Exposing the NBA's Worst Rim-Protectors So Far This Season
Which players have been the least valuable rim protectors through the first quarter or so of the 2022-23 NBA regular season?
It is a question without an easy answer. So much goes into rim protection—and defense in general—that cannot be readily measured or interpreted.
This particular crack at it tries to remove all subjectivity from the equation. These rankings will be determined solely by which players have the least amount of statistical success defending looks at the rim.
Entering games played on Nov. 29, the league as whole is averaging a little over 1.30 points per shot at the basket. By comparing points per shot players have allowed to this expected value, we can see how many points they're "saving"—or, in this case, "not saving."
To account for both volume and efficiency, we'll subtract the actual points per shot allowed from the expected points per shot, then multiply by shots faced.
For example: Brook Lopez is allowing under 1.01 points per shot at the basket. Subtract that number from our expected value (a little over 1.30) and multiply it by the total looks he's contested (133), and he ends up with 39.56 points saved. Ergo, he does not appear on this list.
These results are not meant to be gospel. They don't account for the individual players who attempt each shot at the rim. Guarding some is harder than others. This also doesn't factor in why a player is defending shots at the rim in the first place. Is it by design? Is it the byproduct of a defensive breakdown they're trying to cover up? Did they stumble into Ja Morant's airspace by mistake?
Finally, get ready to see a lot of guards populating the bottom of the barrel. That's not really surprising. They are generally smaller than traditional basket-keepers, and for the most part, patrolling the paint isn't part of their primary job description. It makes sense that those who aren't billed as rim protectors struggle to, you know, protect the rim.
T-9: Troy Brown Jr., Los Angeles Lakers
1 of 10
Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-14.14
Here is a list of every player on the Los Angeles Lakers who has contested more shots at the rim than Troy Brown Jr.
- Anthony Davis
The end.
That is... not ideal. Brown is almost 6'6", with a wingspan teetering on 6'11", but the Lakers have him manning the 4 spot in certain lineups. That is a combustible setup, even when Davis is on the floor with him, and even for the most devout downsizing enthusiasts.
Like most other guard-wings, Brown is better equipped to bust up shots from behind rather than as a vertical presence at the basket. It shows this season. Opponents are shooting 41-of-52 against him at the rim—or 78.8 percent.
T-9: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-14.14
Zero surprises here.
Jalen Brunson is 6'1", with a 6'4" wingspan. Rival offenses don't try to target him on switches or deadeye drives as often as you might think, but mismatches happen organically, almost nightly, when you have this physical profile.
Opponents are hitting 78.8 percent of their shots at the rim against Brunson. That is high. It's also on course with where he ended up last year (75.8 percent).
In the interest of full disclosure, I can't bring myself to care about this particular inclusion. Brunson is fairly strong for his size, and he can hijack point-blank shot attempts when he's recovering with a head of steam. And, look, he's basically been as effective protecting the rim as Julius Randle. Let's move on.
8. Kevin Huerter, Sacramento Kings
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-15.01
Kevin Huerter is taller than you'd think (over 6'6"), with a shorter wingspan than you'd hope (6'7.5"). This is a physical recipe for more blocks than you'd expect and worse overall rim protection than you'd anticipate.
Red Velvet oftentimes does check the "Tries Hard" box. Some of his best contests near the basket come when his body is turned and he's sliding his feet step-for-step with an opposing ball-handler. Domantas Sabonis is the only member of the Sacramento Kings who has contested more looks at the hoop this year.
Even so, there's no arguing with the results. Opponents are shooting 78 percent against Huerter at the iron. That's worse than last year (72.1 percent), but to his credit, he's delivering noticeably more rim contests in Sacramento than Atlanta.
7. Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-15.19
This is about what you'd expect for your usual guard standing barely 6'1". But Donovan Mitchell isn't your usual guard standing barely 6'1".
For starters, he has a 6'10" wingspan. And he entered the league with astounding zero-step explosion. That he's never posted a block rate of 1.0 for an entire season is typical for his size. It's jarring for someone with his physical toolbox—and bound to make Dwyane Wade at least a teensy bit nauseous.
Anyway, rim protection isn't among Mitchell's foremost responsibilities, which makes this largely whatever. His defensive energy has also been pretty high this year. He is more effectively securing the corners and doesn't seem to be getting caught out of position on switches nearly as often.
The raw numbers nevertheless make for uncomfortable viewing. Opponents are hitting 83.3 percent of their shots at the rim against Mitchell. That is the absolute worst mark out of the 166 players who have faced as much volume at the basket as him.
6. Bojan Bogdanovic, Detroit Pistons
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-16.40
Bojan Boganovic isn't supposed to be a rim protector or a shot-blocker. He takes those responsibilities very seriously. He has yet to block a single shot this season and sent back only one all of last year.
In fact, through more than 18,000 career minutes, in fact, Bogdanovic has notched 42 total blocks. Put another way, for cherry-picking effect: Bogdanovic has racked up as many blocks for his career as Bol Bol has notched in 569 minutes of action this season.
Once more, with feeling: Blocks aren't everything. Or even sometimes anything. But it'd be nice if a 6'7" forward wasn't allowing a 78.7 percent clip around the rim.
Indeed, Bojan isn't especially long. A Google search for "Bojan Bogdanovic wingspan" returns more "N/A" and empty fields than you'd ever expect in this age of information overload. But there's nothing that says physically unimposing players can't, um, jump on purpose.
Many of the few career blocks Bogdanovic does have look like accidents—skips or falls upwards rather than actual, deliberate contests. He is a silky smooth shooter who used to have disarming on-ball defensive moments, so this doesn't inhibit his utility. It's still something that demands consideration when fleshing out lineups with him at the 4.
5. CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-16.67
Once we all braced ourselves for guards to dominate the returns, we could probably see this coming.
CJ McCollum is under 6'3", with a wingspan just over 6'6", and spends all his time playing below the rim. Offenses love to attack him going downhill.
And why wouldn't they? They're shooting 83 percent against him at the basket.
Moderate to limited volume spares McCollum from an even more unsavory finish. He ranks outside the top 30 of rim contests among all guards after missing the New Orleans Pelicans' past three games while in health and safety protocols.
Blocks are not an adequate measure of rim protection. Somewhat bizarrely, though, McCollum is notching the highest swat rate of his career in his age-31 season.
Granted, he's not erasing shots from point-blank range. Most of his blocks have come away from the rim, between four and 14 feet, according to PBP Stats. That makes sense. He's not wired—or, frankly, built—to contest looks at the rim unless he stumbles across someone smaller or who prefers to finish below the rim and going away from the hoop.
4. Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-17.01
"Anfernee Simons isn't a good rim protector" shouldn't be considered a revelatory finding. He doesn't even stand 6'3'", and his defensive reputation has only started to inch out of the dregs this season.
Still, Simons has some serious pop, along with a wingspan over 6'9". Those aren't the physical tools of someone you just assume surrenders almost 80 percent shooting at the basket.
And yet, he does.
Some of Simons' contests around the basket are encouraging, if not slightly wow-inducing. He can inflict real deterrence when he's moving toward an opponent. His mobility when being pushed backward or laterally is less palatable. He defends the ball like he's giving out free bear hugs rather than relying on foot speed or the athleticism to break up shot attempts from behind.
This, again, isn't a huge deal. But Simons has defended more looks at the rim, in fewer games, than Jerami Grant. So, it's something.
3. Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-17.62
Tobias Harris' rim protection is more problematic than most others on this list because he spends all of his time in the frontcourt. And while the addition of P.J. Tucker has allowed him to play more 3, he is still usually no worse than the second tallest member of the Philadelphia 76ers on the floor.
Saddling Harris with non-vertical responsibilities is more tenable. He can contest shots on conventional post-ups and is pretty good at coming away with strip-blocks when face-guarding on the perimeter.
His straight-up rim stands are a different story.
Opponents are shooting 80.7 percent at the basket when contested by Harris. Among 119 players who have guarded 50 or more looks around the hoop this season, that is the single worst mark of the bunch.
2. Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
9 of 10
Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-17.96
Keldon Johnson is 6'5" and shouldn't need to serve as even a secondary line of defense around the basket. The San Antonio Spurs don't have much of a choice.
Their roster isn't stacked with high-minute bigs beyond Jakob Poeltl. Zach Collins' head-to-head volume has always been best deployed in measured doses, and the Spurs do not give serious run to Isaiah Roby or Gorgui Dieng.
Johnson at least has the build of a 4, if not a tweener forward. And he pairs that body composition with decent length (wingspan over 6'9").
This hasn't translated to intense playmaking around the basket. Johnson's block rate outside garbage time has dipped below 0.3 (10th percentile), and opponents are shooting 78.3 percent against him at the basket.
On the bright side, he can still be good for a highlight swat against a Rudy Gobert-sized human every now and then. That's pretty fun.
1. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
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Points Saved at the Rim: Minus-18.13
This is fairly surprising. Dejounte Murray is long and pesky and not particularly small. He's not someone you'd associate with poor situational rim protection.
Perhaps it's a volume thing. Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart are the only guards to contest more total looks at the hoop. But Murray has posted an average-or-worse block rate relative to his position for the past four years. That's not damning; just weird given his 6'10" wingspan.
Murray does have plenty of party-crashing ability from behind. That tracks with his smarts and length.
Going head-to-head in vertical space is a different story. Murray is already undersized in most of those situations but can also be overpowered. He'd probably have an easier time defending looks at the basket with a burlier frame.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering Tuesday's games. Salary information via Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
