teams’ field goal percentage in the paint (third) and opposing teams’ effective field goal percentage for shots outside the paint (second).
- The decrease in points allowed by the Wolves per 100 possessions has been noteworthy during both the periods when Rudy Gobert is on the court (-5.8) and when he is off the court (-5.4).
- They’ve seen the league’s second-biggest drop in opponent free throw rate. Naz Reid has averaged just 2.7 fouls per 36 minutes, down from 5.1 per 36 last season.
The Wolves are the only team on this list that’s played more games against teams that currently rank in the top 10 offensively (9) than they have against the bottom 10 (8). Those numbers will be even after they host the 24th-ranked Lakers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
3. Orlando Magic
Similar to the Wolves, the Magic demonstrated stronger defense last season and have enhanced this strength, now ranking in the top five in defensive performance.
- Contrary to the other four teams on this list, the Magic has observed an increase in the opponent 3-point percentage. However, they’ve also experienced the second largest decrease in the league in the proportion of their opponents’ shots taken from the 3-point range, dropping from 42.5% (fourth highest) last season to just 38.5% (14th lowest) this season. Moreover, they have defended the basket more effectively than Indiana, the team that has witnessed the most significant drop.
- The Magic are among the best in limiting their opponents’ shooting opportunities, the only team that ranks in the top five in both opponent turnover rate and defensive rebounding percentage.
- Jonathan Isaac may be the Magic’s best defensive player, and he’s been limited to just 259 total minutes, having played less than 20 in all 19 games he’s appeared in. The Magic have allowed just 102.2 points per 100 possessions with Isaac on the floor and he’s the only player in the league who’s averaged at least two steals and at least two blocks per 36 minutes.
The Magic have dropped three straight games for the first time, and their schedule remains tough. They’ll face each of the league’s top three offenses in the next seven days, visiting the Bucks (third) on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
4. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have recently experienced a decline in their defense, yet they are still considered one of the most improved teams in the league in that area. This is partly because their performance last season was quite poor. They have been ranked in the lowest five in terms of defense for the past four years.
- The thing the Blazers’ defense does well is force turnovers. They rank second in opponent turnover rate (16.0 per 100 possessions), up from 19th (13.6) last season, having seen the league’s biggest jump by a healthy margin.
- According to Synergy tracking, they have only averaged 2.3 possessions per game in the zone, ranking 14th most, a drop from last season’s 13.6 possessions, which was the second most.
- While the Blazers have been a little worse than average (54.3%) regarding opponent effective field goal percentage (54.8%), that’s a significant improvement from last season. But all of that improvement has come from shots from outside the paint. Their opponents have shot much better in the paint (62.2%, the league’s highest opponent mark) than they did last season (59.1%, 10th highest).
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season, the Thunder was the most improved team in the league statistically, largely due to an offense that had ranked 30th the previous season. This season, however, considering the league average, their improvement has been more noticeable on the defensive side.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league with 2.8 steals per game, up from 1.6 (fourth) last season. The Thunder lead the league in opponent turnover rate (16.3 per 100 possessions), though that’s the same rate as they had last season when they ranked second.
- They have experienced the third largest decrease in the league in terms of opponent effective field goal percentage, with a more pronounced decrease in the paint than shots from outside. There has also been a notable reduction in the proportion of their opponents’ shots made in the paint, decreasing from 50% (13th lowest) last season to a mere 46% (second lowest) this season.
- That rate has been the same with Chet Holmgren on the floor as it’s been with him off the floor, though the opponents have shot worse in the paint when he’s been on the floor (53.1%) than when he hasn’t (54.4%).
Only five of the Thunder’s 25 games have come against teams that currently rank in the top 10 offensively. They’ve got a big game against the Clippers and their seventh-ranked offense on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
* * *
John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
