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The likes of James Harden and Carmelo Anthony have often been ridiculed for the lack of defensive intensity they show during games. There have been some videos that are circulating as well that shows how lax they are when on the defensive end. However, thanks to advance data from this past season’s matches, it has been proven that there’s another player who allows the same percentage to make a shot when he defends it, compared to just leaving them open.
According to a piece made by Kyle Wagner of FiveThirtyEight, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins should be the winner of the “least defensive player” award, for not making it difficult for his defensive assignment to score against him.
“Using the NBA’s player-tracking data to look at shots defended and how those shots turned out,1 we can see who’s making a positive impact, who’s making a negative impact, and who’s making the most impact.”
“Possession by possession, there are a few defenders who are as bad as Wiggins. When Wiggins contests a shot, opponents have a 56.1 effective field goal percentage; when they are unguarded, they have a 56.4 eFG percentage. Fundamentally, getting a shot up against Andrew Wiggins is the same as getting an open shot.”
The good news for Wiggins is that help has arrived now that Jimmy Butler is already part of their fold. Being one of the best two-way players in the league today, it can be expected that he’ll work with him to improve his defensive skills. He and Tom Thibodeau go a long way back during their days with the Chicago Bulls, where he emerged as the star that he is now because of the premium the veteran head coach has on defense.
Should Wiggins be successful in becoming a better defender this coming season, it will be a huge boost to the Wolves, who are doing their best to add more talent to their lineup. It could also turn out to be the difference between the team making it to the playoffs or not, as the way he’ll defend their opponents will be key to them winning more games in the future.
