Hustle Points; the importance of rebounding
(AP Photo/ Matt Slocum)
In a game of possessions the ability to get rebounds heavily influences a team's chances of winning. With the opportunity to rebound on both sides of the ball, teams get the chance to gain second chance points and start fastbreaks. Rebounding on the offensive end can collapse the paint and get perimeter shooters open for threes while also giving rebounders great position to score in the paint. Physical teams with the ability to out rebound their opponents can deflate any momentum teams attempt to build by not allowing second chances.
Big men like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic utilize their size and physicality to chase rebounds on both ends of the floor. Both superstars punish their opponents with physicality on both ends of the floor with hard screens, box outs, post backdowns, and hustling for loose balls in the paint, leading to efficient scoring outputs and double digit rebound games. Both of these MVPs have shown the importance of dominant big men in a game of positionless basketball.
Rebounding big’s impact has been long noted with greats like Ben Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Wilt Chamberlain being recognized for their greatness on the defensive end and capability of rebounding. These legends all played a major role in their teams championship success by consistently playing with a high motor and great physicality on the defensive side of the ball.
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Following the lead of the Golden State Warriors, many teams have started playing a more perimeter and isocentric offense. Shooting threes in transition and settling for outside shots is common in the modern day NBA, and when teams live and die by the three the ability to rebound is crucial to stop teams from getting hot from outside. Long shots come with long rebounds and this requires big men to box out their matchup and chase down rebounds.
During the 2021-22 NBA playoffs teams like the Dallas Mavericks struggled with rebounding and saw themselves falling short of the finals because of it. The Boston Celtics however are a young, scrappy team with multiple high motor defenders who play physical defense and rebound. They had arguably the hardest path to the finals with long physical series versus the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat.
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The Celtics have taken a commanding two to one lead vs the Warriors due to their young core playing well offensively and their team physicality on the defensive side of the ball. Marcus Smart has done a great job guarding Steph Curry and producing twenty point outings to go along with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Robert Williams defensive effort has paid off for the Celtics with his rebounding and hustle he has brought energy on the floor and become an anchor for the team.
With teams looking for paint protection and rebounding more than ever, it is still true that defense wins championships. Effort on defense leads to rebounds, and with the edge on the boards teams are able to outscore their opponents by scoring in transition and preventing second chance looks. Although rebounding is not a flashy skill it is still a valuable skill and crucial to any contending team's chance of winning.
