Defensive Impact
Are defenders making opponents miss? We compare actual shooting percentages to what we'd expect based on shot location and the shooter's season averages.
NYK Defense vs SAS
| Zone | FGA | FGM | FG% | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Area | 78 | 45 | 57.7% | -8.3% |
| Left Corner 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | -39.0% |
| Mid-Range | 19 | 7 | 36.8% | -4.2% |
| Above Break 3 | 32 | 12 | 37.5% | +1.5% |
Defense Rating: Excellent Average Poor
SAS Defense vs NYK
| Zone | FGA | FGM | FG% | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Range | 27 | 11 | 40.7% | -0.3% |
| Left Corner 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | -39.0% |
| Above Break 3 | 34 | 11 | 32.4% | -3.6% |
| Restricted Area | 56 | 34 | 60.7% | -5.3% |
| Right Corner 3 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | +61.0% |
Defense Rating: Excellent Average Poor
Expected vs Actual
NYK Defense
| Opponent | SAS |
| Shots allowed | 131 |
| Points allowed | 139.0 |
| Expected points | 155.4 |
| Delta | -16.4 |
SAS Defense
| Opponent | NYK |
| Shots allowed | 120 |
| Points allowed | 126.0 |
| Expected points | 136.3 |
| Delta | -10.3 |
How we calculate this
We estimate "expected points" based on each shot's location and the shooter's season averages. A negative delta means the defense held opponents below expectations.
- Zone FG% = Made shots ÷ Attempted shots per zone
- Expected = Shot value × Player's baseline FG% for that zone
- Delta = Actual − Expected (negative = good defense)
Note: True defensive impact requires tracking data (Second Spectrum) for matchup-level analysis. This uses shot zones as a proxy.