Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai
Dirk as a poor defensive player is probably the biggest myth in basketball. I challenge anybody to come up with stats that show that he isn't a better than average defender.
Dirk has always had a better Defensive Rating than the teams he played on. For his career, his teams have given up 105.52 (Points Per Possession multiplied by 100), while Dirk is at 104. That would be a PLUS 1.52. (Compare that to Kobe at 105, and a NEGATIVE .9) I am guessing that elite career Defensive Rating numbers over and above the team average would be something like a plus 3. My guess is that guys like Duncan and Garnett would somewhere around a plus 4. So a plus 1.5 would make Dirk a good, but not a great defender.
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Oh, absolutely. Prime Dirk was a *good* defender. No, not elite...nowhere near the impact of KG or Duncan, obviously. But he was a good defender. Not just a little above average, but as in he actually made a discernible, positive impact. Also, per Synergy, Dirk has actually been an extremely good post and man defender (it's his PnR D that has been average in his prime, to bad now, in his career). He guarded LMA, Gasol, and Bosh better than Tyson or Haywood in the 2011 run. Also, prime Dirk was an *elite* defensive rebounder...especially in the playoffs. His playoff DRB% is higher than Hakeem and KAJ's.
Sadly, Dirk's race and birthplace definitely plays into the false narrative that certain people like KAJ like to parrot.