Anyone else cringe watching Olynk play D?

[clover]

I was not brought here for Defense.

-Kelly Olynyk

And yet half of a game is defense...

KO still needs to get stronger and to play better D, but he's more effective on D than this board recognizes. BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best. There's a reason why he's consistently been a leader in net +/- on this team--and is #12 in the league on that stat among centers.

[D.o.s.]

A defensive leader on a team that is, by most measures, average-to-below-average on defense.

[Celtics4ever]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

How can you watch Smart play D and say this with a straight face?

[kozlodoev]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

We've already been over this. BR individual defensive ratings are completely worthless.

[Celtics18]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

We've already been over this. BR individual defensive ratings are completely worthless.

Which defensive measures are worthwhile? 

[fairweatherfan]

Kelly Olynyk:  Best defender on the team, or best defender in the league?

[Celtics18]

Kelly Olynyk:  Best defender on the team, or best defender in the league?

Best defender . . . ever!

[fairweatherfan]

Kelly Olynyk:  Best defender on the team, or best defender in the league?

Best defender . . . ever!

All I'm saying is he has more blocked shots than Bill Russell.   

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'm pretty sure he is the platonic ideal of a defender and not only are all other defenders before and after his creation inferior copies, but he is actually the most perfect possible defender theoretically possible.  Tim Duncan is just a crude imitation. 

[thirstyboots18]

Kelly Olynyk:  Best defender on the team, or best defender in the league?

Best defender . . . ever!

Ahhh...the joy of potential and promise.  Everyone has it until they don't.

[Evantime34]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

We've already been over this. BR individual defensive ratings are completely worthless.

Which defensive measures are worthwhile?

The NBA site is good but you have to look up the individual players rather than sorting through the whole team (if I'm wrong someone please correct me). I also think 82 games is good for individual defense numbers but it is not updated that often.

[Celtics18]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

We've already been over this. BR individual defensive ratings are completely worthless.

Which defensive measures are worthwhile?

The NBA site is good but you have to look up the individual players rather than sorting through the whole team (if I'm wrong someone please correct me). I also think 82 games is good for individual defense numbers but it is not updated that often.

The numbers posted by danglertx were from NBA.Com.

A brief look through the site shows that the numbers from the team page match the ones listed by the individual player.

I don't like 82 games, because I never know how recently the numbers have been updated. 

[kozlodoev]

BR gives him a team-best defensive rating this year, and last year he was one of the team's best.

We've already been over this. BR individual defensive ratings are completely worthless.

Which defensive measures are worthwhile? 

Just about anything that isn't calculated as a bizarre combination of steals, blocks, defensive rebounds and opposing team shooting percentage. Which is roughly how they do DRs over at BR.

I prefer opposing player PER as a rough measure with all the caveats attached. I'm sure stats.nba.com has better stuff, but I can't navigate that site for the life of me. I guess I'm old?

Also, 82games updates rarely, but does have a notification about the time of their last update:

Boston Celtics
2014-2015 NBA Season Stats
Last update: 2/18/2015

[kozlodoev]

Yeah I saw that, so I summed it up in a modify.  Probably should have erased it but you can easily see the names in order.  In fact, NBA stats.com and anyone can just look the stats up themselves and see.

Anyway, statistically over a long stretch we are better off with Olynyk on the floor both offensively and defensively.

Taking a quick peek at Olynyk's splits show that he did much better off the bench than in the starting lineup (that is, if we assume some validity of the DRtg stat, which is essentially a TEAM stat). He is, in fact, a pretty solid net negative as a starter.

http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/203482/stats/advanced/

[littleteapot]

So we're back to the Celtics have 9 good bench players and have to gerryrig a starting unit together?