The Orlando Magic invested big time in having elite rim protectors, and they should look to be strong in that stat. That is an important strength to have.
The Orlando Magic retooled their team this summer with a huge focus on defense. And that defense will start from inside the paint.
The Magic traded for Serge Ibaka and signed Bismack Biyombo, and look set to be an elite rim-protecting team for the first time since Dwight Howard manned the paint.
According to Nylon Calculus’ field goal percentage allowed at the rim, Ibaka was fifth in the NBA and Biyombo was eighth last season. Ibaka was sixth in Nylon Calculus’ Points Saved due to rim protection, and Biyombo was 10th.
Clearly, the Magic are banking on their two elite rim protectors to anchor their defense to a level that would take them to the playoffs.
Statistically, that is a solid stat to focus on as the key to winning.
Last season, there was a -0.82 correlation between defensive rating and wins, which is a very strong relationship (a perfect correlation occurs at 1 or -1). That means that having a lower defensive rating is very important for winning games. That bore itself out last year as every team in the top 16 in defensive rating won at least 40 games.
An increasingly common thread with those teams is one thing — rim protection. That trait builds the foundation for a strong defense.
Last season, there was a 0.72 correlation between field goal defense at the rim and defensive rating. There was also a -0.58 correlation between field goal defense at the rim and wins.
Both correlations are strong enough to be statistically significant predictors, and both are important factors in building a winning team.
There are many reasons for why rim protection is so important for building a strong defense.
First, defending well at the rim eliminates one of the most efficient forms of offenses.
The league average for field goal percentage at the rim was 58.6 percent. Opponents shot 43.3 percent at the rim against Ibaka and 45.4 percent against Biyombo.
If the Magic can be significantly better than average in this stat, which seems very possible, that will help them win games.
Having strong interior defenders also allows the perimeter players to play more aggressive and take more risks, as the big men would erase the mistakes they make. That is a huge change from what happened to the Magic defense last season.
During Media Day, Magic players like Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton expressed excitement over this prospect. They did not say they would be out taking risks, but relished the opportunity to press more and know there was protection behind them.
Last season, the Magic were very tentative defending screens and playing help defense. That led to many awkward defensive situations where the players were in bad spots and opponents had easy baskets.
Having elite interior defenders would allow the Magic players to play hard and do what the coaching staff wants them to do, while having faith that if they do lose their man they could recover without the team allowing extremely easy buckets.
The Magic defense will likely employ a similar strategy to what the 2012-14 Indiana Pacers did, where they played aggressive at the perimeter and limited 3-point opportunities. They funneled the ball handlers toward their interior defender Roy Hibbert, where more likely than not they would have a bad outcome.
The rim protectors will allow the perimeter defenders to escalate their level of play. And that will lead to tremendous defensive improvement for the Magic.
Another positive that elite rim protection brings is the mental effect on the opponents.
Opposing offenses will be forced to change their offensive strategy when facing Ibaka and Biyombo. Their presence will make ball handlers hesitant to shoot the ball in the paint. This could force opponents to sacrifice their usual rim shots for more low efficiency jumpers, which will help the Magic win games.
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The Orlando Magic are going all in with their defense this season, and it starts with their rim protection. If the Magic end up making the playoffs, the defensive performance of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo will likely be considered the biggest reason for that jump.