Does Patterson and Morris' subpar defensive rebounding negatively impact Asik's shot blocking? I would think if you have to focus on defensive rebounding, you are out of position for challenging shots. I want Asik attacking the boards on the offensive side - I think that's his only real weapon there. But on defense, maybe we could use some more rim protection? Granted shot blocking isn't everything on defense, but it helps and our defense stinks. I have loved Asik, but I've been surprised that he's blocking shots at a significantly slower pace than previous years.
No. Asik is just a black hole for rebounds and it does not affect his position for shot-blocking. He gets into the help position, then goes to rebound when the shot goes up.
Yeah, y'all might be right. One of the things that prompted this thought was I had looked at Roy Hibbert's stats this year - super-high offensive rebounds, super-high blocks, and mediocre defensive rebounds. Turns out he's an outlier for sure. There are a lot of dudes with very good defensive rebounding numbers to go with very good blocks - I looked up Larry Sanders, Serge Ibaka, Josh Smith, and even past years of Samuel Dalembert. They all were/are able to maintain strong defensive rebounding while protecting the paint. I guess I shouldn't be picky, but it would be nice if Asik could get better block numbers. Off topic a bit, but what is going on with Hibbert this year? A bit of an anomaly - 3.7 ORPG and only 4.4 DRPG.
Defensive rebounding is the second most important part of defense right after opponents FG%. Asik is one of the very best defense rebounders in the league which keeps opponents from getting second chance opportunities and is also the most important part of the game for starting a fast break.
I've also been surprised at his block numbers, but I think a lot of that is due to intimidation. Omer is massive. He's huge. I've heard commentators from other teams talk about it several time this season, and one recently (can't recall who, but he played in the league) said he had stood next to Asik and is convinced that he's actually a bit over 7'. And Omer is quick for his size. While he can look quite awkward out there at times, that's usually on the offensive end. Defensively, the guy moves very well. He makes perimeter players think twice about driving to the basket, unless they think they have a clear path. I can't get over that we actually have a 5 like him after wandering through the post-Yao wilderness, which started before Yao left, what with the seemingly endless injuries. We're lucky to have Omer Asik. Very lucky. If we had an All Star caliber 4 next to him, a solid 3 (which we have in Parsons), and our current backcourt, we could go deep in the playoffs, and soon. And that shocks me, considering how young this team is.
I think the opponent commentator who said Asik was over 7" tall was Jim Petersen. Did you watch the MIN broadcast of that game?
Yes, I did. Twice! You'd think I would have remembered who it was. Thanks for reminding me. I was a big fan of Petersen back when he was a Rocket. A terrific 4/5 off the bench on that deep team. I think some knee problems ended his career early. Read that somewhere. He's pretty good in the broadcast booth. The T-Puppies are lucky to have him there. Jim isn't a short guy. If he thinks Omer is a bit over 7', he probably is! Heck, I might still have that game on the DVR in my living room. If I do, I'll look that bit up when I have a chance (kids are all over that display during the holidays. My son's in town from Madison, where he's fixing to start his last semester, thank god).
This could be a factor. The sheer size simply make the offensive player avoid going close to Asik. I think Yao (who a lot of people thought should have been blocking more shots for his size) had the same effect. High volume blockers are usually smaller and quicker guys whose blocks mostly surprise rather than intimidate the shooters.
I think most people have the order of events wrong. It's not so much that our PFs are such bad rebounders that Asik has to pick up the load. But rather, because Asik is such a great rebounder, the Rockets keep playing small with Morris/Parsons at stretch 4 to pose matchup problems for their opponents. This is why we run a lot of defensive oriented teams off the court, since they can't out-gun us, and can't punish us on rebounding. Asik's rebounding is what allows the team to play uptempo, push the ball, have everyone else run the court.
Agreed. Both Ibaka and Dwight last year excelled at racking up blocks due to their quick speed and jumping ability. Ibaka got his by coming from the weakside and swatting shots from players who thought they were clear or were already dealing with another defender. Dwight was the monster second line of defense after the Magic's perimeter defenders. I thought we were going to get destroyed on the boards against Minnesota and their front line of Pekovic, who looks like he's half gorilla, and Love. Then Asik comes and nullifies Pek while corraling every rebound in sight. God, I love Asik on our team.
Another point on this statement: it is hard to notice it, but Asik usually outlets the ball extremely fast, thus allowing the Rockets to start the break more easily.
Agreed. But....using that logic....rim protecting decreases an opponent's FG% and is therefore more important than defensive rebounding. Just playing a little Devil's Advocate. Also, the best shot blockers are not always smaller, quicker bigs from the weakside - Roy Hibbert is again an example of this. But basically, what I am taking away from this thread is that positioning for a defensive rebound does not take away from blocking shots. That seems to be the consensus, correct?
