Charlotte Bobcats: 3 Ways To Fix The NBA’s Worst Defense
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was one of the few bright spots for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2012-13. (NBA.com photo)
The Charlotte Bobcats need help in pretty much every aspect of their roster. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker are intriguing pieces, but neither will ever blossom without the proper supporting cast.
The Bobcats can choose to improve their offense or defense this offseason. Or even better, both. But let’s roll with their horrid defense that ranked dead last in defensive efficiency this past season.
A lack of a experienced players hindered the Bobcats on defense, in some cases, not all. Kidd-Gilchrist was and is still projected to be a quality defender, but I wrote a few days back that his defense limboed under the preseason hype. With a year under his belt, that could change.
Do understand that Bobcats management won’t be able to take the league’s worst defense and suddenly turn it into an average one, at least not in one offseason’s worth of time. It’s going to take work, like all things do.
Let’s take a look at a few things the Bobcats could do to improve their defense:
Improve Discipline
Discipline often comes with age and Charlotte’s core isn’t an experienced unit … and it showed.
The Bobcats consistently blew rotations, leaving shooters with wide-open perimeter shots. That, or they would jump at shooters, which would open up a driving lane. Basically, rookie mistakes would be a good way of describing their defense, on top of the fact that they simply don’t have the personnel.
Per Synergy Sports, Charlotte ranked 29th in the league in defending spot-up situations. No surprise there. Opponents also shot 38.8 percent from 3-point range against them, which tied for the highest percentage in the league.
Given that they aren’t generating a ton of easy points off turnovers, cutting down on the mental mistakes becomes critical. This is only a part of the problem, though.
Sign A Proven Wing Defender
Perhaps Tony Allen is a bit over their heads, but the Bobcats could benefit from pairing Kidd-Gilchrist with an additional wing defender. They ranked as the 25th-best isolation defense in the league and that will only continue to be exploited if it’s not repaired.
Gerald Henderson sports a lengthy frame for a perimeter defender and he was one of the few bright spots. Synergy Sports ranked him as the 37th-best isolation defender in the NBA. But opposing offenses scored nearly two more points with him on the floor than when he was on the bench, according to 82 Games. Henderson is a restricted free agent, which leaves management with a decision to make. It might be wise of them to re-sign him, as they aren’t likely to find a better alternative on the market. Of course, his demands will have to be reasonable.
Allen would obviously solve a few issues, but his demands will be high and he’s likely high on the Memphis Grizzlies’ retain list.
Let Kidd-Gilchrist Develop
The stats say that Kidd-Gilchrist was an average to below-average defender in 2012-13. As for the positives, Synergy Sports ranks him as the 43rd-best isolation defender, which is solid. He’s ranked as the 41st-best post-up defender. But when guarding spot-up situations, which he did 45.7 percent of the time, he ranked as the 296th-best defender. That’s a problem.
But as aforementioned, he will get better. His instant presence on the boards (8.1 rebounds per 36 minutes) was a great boon to a team that still finished with a minus-3.8 rebounding differential (29th in the NBA).