http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/64486/surprisingly-productive-defenders Apparently when our boy's on the floor he helps anchor the D. Pair him with Terrence Jones and the results are 'specially gooood. ------------------------------------ The resurrection of the pioneering NBA Israeli's game has been told as one of stroking 3s and attacking the rim. But something is certainly happening on defense, too, which may overshadow all of that. With Casspi on the floor, the Rockets have given up 94.8 points per 100 possessions, which is almost as good as the league-leading Pacers. When he's on the bench, the team has given up 104.1 points per 100 possessions, which is pedestrian. The defensive bottom line is that the Rockets have gotten 9.3 points worse on D when Casspi checks out. The number could be thick with early-season noise, but it's eye-opening nonetheless. Looking at two-man combinations, you can see that almost any Rocket with Casspi is effective. With Terrence Jones and Casspi in, the Rockets only give up 85.8 points per 100 possessions. With Patrick Beverley: a stingy 90.6. Seven of the top 12 Rockets defensive combinations feature Casspi. Dwight Howard appears in that list only once ... with Casspi. Meanwhile, there aren't many Rocket lineups that perform well on D without Casspi. It's possible his defensive qualities are overstated by these stats. But I don't think it's possible he's bad on defense. I'd also suggest it's a long shot the plus/minus obsessed Rockets are eager to sit him. Casspi is also helping the team on offense. Terrence Jones and Chandler Parsons have been similarly effective. Which makes you wonder, as Omer Asik trade rumors heat up ... does it really make sense to trade for a shooting forward such as Ryan Anderson? Maybe so, but if playing Anderson means limiting minutes for Casspi, Jones or Parsons, it's tough to imagine the Rockets getting more effective in the process.
What might be more telling is looking at the units Casspi plays with. More often than not when Casspi comes in the game, other players do as well throwing the +/- off a bit. Additionally, he enters the game usually about the time our opponent is bringing in their second unit. Not contradicting the claim that his defense maybe better than realized, but a greater context would be helpful.
With Howard or Asik, speed is very helpful for other defenders. Having 4 guys that can closeout helps.
Lies he isn't a good defender. Or rebounde,he always seems to loose the ball when he should have the possession of the ball or tips it to a player on the opposite team worst yet I hate it when he gets on the way of Howard and we loose the rebound. As for defense he isn't a good defender either. I always see people going by him and driving or him making a silly foul on the help when a player is clearly well guarded by his man. These stats don't tell everything. I don't think Casspi is a good defender.
I trust that if there is any substance, validity, or confidence in this data Morey and crew are aware of it and on top of it.
I always felt he was a pretty decent defender. But that was just me watching the games as a whole... not specifically looking to watch him defensively. Cool to see some stats support it.
Is there a way to find out our TO's whenever he is in? From last year stats, there was a correlation between number of TO's and defensive ranking. It's difficult to make a conclusion just on one stat.
The effective Omri-Terrence combo, did it happen with them as the 4-5 or the 3-4? If the former, then I wonder if the backup C after an Asik trade should be Jones.
