DRtgDefensive Rating

Formula

Team DRtg = 100 × (opponent points / team possessions)

Example

A team allowing 80 points across 78 possessions: 100 × 80 / 78 = 102.6 — a solid defensive rating.

Why it matters

Defense doesn’t show up in counting stats nearly as well as offense does. DRtg is the most reliable way to see whether a team’s defense is genuinely good or just slow.

In depth

DRtg is the defensive twin of ORtg. Lower is better. The gap between a team’s ORtg and DRtg (net rating) is the cleanest single-number summary of team strength.