FA: JaVale McGee 3yrs/$17.2M to DAL | will indeed start at center

[dirkfansince1998]

Is there a stat that rates his perimeter defense? I don't think McGee is a Vucevic level slow footed perimeter defender and my hope is that with Maxi/Wood in there as off ball rim protectors, taking McGee out to the perimeter isn't gonna be as detrimental as is being talked about. Adding less second chance points/opportunities to the opposition will be nice to see for once.

Difficult. Even tracking numbers are far from perfect because they only give us one scenario without the context. We know that Powell played in a switch-heavy defense that relied on his foot speed to switch onto wings/guards and make quick rotations. McGee played drop defense and stayed closer to the rim.
Best option would be a video breakdown that evaluates every single possession.

We have iso or spot up numbers. Also shot defense by distance. Powell is contesting more 3s. McGee more attempts in the paint.

McGee allowed 36.7% from 3 in the regular season (2.4 attempts). 46.4% in the playoffs (2.6 attempts)
Powell allowed 33.9% from 3 in the regular season (2.7 attempts). 35.7% in the playoffs (1.7 attempts)

With the reverse trend inside the paint. McGee performing a lot better inside 6ft. McGee in the low 50s. Powell in the low 60s. But we should at least mention that most of the mentioned metrics do not account for McGee´s insane foul rate (2nd highest in the league, 5.6 per 36 in the regular season, 7.3 in the playoffs).

And as you can see @"Kammrath" and I are giving a perfect example of selective selections of stats to push a narrative.

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These are the plays when a player is isolated one on one on the perimeter. So this is the perimeter D you are looking for @"ItsGoTime"

They do not offer a clear definition. Could also  include face ups. Who knows. Again be careful with the stats and narratives you trust. You are getting all of them through the @"Kammrath" or @"dirkfansince1998" filter. Using the same tools to paint different pictures.