An Ode to Jonathan Isaac’s All-Defensive worthy half-season

hey, y’all, prepare yourself for The Rubberband Man

Jonathan Isaac was a flat-out dominant defender anytime he stepped foot onto the hardwood this season. The Superstar Silencer shut down names like Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony Davis, and Paul Millsap, while making life difficult for other respected bigs like Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, and Giannis Antetokoumnpo.

The Data Visualization attached below compares Player Impact Plus Minus (PIPM) values for all players aged under 23 who have played 200+ MIN this season. (as of 2/16/20)

J.I. revealed himself as an elite defender early into the year. With the highest Defensive-PIPM value of the group, this graph shows how far Jonathan Isaac has separated himself as a defender amongst his peers, with teammate Mo Bamba trailing just behind with the next closest D-PIPM value. (data via BBall Index)

Let’s compare how Isaac ranked through the first quarter of the season compared to where he ranks today, having not played since New Years Day.

Jonathan Isaac’s ranks among all players through his first nineteen games:

T-1st in BPG

3rd in BLK%

2nd in DBPM

T-17th in Deflections (total)

12th in D-PIPM

(19 GP)

Jonathan Isaac’s ranks among all players as of today (2/20/20):

3rd in BPG

14th in BLK%

8th in DBPM

9th in Deflections (per game)

5th in D-PIPM

(32 GP)

(stats via BBall Index, NBA dot com ,and Basketball Reference)