This is our last newsletter of February, as MARCH looms and we get ready to crank things up for the NCAA Tournament.
With one week of regular season action remaining, today’s edition dives deeper on the offensive acumen of four title contenders.
First, a new video on the resurgent Arizona Wildcats under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Then, we take a look at the nation’s top three offenses according to kenpom offensive efficiency ratings: Purdue, Gonzaga and Kentucky.
NEW video on the Arizona offense
Earlier this week, we published a new video on the Hoop Vision YouTube channel about Arizona’s offensive style.
In Tommy Lloyd’s first season, the Wildcats are “fast and tall” — ranking third in average possession length and second in average height according to kenpom.
The 13-minute voiceover video looks at the stats and the X’s and O’s behind Lloyd’s scheme.
Topics included in the video:
Arizona’s size and speed, and how they compare to other teams from the past decade of college basketball
Transition offense and the Arizona big men running the court
Half court “flow” offense and Arizona’s ball screen attack
Arizona’s two favorite set plays: Zoom rip and UCLA flex
A chart of Arizona’s ball screen duck-ins
[Purdue] Trevion’s turn
Switching gears, we head from Arizona to Indiana and take a look at the prolific Purdue offense.
Over the next couple weeks, we are going to hear a lot about Purdue’s defense — especially as it relates to past NCAA Tournament success (or lack thereof).
Frankly, I would argue those concerns are valid. Purdue has allowed 1.06 points per possession in Big Ten play. That places them 11th in the league, ahead of only Maryland, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
But — to be honest — I’ve been finding it hard to really care; the Boilermakers are just that fun to watch offensively.
Between Jaden Ivey’s athleticism, Zach Edey’s size, and Trevion Williams’ skill, Purdue has three players who each do things that nobody else in the country can do.
Recently, Jaden Ivey has been leading the way. Matt Painter has chosen to involve him in more ball screen action as the season has progressed. But Edey and Williams still have their “wow” moments. Against Rutgers on Sunday, It was Williams’ turn to show off and unleash the type of plays you simply don’t see from players at his position.
First, Williams showed off his handle in the mid-post. I’ve tweeted about his jab crossover in the past, this time he went to to a different move.
They’re not many guys playing the five going thru the legs and then behind the back after facing up in the post.
Later in the first half, Williams had another move from the same spot on the court that also stood out.
Williams loves to turn over the right shoulder and still use his right hand to shoot. On the play above, he drop his hands so quickly after the follow thru — reminiscent of Carmelo Anthony — it almost looks like he decided to pass at the last second.
For the cherry on top, he capped it off in the final minute of the game with a slick behind the back pass to Ivey that sealed a win for the Boilermakers.
[Gonzaga] The Casual 4-5 Ball Screen
Don’t look now, but Gonzaga is actually scoring more efficiently in WCC play this season than last year’s team which started 31-0. The Zags are scoring 1.23 points per play in conference. Last year’s squad averaged a measly 1.21.
Much of that is thanks to the emergence of Chet Holmgren. The freshman big man struggled at times during the non-conference schedule, but has been dominant in the WCC. Thursday against San Francisco — currently the #22 ranked defense in the country — Holmgren put up 21 points and 15 rebounds on just 12 shots.
Holmgren’s improved play has given Mark Few a significant amount of offensive versatility: There were times in the Zags’ early games where they occasionally became overly dependent on Drew Timme to create.
It also lets Few casually bust out plays like the one seen below. Gonzaga starts with a weave on the perimeter, and then Timme and Holmgren flash to the elbows.
On the elbow catch, Holmgren sets a 4-5 ball screen for Timme.
It’s quite a luxury for Few to be able to run ball screens exclusively through his big men.
I only found one other instance of the Zags scoring off of this play prior to Thursday night; it was called at the start of their game at San Diego.
In that instance, Timme kept the ball off of the screen for a fadeaway jumper.
[Kentucky] Floaters in traffic
John Calipari has one of his best offensive teams since coming to Kentucky. The Wildcats are currently ranked third in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency.
But — as is typical for a Calipari squad — Kentucky is doing it without the three-point line. Only 28% of the Wildcats’ shot attempts are from behind the arc, which ranks 346th in the country.
How does Kentucky overcome the lack of shooting and spacing?
The easy answer here is offensive rebounding, and Oscar Tshiebwe is particularly strong in that department. As a team, Kentucky is second in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, and Tshiebwe is the catalyst.
Another more nuanced answer, however, is that the Wildcats guards are good at playing in traffic.
Back in December, I looked at the statistics behind the floater. This was one of my biggest takeaways:
Floaters can often be the result of the offense not getting what they actually wanted in the first place. A Jordan Ford or Trae Young type of player might come off of a ball screen seeking a floater. But often times a floater is more of a measure of last resort. The roller wasn’t open, the shake three was covered, so now the offense is left with a tough floater in the paint.
When playing with an open paint, I think that statement is especially true. However, playing with a crowded paint or dunker spot — like Kentucky often does — the floater becomes a far more useful tool.
Thankfully for Kentucky, their guards have been efficient in those situations. TyTy Washington is one of the best floater finishers in the country this season.
Best floater finishers via Synergy (minimum of 30 attempts)
Jalen Graham, Arizona State — 71% on floaters
Tommy Kuhse, Saint Mary’s — 62% on floaters
Garrett Sturtz, Drake — 62% on floaters
TyTy Washington, Kentucky — 57% on floaters
Mike Okauru, UNC-Wilmington — 57% on floaters
With Washington (and Sahvir Wheeler) out on Wednesday, Kellan Grady assumed much of the ball handling responsibilities. Grady — like Washington — is skilled at using the floater when in crowded situations.
Here’s an example of soft touch against LSU.
On the season, Grady is exactly 50% on floater attempts.
By having guards that are comfortable playing in crowds, Kentucky is able to score efficiently while not sacrificing what they do best: pound the glass.
Links from around the internet
How The NBA Uses Its Data On Referees (FiveThirtyEight)
The Liga ACB player that shoots off of one foot
Matt Painter gave an interesting explanation to why he doesn’t use zone defense
Jayson Tatum (on behalf of Chris Paul) explaining the “3-for-2”
Driving baseline did not go too well for Oklahoma against Texas Tech
Fake the first dribble handoff, use the second