In a recent Dunc’d On podcast (which I highly recommend as a great listen for NBA fans), the hosts Danny and Nate briefly commented upon how the Celtics defense this season has been bolstered by the league’s second best 3-point defense, in terms of percentage of opponent makes. They also mentioned, however, that many NBA thinkers speculate 3-point percentage defense may be mostly due to luck and beyond the defense’s control. In fact, many argue that the best indicator of a good 3-point defense is the ability to limit opponent 3-point attempts, particularly the dangerous corner threes. I have previously written a little about 3-point defense for bigthreesports.com.
With the conventional wisdom in mind, it also should be noted that the Celtics under coach Brad Stevens have consistently performed well in 3-point percentage defense. Boston has been a top five ranked team in this regard during each of the five years (if we include the current season) of the Stevens tenure. Perhaps there is something more than luck going on here? I decided to investigate this more deeply.
Continue reading “Is the Celtic’s 3-Point Percentage Defense for Real? A Statistical Perspective”