Encirclement Jokic and blockade Edwards! How strong is the Thunder s defensive level?

Although the Thunder and the Nuggets fought hard to advance in the seventh game, they also showed their strength, especially on the defensive end. Neither Jokic nor Edwards got a bargain in front of them. So what level is the Thunder's defense? This issue of the column will help you understand through in-depth data analysis.

Edwards encountered the Thunder for the first time in the playoffs, only hit 5 goals, scored 18 points, and made 4 mistakes. This performance is far lower than his average performance in the regular season. It has to be said that this is the impact of the Thunder's strong defense, but even three-time MVP Jokic did not perform better in the Thunder's defense:

Jokic averaged 28.4 points per game against the Thunder, but it still declined compared to the regular season. The shooting percentages of 47.9% and 32.5% were far lower than his regular season level. Edwards and Jokic can be said to be the outside and inside superstars with super offensive abilities in the league, but they cannot play their normal strength in front of the Thunder. So how powerful is the Thunder's defense?

Thunder's playoff defensive efficiency is 100.7 off-range, which is lower than the Timberwolves, which means that the Thunder's 100.7 loss per 100 rounds is also lower than other playoff teams. In terms of reducing points loss, the Thunder is the best in the league;

At the same time, under the Thunder's defense, the opponent's three-point shooting situation is also a sports battle. The effective hit rate is 47.6%, which limits the opponent's sports combat hit rate to be the lowest, which means that when other teams face the Thunder, they will shoot lower sports combat hit rate;

, and under the Thunder's defense, the opponent's turnover rate is as high as 18%, which means that when the Thunder defends, the opponent will make the most 18 turnovers per 100 rounds.

These can also indicate that whether it is reducing points, reducing opponent's shooting percentage or increasing opponent's turnovers, the Thunder are the best teams in the playoff team, and the overall defense strength is also their base for strength this season.

What is more exaggerated is that the strength of the Thunder's defense is without blind spots. When facing opponents in the basket within 6 feet, they will reduce their opponent's shooting percentage from 64.3% to 56.3%, which means that the Thunder's defense at the basket will reduce their opponent's shooting percentage by 8%, which is the limiting effect of the first among the 16 teams in the playoffs;

When facing opponents in the close range within 10 feet, the Thunder will reduce their opponent's shooting percentage from 60% to 51.8%, which means that the Thunder's defense at the close range will reduce their opponent's shooting percentage by 8.2%. The limit effect is the first among the 16 teams in the playoffs;

In the entire three-point line, the Thunder's defense will reduce the opponent's shooting percentage from 56.1% to 48.6%, which means that the Thunder's defense within the three-point line will reduce the opponent's shooting percentage by 7.5%, which is the limit effect of the 16 teams in the playoffs;

Outside the entire three-point line, the Thunder's defense will reduce the opponent's shooting percentage from 37% to 30.9%, which means that the Thunder's defense outside the three-point line will reduce the opponent's shooting percentage by 6.1%, which is the first among the 16 teams in the playoffs.

These can indicate that the Thunder have the ability to significantly reduce the opponent's shooting percentage in any area. They have no defensive weaknesses in both inside and outside, thanks to their individual defense ability and smooth defense switching ability in each position.

So do the Thunder really have no shortcomings on the defensive end? The answer is no. The Thunder's defense first tries to force the opponent to make a mistake through pressure and then complete counterattack scores, or the opponent accelerates the offense and defense conversion after misses the shot. Therefore, they averaged averaging turnovers with the highest score of 25.3 points in the offense and defense conversion, and averaged averaging 19.4 points in the game;

But at the same time, accelerating counterattack will also make them unable to protect the backcourt rebounds best. The Thunder's backcourt rebound rate in the playoffs is 67.9% of the 12th among the 16 teams, which means that the opponent has a higher chance of grabbing the frontcourt rebounds. On the one hand, the Thunder pays more attention to quick counterattacks, and on the other hand, the Thunder's inside line is not a rebounder known for their tonnage, which leads to insufficient protection of their backcourt rebounds.

On the other hand, the team with strong overall defense is more afraid of unreasonable offense. Simply put, it is obvious that the opponent has not lost his position in the defense but still scores. The Thunder is obviously a touchstone: if Edwards can complete the transformation under such a defensive intensity, his singles hard-solving ability will undoubtedly rise to a new level, and then he will be a real superstar.