Does plus minus include defense? Cause Favs and Gobert together has been crazy good lately. And I'm not sure Udoh would have the same affect.
Yes. The plus minus stat is one of my favorite stats. It is more accurate with players who average mid-high minute amounts. The plus minus stat is also very simple, it basically calculates a players impact on team success while he's on the floor. For example, If Rubio starts the game at tipoff and plays 10 minutes before he is benched and the score is 20-24 in the favor of the Jazz, Rubio would have a +4 in the plus minus. When he comes back in the game and say the score is 30-36 while entering and he plays the remainder of the quarter exiting either because of being benched or quarter comes to an end and the score is 50-60 in the favor of the Jazz, Rubio would have a +8 in the plus minus.
1st quarter he contributed during his court time to give the Jazz a 4 point advantage.
2nd quarter he re-entered the game while the Jazz had a 6 point advantage, but he was responsible for 4 of those 6, so the score is really irrelevant. He then was on the court and contributed to give the Jazz a 10 point lead when the Jazz were only up by 6 when he left.
10 point lead minus the 6 point lead that they already had = +4 and then add the original +4 point lead/contribution from the 1st quarter. 4+4 = +8 in the plus minus.
It can be a deceiving stat for players that only average 5 minutes a night.
And not to be confused with the RPM (real plus minus) which is the same formula but takes into consideration the plus minus stats of the other players that saw floor time with the player. This stat is flawed badly and isn't a reliable source of a players value.
There is also a box plus minus which is a very relied upon stat and focuses on a players contribution based on a per 100 possessions . This one is a great stat, seldomly used because of its complexity.
Your basic plus minus is the most accurate with players that receive consistent/regular minutes every game, from about 13 MPG and up. The more minutes the more accuracy.