Here's an interesting article about the progress of some of the better defensive rookie guards/wings, and Dante has been included as one of them:
https://www.vantagesports.com/#stor...-in-on-the-defense-of-rookie-wings-and-guards
It's good to see that what we see on the court translates in stats as well - Dante indeed is above average for the league at keeping in front of his man and the trend is going in the right direction. It seems like he's improving. He's there, he's keeping up with his man, but I'd like to see him actually asserting himself more and increasing his efficiency in defense - namely - I want to see him start increasing his steal and block numbers, forcing more TOs. He has the size and speed to do it...
It is truly great to see the steady improvements in some of the categories. The keep in front % and points per shot have improved in every single month since the start of the season. I really think Dante can be an elite defender in a couple of years...
https://www.vantagesports.com/#stor...-in-on-the-defense-of-rookie-wings-and-guards
Checking in on the Defense of Rookie Wings and Guards
by Krishna Narsu Published Last Saturday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time
Over the last month, Andrew Wiggins has exploded offensively. Ian Levy looked at his offensive improvement in this week's edition of the Pivot Point. But can the same be said for his defense? And how does he compare to his fellow rookies? Let's take a look.
For rookies, playing good defense right away is probably less likely than playing good offense, especially for guards and wings. Defense tends to improve with more experience. So has Andrew Wiggins and his fellow rookie wings improved on their defense during the season?
Not really. Of course, to expect significant improvement within their rookie season is asking a lot. In all likelihood, it will be years before we see any of these five rookies reach their defensive peaks. However, we can see some interesting trends.
With the exception of K.J. McDaniels, all of the rookies have experienced a season-high Keep-in-Front% during the past month, while Smart, Payton, and Exum have steadily improved throughout the year. In fact, all of the rookies (again, with the exception of K.J. McDaniels) had a Keep-in-Front% that ranked above average for wings and guards in January.
Another interesting trend is that Dante Exum has seen a decrease in TO Forced per Chance while his Keep-in-Front% has increased steadily. This may suggest that he's gambling less, but he's never been much of a gambler (his steals per 36 minutes is only 0.8). Another explanation is simple variance. However, it is interesting to note that his Pressure Rate (pressures per 100 chances) in January is 1.06 compared with rates above 1.50 in both November and December.
Speaking of Exum, out of the five rookies, he seems to be the one who has seen the biggest jump in his defense. His Points Against per Shot has decreased every month, while his Keep-in-Front% and Contest+ have seen an increase since the start of the season. He's got very good size for his position, and the improvement he's had defensively could be the start of a long career as a plus defender.
Meanwhile, Smart has seen an increase in his Points Against per Shot, but he's also battled through an Achilles injury that has caused him to miss 14 games. His Keep-in-Front% has gone up every month, and he remains one of the best players in the league at forcing turnovers (ranks 25th out of 265 guards and wings). The impact of his defense can be see in his DRPM: Payton (1.35), McDaniels (0.23), Smart (0.08), Exum (–0.39), Wiggins (–0.76).
The fact that Smart has a positive DRPM as a rookie is a promising sign for his future. In fact, all five rookies show promise in this area. And while Wiggins's –0.76 DRPM is not on the plus ledger, it does compare favorably to Giannis Antetokounmpo's DRPM from last year (–1.80). Giannis's DRPM this year is in the top 25 percent of the league. (Note that DRPM is not an all-encompassing stat and be aware that there is a standard error associated with DRPM).
As fans, we should be excited for the defensive propsects of these five rookies, and while there hasn't been tons of improvement so far, the trends are promising, and as none of these rookies play for a real contender this season, there is plenty of time.
It's good to see that what we see on the court translates in stats as well - Dante indeed is above average for the league at keeping in front of his man and the trend is going in the right direction. It seems like he's improving. He's there, he's keeping up with his man, but I'd like to see him actually asserting himself more and increasing his efficiency in defense - namely - I want to see him start increasing his steal and block numbers, forcing more TOs. He has the size and speed to do it...
It is truly great to see the steady improvements in some of the categories. The keep in front % and points per shot have improved in every single month since the start of the season. I really think Dante can be an elite defender in a couple of years...
