One of the best coachisms around is “a defensive possession isn’t complete without a rebound.” It’s one of the most “duh” statements, but also so profound and often overlooked by defensive analysis.
The San Antonio Spurs were a horrendous defensive team last year. They had the franchise’s worst defensive rating of 120, they allowed 123 points per game and let teams shoot the highest percentage from three in the league. Those numbers clearly stand out as reasons why the team struggled on that end. What can get lost in their defensive picture is that they were’t terribly effective at ending a possession with a board.