Per famous Auburn-hater KenPom, Auburn has a 14.1% steal rate and an 18.1% team block rate. That adds up to 32.2% of Auburn's possessions ending in a steal or a block. That definitely makes for some good defensive efficiency. Only four teams I've found do a better job of ending possessions in a steal or block. LSU (37.4), Memphis (35.9), Oklahoma St. (34.8), and Rhode Island (34.7). Memphis' inclusion on this list makes it clear that doing this doesn't necessarily make you a good team. But you can't deny how helpful it is.
Overall, Auburn is 9th in block rate and 13th in steal rate. Our defensive efficiency is "only" 24th overall (offense is 19th). So you would like to see us do the other things to bring our efficiency up. Just for comparison's sake, of the four teams with a better combined block/steal rate, three of them have a better defensive efficiency (LSU-4, Oklahoma St.-7, Memphis-19, with Rhode Island at 66). I think for us it is largely because of giving up too high a shooting percentage (47% effective FG%, good for 100th) and too many second-chance points (26.2% offensive rebounding percentage, 113th). We are simply giving teams too many chances through offensive rebounds AND fouls. We are 278th in defensive free throw rate. We can't let teams get that many chances at the charity stripe.
So if we can protect the defensive glass and not put guys on the line, our defensive efficiency will improve markedly. We are already making the high-effort plays (blocks and steals). Though admittedly our penchant for trying to get steals and blocks naturally leads to more fouls because we are being aggressive, and can also get us out of position for the purposes of defensive rebounding and contesting shots. So there's going to be a balance there. We probably will not be elite at defensive FT rate or maybe even defensive effective shooting percentage. But if we can do a little better there without losing our aggressive edge on defense, we can see our defensive efficiency climb to elite levels.
Overall, Auburn is 9th in block rate and 13th in steal rate. Our defensive efficiency is "only" 24th overall (offense is 19th). So you would like to see us do the other things to bring our efficiency up. Just for comparison's sake, of the four teams with a better combined block/steal rate, three of them have a better defensive efficiency (LSU-4, Oklahoma St.-7, Memphis-19, with Rhode Island at 66). I think for us it is largely because of giving up too high a shooting percentage (47% effective FG%, good for 100th) and too many second-chance points (26.2% offensive rebounding percentage, 113th). We are simply giving teams too many chances through offensive rebounds AND fouls. We are 278th in defensive free throw rate. We can't let teams get that many chances at the charity stripe.
So if we can protect the defensive glass and not put guys on the line, our defensive efficiency will improve markedly. We are already making the high-effort plays (blocks and steals). Though admittedly our penchant for trying to get steals and blocks naturally leads to more fouls because we are being aggressive, and can also get us out of position for the purposes of defensive rebounding and contesting shots. So there's going to be a balance there. We probably will not be elite at defensive FT rate or maybe even defensive effective shooting percentage. But if we can do a little better there without losing our aggressive edge on defense, we can see our defensive efficiency climb to elite levels.
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