How can the NBA’s rebounding leader from last season and top shot-blocker from two seasons ago, Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat, have a worse Defensive Rating (DefRtg) than Goran Dragic? The figures don’t make sense until the importance of Points Per Shot (PPS) is taken into consideration.
The worst DefRtgs both belong to shot blockers and rim protectors, Whiteside and Jordan Mickey, The best perimeter defenders, Justise Winslow and James Johnson, have the top DefRtgs. In today’s NBA giving up a two-point dunk without a foul is a better strategy than allowing three points per made basket.