December | 2011 | NBA Playbook

Mario Chalmers makes it easy for the Heat

For those that don’t know, I’m originally from Kansas in a small town called Parsons. Home to Detroit Lions back-up QB Shaun Hill, my favorite college basketball coach Bill Guthridge, and actress ZaSu Pitts.  Now, I know what you’re thinking, who in the hell is ZaSu Pitts and is she also in that new movie New Year’s Eve with the rest of Hollywood?  Who is ZaSu you ask?  This is who .

She was a good actress that added value to the movies she was in. She brought her strength, comedy, to every one. She knew her role and played it well. Not many remember her name they way they do other stars of her era and let’s face it, they really shouldn’t.

So why am I brining up ZaSu Pitts in a post about basketball? For two reasons; first because Mario Chalmers is the ZaSu Pitts of the Miami Heat and second, well, because I can. Just like Pitts, Chalmers will never be confused with someone who wins a “Best Actor/Actress” award, but can certainly play a role in a great cinematic adventure and play it well. Chalmers as a player is like Pitts as an actress, he brings exactly what the Heat need from him; defense. On a team stacked with headlining talent in the form of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Chalmers’ defense on-ball and ability to help Miami transition quickly from a defense stop to an offensive attack leads to even more easy points for a team that already has a leg up in the scoring department.

Last season, Chalmers finished in the top 40 in steals among guards. Much of this can be attributed to great hand-eye coordination and a desire to attack lazy passes with unmatched vigor. He seems to get his hands on passes he shouldn’t, resulting in an abundance of deflected passes, something he may well be leading the league in this season. Take a look at his at the video below to see Mario show off his ball-hawking skills.

What’s similar about all three clips above is that as soon as the ball is deflected or turned over, it’s immediately pushed up court, something that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has preached more than ever this season. According to Synergy, the Heat were No. 1 in transition offense in 2010-2011 with a PPP of 1.002. That number can certainly be attributed to having two of the best players in the league on the team (but some credit should be given to Chalmers for his role in pushing the pace looking to get the ball in the hands of Wade or James). Transition offense all starts on the defensive end of the floor, so it is imperative that Heat defenders play aggressive, harrassing defense on and off the ball. Chalmers isolation defense last year was near the top third according to Synergy last season, a rank that while not great, definitely helps Miami accomplish their goals. Here is a look at Chalmers’ aggressive on-ball defense leading to a run-out on the other end:

In the above clip, Chalmers plays excellent on-ball defense. He fights over the screen, pushing Kidd to the baseline and allowing the defense to rotate into position. Chalmers stays body-to-body with Kidd as he goes towards the wing/baseline and keeps his hands low, knowing the pass will be entered into the low post. One thing that Chalmers does well is mirror the ball. By keeping his hands active and shadowing the ball, Super Mario makes it tough any passer, or in this particular case, the venerable Jason Kidd, who is forced into a turnover. Chalmers makes things even harder on Dallas by pushing the ball ahead to a sprinting James without hesitation.

That quick push is something that gives Heat opponents nightmares. Anytime Wade and James are off the ball, they are always ready to break out quickly after any turnover. Watch how fast those two transition from defense to offense after Chalmers relieves the Spurs Tony Parker of the ball.

Let’s face it, the Heat have shown that this type off offense is terrifyingly spectactular. Awesome dunks aside, this is truly a team effort, with Chalmers sometimes leading the way. According to Hoopdata, Miami finished in the top 5 last year in Defensive Efficiency (100.7). This number is a reflection of a team defensive effort, a primary reason the Heat made the Finals last year. With the emergence of Norris Cole, Chalmers defensive impact might be mitigated but if Mario can build on what he’s shown thus far, his supporting role in the Heat’s feature film will be secure for years to come.

31
Dec 2011
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Ricky Rubio first impressions

One of the major story lines during the first week of the NBA season has been the arrival (and play) of Spanish sensation, Ricky Rubio.

Rubio landed in Minnesota with great expectations. He has long been in the NBA spotlight (we started profiling him at DraftExpress when he was 14 years old), and his strengths and weaknesses largely remain the same as when he was drafted 5th overall two years ago.  Nothing that we’ve witnessed over his first three games (including one preseason) has given us any sort of new revelation on his game, but it has now been displayed to a much larger audience with and against NBA players.

I’m going to take a look at two areas of Rubio’s game that can help the Timberwolves right away; transition and pick and rolls. That isn’t to suggest that Rubio is a complete player in these areas. After all, one can’t expect a 21 year old point guard playing his first games in the NBA to be without flaws. However, it is clear Rubio’s exceptional court vision in transition and in pick and roll sets are going to be positive additions to the Timberwolves team.

Here is a quick look at Rubio in transition. In the photo, we see Derrick Williams streaking down the lane with Wesley Johnson flanking him. Oklahoma City’s Eric Maynor is in position to stop the ball while another defender, Daequan Cook runs with Anthony Tolliver. This leaves Thunder beard aficionado James Harden to have to defend both Williams and Johnson.

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30
Dec 2011
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Throwback Thursday – Gerald Henderson

Don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t going to be a regular post theme. I’ve had some requests to do a little something on Gerald Henderson, and he had an old-school-type scoring night. Very rarely in today’s NBA will you see a player score 21 points on 19 shots and come away feeling like you witnessed a special scoring performance.

But that’s what happened when the Heat visited the Charlotte Bobcats (and came away with a hotly contested 1-point win) — Gerald Henderson hit shots consistently and in the way that few today go about doing it. There aren’t many shooting guards in the NBA today that can’t consistently hit a 3-pointer nor be counted on as a high-usage slasher, but are still starting and functioning fairly effectively.

But much of Gerald Henderson’s game is built a lot like what we today are more used to seeing from a solid role-player power forward (not unlike a Udonis Haslem-type). Henderson fills empty mid-range space on the weakside, works in a few well-timed off-ball rim runs, and the occasional slash to the rim off the dribble. Last season, this all added up an effective field goal percentage 3.7-percent below the league average among shooting guards. (qualifications — 40+ games played, 20+ minutes played per game, via HoopData.com). In terms of getting to the foul line, Henderson manages a solid rate in terms of his number of touches, but it still isn’t enough to lift his scoring efficiency into the top tiers of shooting guard rankings.

But with all the efficiency talk aside, Henderson is an interesting watch. Only 7 guys in the whole NBA derived more offense off of off-ball screens. But (outside of Ray Allen), Henderson derives a lower percentage of his offense than all of them from spot-ups. In other words, we have, essentially, a pure mid-range shooter/garbageman in Gerald Henderson.

And most of the damage Henderson did against the Heat was indeed as more of a garbageman, or a space-filler. This worked especially well for him in transition (where Synergy shows us he excelled last season, ranking in the top 20th percentile among all players).

(Henderson is #15 for the Bobcats. He’ll be the one doing the shooting in pretty much all of the clips)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57HBD9Et9ZE&w=560&h=315]

Henderson had 4 transition plays, and you saw all the shot attempts. Main skill in transition isn’t exactly what you’d think for an athletic wing — rather, he just fills in empty space and waits to hit an easy rhythm jumper.

He does a similar act when not involved in any screen action/his teammates are running an isolation-type play that will likely result in penetration in to the lane.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7h6ZWWbsdU&w=560&h=315]

I don’t have video of Henderson’s only 3 on the night, but the make came in a very similar fashion to the clips you just saw. All of the initial action running to the strong side, then a quick swing to an open Henderson, who (tonight at least) hit despite some late shot-contesting from the defense.

Something different from last season’s trends with Henderson so far this season has been the relative lack of screen plays run for him. Synergy only tracked two for him in the Heat game, the first of which you’ll see is a pretty simple pindown from Boris Diaw that frees up Henderson for an easy baseline J. The second part of the clip features a basic curl action with Diaw again screening.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZXEr4V-WdY&w=560&h=315]

Our last two sets of clips are off-dribble and cut-action examples from tonight. In the first set, you’ll notice at least one designed play that had Henderson (at the bottom of the screen) rubbing off a DJ Augustin screen and receiving a quick pass while Augustin makes a cut out toward the left wing in case the quick pass/layup for Henderson isn’t there. In both the off-dribble and cut videos, Henderson’s relatively average finishing ability is on display. Synergy Sports Technology listed his points per possession off of cuts last season as average-to-mediocre, his main problem being fairly obvious — an average-to -mediocre finishing ability and an average-to-mediocre ability to draw fouls.  In isolation, however, Henderson was top-25 (minimum of 40 plays) in both overall proportion of possessions scored on and on free throws per possession. I’m not exactly sure where the disconnect between finishing on cuts and in isolation is happening, other than cuts totally excluding his mid-range ability that benefits him in isolation.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mhNe3ac7Rk&w=560&h=315]

Off the dribble, Henderson (so far in his career, at least) is pretty fond of the mid-range pull-up or jabstep-jumper combo, despite the ability he shows in these clips to pick his spots and get to the basket in regards to his drives.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTZDLR1bVU&w=560&h=315]

This is probably the last time you’ll see me (and possibly anyone) on the site spend a good chunk of words covering the offensive game of a player who, statistically speaking, is an average shooting guard in the NBA. But there’s a certain uniqueness in a guard who fills free baseline territory like a utility power forward, but actually derives the majority of his offense from a mid-range off-screen game. Add in the uncommon ability to  be selective and generally pick good spots in isolation, and you have Gerald Henderson.

29
Dec 2011
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The New Laker Offense

Want to see the changes Mike Brown has brought to Hollywood? Check out the video below and find out.

28
Dec 2011
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Memphis’ Offensive Solution?

At first glance, the Grizzlies 82 point, 24 turnover effort against the Spurs last night doesn’t seem like a demonstration for offensive competency. However, in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies had a three minute stretch where they may have stumbled upon a possible solution for stagnant offensive schemes. Their answer came in the form of a small-ball lineup featuring a now-healthy Rudy Gay as their stretch four. Today we’ll take a play by play look at how this lineup fared and examine the possibilities going forward.

The first possession with the small-ball lineup results in an illegal defense call on the Spurs Tim Duncan (that led to a made free throw from Gay). While that call isn’t sexy and can be made versus any offensive units, this one is a product of the perimeter-orientated Memphis lineup.

Richard Jefferson’s overaggressive hedge on Grizzlies guard Mike Conley ballscreen drive forces Duncan into a help defense position close to Rudy’s pop near the pinch post. By getting caught loitering in the paint too far away from his man, Dante Cunningham, for three seconds, Duncan gives Memphis a chance at an easy point from the line. Here’s the action leading to the call:

Following the whistle, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins makes the wise choice to go right back to the same action (which happens less than you’d think). Conley does an excellent job of stretching the defense on the hedge off the ballscreen and forces a long closeout to Gay, who pops behind the arc after setting the screen and calmly drains a three off Conley’s kickout. One possession, four points. Not too shabby. Here’s the play:

The next possession down, Gay ballscreens for Conley, this time in the middle of the floor. Conley again does a good job of stretching out the hedge defender allowing Gay to have an uncontested catch. Gay does his part by catching and quickly driving to engage Quincy Pondexter’s defender (Matt Bonner). Pondexter misses the three off Rudy’s kickout, but it is a great look:

The following trip down, Conley and Gay again play a two-man game on the wing. Conley’s speedy attack toward the baseline forces his defender (TJ Ford) to switch onto Gay. Rudy sets up near a good operating area (the pinch post) and Conley wisely feeds him the ball and spaces away. Ford, having to smother the much taller Gay in order to contest a shot, opens himself up to a blow-by and the result is a vicious dunk from Rudy:

The next offensive possession starts the same way, but this time the Spurs choose to hedge and recover quickly to Gay. Gay misses an opportunity to roll to the basket or even dive to more prime real estate (like the left block). In the end, his pinch post attack results in a nice freeze-fake, hook finish in the paint, (a shot Rudy has used and drilled frequently). Despite not making an optimal read initially, Rudy still creates good offense. Here’s the clip:

For those keeping score at home, the Grizzlies now have six points (all from Rudy) in four possessions since they went small with Gay at the four. Those offensive possessions obviously don’t include the two trips that resulted in no points, but produced good looks and, perhaps most importantly, no turnovers.

The next time down, Rudy and Mike move their screening action back to the middle of the floor. The play gets to be a little helter-skelter but results in a Randolph tip in. While Gay isn’t directly involved in the action, his presence allows the opportunity.

Watch closely during the next video as Conley’s jumper goes up. Tony Parker, due to Duncan’s contest of Conley’s shot, is left trying to block out Zach Randolph. James Anderson notices this situation and moves to double-team Randolph in order to keep him off the glass. Anderson is forced to make this rotation because Rudy smartly fills behind Randolph’s roll to the rim, pulling his defender (Jefferson) with him. Because Anderson slides across the rim to box out, Quincy Pondexter has room on the weakside to sneak in and tap the rebound toward Randolph, who he lays it back in for the basket:

The final possession before the Grizzlies go back to their traditional lineup involves yet another middle pick and roll. Because of a quick transition from defense to offense, Duncan is left guarding Gay. As Rudy screens for Conley, Duncan shows quickly. It is here that Rudy shows that this floor combination still has a few kinks to work out.

Instead of popping toward the left wing, Gay tries to cut down toward the block. This is probably a sub-optimal read given that Rudy’s main advantage over Duncan, quickness, doesn’t have nearly the same effect 12 feet from the basket as it does from 25. Conley swings the ball to Sam Young on the right wing as Rudy maneuvers to isolate against Duncan near the block. Young, not knowing for great decision-making, jacks a long two instead of patiently waiting for Rudy to free himself to operate. Here’s the play:

All in all, that fourth quarter stretch produced eight points in six possessions (1.3 average). Doesn’t seem like much until you factor in that if the Grizzlies averaged that for their (roughly) 97 possessions last night, they would have hung 126 points on San Antonio. Obviously, that is a ridiculously small sample size, but there’s no denying the Memphis playing small with Rudy Gay at the four has some serious upside. If the Grizzlies can add a potent offensive attack to their turnover-producing defense, they could find themselves in the top half of the Western Conference very quickly.

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27
Dec 2011
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Andray Blatche Wants More Touches in the Paint

(update: looks like Andray might actually just be a bit of a trouble-maker. Surprise!)

…but should he want those? And should the team give him those touches?

After Blatche’s Washington Wizards blew a big lead and fell to the New Jersey Nets, Blatche had some venting to do.

“You can’t keep having me pick and pop and shooting jumpshots. Gimme the ball in the paint. That’s where I’m most effective at. I’ve been saying that since training camp. I need the ball in the paint. I don’t want to be the pick-and-pop guy I used to be because it’s not working for me.”

After making those comments (via The Washington Post), Blatche took to Twitter to more or less reiterate his issue.

 

 

According to Synergy Sports Technology, Dray might have a point. Last season in the half-court, he ranked in the 13th percentile of NBA players in jump shots; he ranked in the 20th percentile in post-ups. Then again, if we look at overall possessions, he was far better spotting up than going into the post. On pick-and-roll opportunities as the big, he wasn’t very good either. At this point as I research his game, I’m thinking maybe Andray just isn’t a very good offensive player, guys.

But wait! If you go back another season, the numbers do show us that Blatche is far better in the post than in spot-up/jump shot situations. If you go back a season further, we see essentially the same thing. Don’t get me wrong, Blatche is not a good offensive player even when we only isolate his strengths. But he at least has a point in regards to being more effective around the basket.

So, now let’s look at the game tape. I focused in on moments where Blatche seemed to be available to receive the ball in the post, and especially when Blatche seemed upset about not getting a touch. I planned on doing this for all 4 quarters, but after watching the full 12 minutes of the 1st and focusing only on Dray (at 1AM), I felt 1 quarter was enough.

(Blatche is #7 in the video, big guy with the headband. You’ll figure it out)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynu4Ady8H-o&w=420&h=315]

 

The main thing you’ll notice in this video is that Blatche does a lot of floating out on the perimeter. He didn’t dive into the lane on a single screen, and spent a lot of time hanging around the perimeter when he wasn’t involved, and…wait a minute. The rare times when Blatche did work his way towards the paint, the team did find success. And even when they didn’t find success, we can see that they did a solid job of getting the ball into Blatche’s hands when he was in the paint (he had a miss in the post and another on an off-ball cut to go with the makes).

But I’m not here to mock Blatche. He may indeed have a point. If the amount of floating and spacing he’s doing off the ball and as the roll man in the pick-and-roll is by design, then his actual complaint is actually aimed not towards his teammates, but towards the coaching staff. And so his claim that he had a bad game because he wasn’t being utilized properly is taken at face value, you could say he’s mostly right. Blatche will usually have better games if he’s being used around the basket.

The issue of his own activity and seeming propensity to float is another issue, as is the fact that it’s tough to justify putting Blatche in the post very often when the team doesn’t exactly have great floor spacers. Also, I’m not too sure the team is going to abandon using John Wall (the team’s franchise player, I think you’ve heard of him) as a key ball-handler/in space/using a pick in favor of getting Andray Blatche more touches in the post.

It might be tough sailing for Andray Blatche if he holds on to those post-touch hopes.

 

 

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Dec 2011
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Carmelo Anthony and the Pick & Roll

Coming into this season, Mike D’Antoni needed a playmaker to round out a roster filled with ball stoppers, shooters and score-first players. The Carmelo Anthony “Point Forward” role was an experiment born out of necessity. On paper, it seems odd to pair a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer with the task of running a team.

However, by putting Carmelo in pick and roll situations early in the shot clock, D’Antoni may have triggered Anthony’s inner playmaker and pushed the Knicks closer to being serious championship contenders. In the Boston game, Anthony’s decision-making out of the pick and roll was exemplary. He made ruthlessly efficient pass-shoot decisions and showed why nuanced ballscreen play from a 6’8” ballhandler can be a nightmare for opposing defense schemes.

“Nuanced” is the key word there as from high school on up, wing players of Anthony’s caliber spend much more time in games and training in transition, off the ball and in isolation situations than in pick and rolls. This lack of repetitions is one of the reasons why, outside of the European-born Hedo Turkoglu, you don’t see advanced ballscreen play from wings around the league. When involved in a pick and roll as the ballhandler, most wings look solely for their own offense and ironically make finding it much harder. Defenses simply jam the paint and hope for a steady diet of contested mid-range twos.

What makes Turkoglu so good out of this action (outside of having Dwight Howard) is his ability to involve all five players out of a pick and roll (PNR), especially the roll guy. While not Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler has shown the ability to an explosive dive man in PNR situations. Early in the first quarter, Anthony showed off his ability to recognize passing windows for his screener as he rolls to the basket. Here is a clip of Melo hitting Chandler with a “pocket pass” that lead to a pair of FTs for his big man:

Anthony’s size also gives him a huge advantage versus shorter guards in PNR situations because he can simply see angles and makes passes that smaller players can’t. In the following clip, you’ll see such an example. Anthony runs a middle PNR with Chandler that involves a re-screen. Immediately when coming off the re-screen, Anthony notices Ray Allen caught off-guard, communicating to his weakside wing. Not only does his size allow him to see Allen’s defensive state but it also allows him to make the pass itself. Here is the clip in real time with a freeze frame at the point of delivery:

Here is another example of Anthony’s size creating a passing angle out of a PNR:

Now with those two clips both ending in makes, it is easy to see the immediate impact Anthony can make. However, makes and misses aren’t the only way to evaluate his effectiveness in PNRs. Watch closely in the following clip as the hard hedge on Anthony by Boston’s Chris Wilcox puts Boston’s help defense in vulnerable positions. Anthony’s excellent first pass out (over the top of the hedge) leads to a corner swing and a great middle penetration opening for Fields to attack. Take a look:

Perhaps as a result of involving his teammates in earlier PNRs, Anthony finds an opening later on to find his offense:

Now all this passing doesn’t mean Anthony has to become Steve Nash 2.0, but the closer he strikes a balance between pass and shot out of PNRs or in his overall offensive game, the more efficient the Knicks will become. If Tyson Chandler can raise the level of the Knicks play on the defensive end as advertised, Anthony improving an already potent offensive scheme by adding in some playmaker will make New York something they’ve longed for since the Ewing days: contenders.

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26
Dec 2011
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Is Richard Hamilton the missing piece to a title?

If you’re like me, you’ve been struggling to keep up with all the player movement in this crazy, truncated off-season. Everyday a new scroll appears on the ticker:”Tyson Chandler to the Knicks”, “David West to the Pacers”, “Chauncey Billups to the Clippers”, “Lakers decide not to give away key core member as they prepare for another Finals run.” (wait, what?!….sheesh, moving on!)  One of the least celebrated moves was Richard Hamilton reaching a buyout with Detroit and quickly inking another deal with division foe Chicago.  In Hamilton, the Bulls saw someone who could be the missing piece in their championship puzzle, perhaps a non-Derrick Rose option late in the shot-clock or late in games. I was certainly curious to see just what Rip would bring to the Bulls this season that would be an improvement over last year and what flaws the Bulls had that Hamilton could correct.

It’s probably generous to say Keith Bogans didn’t exactly set the world on fire last season, but he gave the Bulls a reliable two guard that started every game, defended his position and was assignment sure. But in the end, his production wasn’t enough and Chicago’s shooting-guard-by-committee approach saw their season end in the Eastern Conference Finals.  With an elite defense, the Bulls demise against Miami was attributed to a stunning lack of offense. According to Synergy Sports, the Bulls half-court offense went from 15th in the league during the regular season to the 14th (out of only 16) during the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Bulls half-court offense relied heavily on Derrick Rose trying to make a play with the shot-clock winding down.  Here’s a brief look at how that turned out during last season’s Eastern Conference Finals:

As you can see from these clips, a common theme throughout their run was Rose being forced to create something out of nothing far too often. In fact, during the playoffs, isolation and pick-in-roll offense accounted for over 25% of the Bulls total offense and just over 10% of those shots were taking with less than four seconds on the shot clock. The theory goes that during the playoffs, transition offense bogs down and takes a backseat to half-court basketball, leading teams like the Bulls to struggle without having an abundance of skilled players to run sets for.

Enter Rip.

According to Synergy, Bogans ran off-screens just 4% of his entire offense, an appropriate number given that he certainly didn’t carve out his NBA career by being a shooter coming off screens. Hamilton, on the other hand, had nearly 24% of his offense involve coming off them. Hamilton’s career long game of running opponents ragged off the ball will provide the Bulls with an option outside of standing around and seeing what Rose can conjure up out the ether.

That’s not all Rip can do either, when the defenses do converge on Rose, Hamilton can spread the floor and knock down a shot. Last year, Rip finished in the top 10% of players spotting up. While the offense still runs through Rose, when the defense does collapse, the Bulls now have another wing who can make them pay from the outside. Here is a look at Hamilton’s ability to move to open spots off dribble penetration:

In the above clip, you saw how naturally Rip slides in the line of sight of the driving Austin Daye to make his passing angle that much easier. On top of that, he also buries the jumper. This will be something that Rose can take advantage on his forays toward the rim. Well, assuming Rose is willing to improve upon an assist rate ranked 51st among point guards last season.

Finishing with the NBA’s best regular season record last year certainly clued in the rest of the league to how dangerous the Bulls are. Even though they took their lumps against Miami and had it eat at them for an extended off-season, it was a valuable experience for the youthful members of the team. In Richard Hamilton, the Bulls now have another veteran with a wealth of experience to help propel them to the next level in their championship quest.

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25
Dec 2011
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Glen Davis’ scoring opportunities playing with Dwight Howard

There are countless advantages to playing alongside a top-five talent in this league, but there’s an added bonus when said talent requires constant attention in the painted area. That’s what Glen Davis has now in Dwight Howard.

Davis steps into an offense littered with jump shooting specialists intent on spreading the floor open for Howard. With stretch-fours and capable wingmen, it’s no surprise that the team has led the NBA in attempts from downtown the last two seasons. Even though it’s a highly criticized philosophy, that’s the Magic way — 4 out-1 in, three-pointers or layups.

Davis doesn’t have three-point range but he has a reputation for being a solid jump shooter because he made one on a big stage one time and attempted 355 shots from 16 – 23 feet last year, 7th most among all power forwards, despite only shooting 35% from that distance. Playing with Howard will only continue to provide him with those opportunities, but will it be the best option available? It was against the Heat.

The Magic repeatedly ran the same double-screen set during their third-quarter comeback against the Heat on Wednesday with Howard and Davis setting screens and Jameer Nelson attacking based on his read.

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24
Dec 2011
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Evan Turner’s reworked jump shot

Evan Turner’s rookie season was a tough one and his role change offensively played a part in that.  The 2010 National Player of the Year as a junior for Ohio State, Turner went from a ball dominant point guard being used primarily in pick and roll sets for the Buckeyes to a largely spot-up role player for the Philadelphia 76ers, a role that put even more of an emphasis on his set shot.

The results were not pretty.  Turner had a tough time extending his range out to NBA three point territory, making only 14 three pointers in 78 games.  As a whole, his 0.8 points per possession on jump shot attempts were in the bottom third of the league, and he shot only 40.2% on no dribble jump shots, limiting his usefulness as a spot-up player.  Turner struggled to find a comfort zone on the offensive end last year, which caused both his confidence — and his minutes — to fall.

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