Quite a bit has been commented lately about the superb play of Martell Webster. I’ve been impressed with his defence from the get-go this season — he really has been a spark defensively in numerous situations, particularly as a help defender with his startling ability to block shots as a swingman. Lately the emphasis has been on his man-to-man defence, as he bothered Kobe Bryant (as much as Kobe would argue otherwise) and then was tasked with the impossible freight-train that is LeBron James.
Webster has always been one of my most revered Blazers, not only for his on-court play (his stroke is a thing of beauty), but also for his fine sportsmanship and demeanour off the court. From that perspective, I tend to keep an eye on his statistics quite closely. And I’ve noticed a trend in the past seven games in particular.
Martell Webster is the King of plus/minus of late. For those that are catching up to speed with the more advanced statistics that have been taking the NBA by storm in the past couple of years, plus/minus is perhaps the most “basic” of the “advanced” statistics. It simply measures the net of points scored by and against your team whilst you are on the court. So for example, a -2 means that your opponent has scored two more points than your team whilst you were on the court in that particular game.
During the past seven games, Martell Webster has been making a very positive impact in this area. Let me break it down for you:
- Amongst Blazers starters, Webster has led the team in +/- in 5 of the last 7 games (he was second in those two that he missed).
- Amongst all Blazers players who have played 30 minutes or more, he has led the team in +/- in 6 of the last 7 games (the game where he was second (+18) was oddly to a +20 from Jerryd Bayless on a 6 point (2/11 FG), 2 assist, 3 turnover night).
Those are some pretty impressive numbers from a guy who is playing major minutes (over 39mpg during that stretch) and getting major defensive assignments. Let’s not forget that he is expected to knock down big jump shots at the other end of the court, despite expending that defensive energy at the other end too.
Sure, +/- is a statistic that many will claim does not tell the entire story (hello Kevin Durant), but it can not be argued that a lot has to be said for a guy playing that many minutes and seeing that type of statistical impact when compared to the likes of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Miller. I think I can safely say that Webster has hit his straps as a Blazer and is providing exactly the type of nightly performance that the team needs him to do for them to be a great team: hit outside shots, take on the big defensive assignments and hopefully as time goes on, continue to improve his in-between game on offence.
