Midseason Review: CSKA Tops On Offense And Defense; Oktyabr Leads In Tempo

With a few exceptions, most teams in the league have played at least 15 games, making this the perfect time for our midseason review. VTB-League.com breaks down the stats for all 16 teams, crunching numbers on offense, defense and tempo.

Tempo
We determine each team's tempo rating by dividing the total number of possessions by games played. Teams with more possessions play at a higher tempo.

Fastest tempo: Krasny Oktyabr

Ever since entering the league, Volgograd has been known to push the pace. Nothing changed this season. Even a major overhaul of the roster couldn't affect Oktyabr's tempo. Last week, for instance, the team secured a big win vs. Enisey thanks to its terrific transition game.

It is surprising to see Avtodor so far down the rankings. Last year, Saratov finished 1st in tempo by a wide margin, but with Brad Greenberg in charge, the team took a different approach to start the 2015-16 campaign. However, he has since been replaced and Avtodor is back to playing at a high tempo, though the team remains just outside the top-5.

Slowest tempo: Bisons

Bisons bring up the rear in tempo, despite playing without a true center. Two other northern teams are next to Bisons in the rankings: Kalev and VEF also play at a slower pace, despite having the personnel to go faster. As for UNICS and Lokomotiv-Kuban, deliberate, methodical offense is a conscious choice. Both teams take a defense-first approach to the game and enjoy slowing the tempo.

Offense
The best way to measure offense is to divide the total number of points by possession. The numbers in our table are based on 100 possessions. The higher the number, the more prolific the offense.

Top offense: CSKA

No surprise here. The Army Men boast the Euroleague's top offense and have only lost once in the VTB United League this season. Teams simply don't know to shut CSKA down. It's also no shock to see Khimki and UNICS in the top-3. Zenit, meanwhile, sits 4th. After losing Kyle Landry, St. Petersburg's production has dipped, but the potential addition of Kaspars Berzins should help Zenit recover lost ground. Avtodor rounds out the top-5. Saratov has been on fire in recent games and could rise further in the rankings.

Worst offense: Vita

Only one team is averaging less than one point per possession: Vita. Bisons and Kalev have also struggled to put the ball in the basket, while Enisey ranks 13th. The rest of the league is very tightly bunched, with only 4.3 points per possession separating 6th-place Nizhny Novgorod and 12th-place Nymburk.

Defense
We calculate defensive efficiency by dividing the total number of points allowed by the number of possessions. The stat is also based on 100 possessions. The lower the number, the better.

Top defense: CSKA

CSKA's 1st-place ranking is a bit of a surprise. But the Army Men have been locked in defensively since the beginning of December and recently opened up a significant lead on 2nd-place Lokomotiv-Kuban (3.5 points). Kuban may not be the productive team on offense, but the defense has been excellent since the start of the season. UNICS and Khimki sit further back in 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Avtodor is easily the biggest surprise, rounding out the top-5, only 0.2 points per possession behind Khimki. Last season, Saratov earned a reputation for blistering offense. Now they are beginning to add defense, which doesn't bode well for Volgograd's opponents. Could Saratov improve on last year's quarterfinal appearance?

Worst defense: Vita

There's one more surprise at the bottom of the table. While Vita, Kalev, Astana and VEF bring up the rear, Nizhny Novgorod is 12th, trailing teams like Enisey, Bisons and Oktyabr. Ainars Bagatskis's men are currently in 8th place in the standings, but if the defense doesn't improve, the club risks losing its playoff spot.

Recap
There's more to the game than statistics, but after 121 games, these rankings do allow some measure of objectivity. The league's top teams have entrenched themselves at the top, while the cellar-dwellers sit near the bottom of each ranking.