The Sixers Defense Has Held Firm Since Trade Deadline

When the trade deadline dust was settled, the Sixers were without two 6’6″ players in Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels. Inserted in Carter-Williams spot was Isaiah Canaan, a 6’1″ guard from Murray State known for his shooting. I bring this up, because even though McDaniels and MCW didn’t specialize in the department of offense, it left the 12th ranked defense without some length and good defensive players. Prior to the All-Star break, the Sixers had a defensive rating of 101.8, 12th in the NBA per Sports Vu.

The success of the Sixers defense was credited to head coach Brett Brown, who had found a way to get this unknown bunch of athletes to come together to become a formidable defense. Prior to the trade deadline, the Sixers gave up 81 points to the Charlotte Hornets and 89 points to the best offense in the NBA in the Golden State Warriors. It was the pinnacle of the first half of the season. The Sixers were a damn good defensive team.

More from The Sixer Sense

Now, without two 6’6″ branches, NBA minds were wondering what Brett Brown would do next. Could he still get this team to play top notch defense? At first, it wasn’t pretty.

Philadelphia gave up consecutive 100-point performances to the opposition the first four games after the break. The Pacers dropped 106, the Magic scored 103, the Heat ripped Philly for 119 and the Bucks went off for 104 points. Yikes.

The defense was falling apart. The heart and energy was absent and there were obvious problems with the missing length. Isaiah Canaan could shoot, but he is only 6’1″ and isn’t known for being a defender. The Sixers also brought in 6’0″ Ish Smith who has a lifetime defensive rating of 107 and negative defensive box plus minus.

The Sixers have a 99.7 defensive rating when Nerlens Noel is on the court. When Noel is on the bench, the defensive rating spikes up to 104.5, which is the worst off court rating for any member of the Sixers.

And it’s not like the 76ers were running into offensive juggernauts either. Out of those four teams that ran the score up on the Sixers, the Heat had the best offensive at 17th in the NBA. The rest were near the bottom in terms of offensive rating.

Brett Brown had a tough task on his hands. His true coaching ability would be tested. Adjustments would be necessary if the Sixers expected to maintain their standing as one of the top-15 defense in the Association.

There were bumps along the road, but Brett Brown has regained form and has the Sixers looking like a scary squad on defense. Since the All-Star break, the Sixers still have the 12th best defense in the NBA, posting a defensive rating of 100.9. In the last 10 games, a 97.7 defensive rating has the Sixers as the fifth best defense, mere percentage points behind the Warriors. Past five games? Defensive rating of 96.4, bested by only the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics.

Mar 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) blocks the shot of Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The man anchoring the defense has a lot to do with Brett Brown being able to adjust. This is Nerlens Noel of course. The Sixers have a 99.7 defensive rating when Nerlens Noel is on the court. When Noel is on the bench, the defensive rating spikes up to 104.5, which is the worst off court rating for any member of the Sixers. His improved play has also bolstered the Sixers, as Noel is averaging 12.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in his last 10 outings. His rare ability to protect the rim and steal the ball at an absurd rate is helping the Sixers’ realign their defense.

There are four players in the NBA averaging at least nine points, seven boards, a block and a steal per game. Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Nerlens Noel.

To the surprise of no one, any of the Sixers best defensive lineups include Nerlens Noel. One of the most used lineups for the Sixers in March is: Isaiah Canaan, Luc Mbah a Moute, JaKarr Sampson, Jason Richardson and Nerlens Noel. This lineup plays an average of 11.5 minutes per game (third highest in March) and forces opponents to shoot 38.9 percent from the floor. The combination of a rim protector like Noel, a solid defender in Mbah a Moute and a rangy athlete in JaKarr Sampson creates troubles for offenses.

There have been some shoddy performances on defense like the Sixers last game against the Celtics where they let up 108 points to the Celtics. But, overall, the defense has been able to stand firm since the deadline, which was the biggest question after the trades went down. As always, this is a credit to Brett Brown and his coaching staff for being able to transform these energetic roadrunners into a lock down defensive group.

The Sixers will always have issues scoring until they have some legitimate NBA talent, but the fact that a defense has risen from the concrete is substantial progress from last season.

Next: Should Nerlens Noel be a Defensive Player of the Year Candidate??