The Washington Wizards are currently last in the league in offensive rating and by quite a wide margin. Their 90.8 offensive rating is nearly 5 points per 100 possessions worse than the Charlotte Bobcats, the next closest team. If that number were to hold up, it would be the lowest offensive rating in league history (the stat began being record in 1973-1974 season).
Due to the rust that the lockout has caused league-wide, the Wizards should improve slightly as the season goes on. However, in a season that has 7 teams on pace to qualify for the worst 100 offensive season in league history, the Wizards have been playing epically bad basketball.
Whenever a team is this bad on the offensive end, it usually a combination of a lack of talent and poor execution. The Wizards, with a roster full of low basketball IQ players, are no exception. It’s to the point where it’s tough to accurately scout the one player Washington fans should be optimistic about, John Wall. Wall’s progress as a prospect has stalled and it looks as though his teammates may be part of the problem with his development.
While one could fill a 1,500 word post with examples of poor execution, selfish play or bad shot selection from the Wizards this season, we’ll just take a look at a few possessions where Washington starts out in a great position and ends up with a failed result.
Update: Just realized that the Magic didn’t have any timeouts left…the effect on the defense is still the same (in that they don’t have time to set up what they are doing), so I left the clip in there.
Much like two for one situations, whether or not to call a timeout late when trailing by one is a “feel” decision. Coaches usually end up taking a timeout to set up their offense and make sure everyone is on the same page when trying to tie the game or take the lead. On the other hand, while you are setting up your offense, the opponent can set up their defense.
So as a head coach, you are put in a really tough position. Last night we saw on three separate occasions where coaches decided not to call a timeout, and in all three instances, the offense got a bucket:
After Vince Carter missed 2 foul shots to keep the game at three points, the Magic needed a stop to have a chance at tying the game. There was 6 second difference from the shot clock and the game clock, so there was no need to foul, and the Magic didn’t. They just played solid defense and got the shot they wanted, a Kevin Garnett jumper one step inside the three point line. This is where Redick makes his mistake:
Before we get to criticizing J.J. Redick, we do have to give him credit for crashing the boards as soon as KG releases the basketball on his attempt. With Boston worried about the fast break, they only send two guys in for the rebound, and they are effectively boxed out. Redick is uncontested as he attacks the rebound.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Jersey Nets erased a 21 point 1st half lead and actually had the game pretty close towards the end of the third quarter. The Nets ended up losing the game in part because of two mistakes I see NBA teams make a lot. The first is not using the foul to give, or using it way too early. The the is going for the steal in a situation where you need to foul. Now these might seem like small mistakes that just happen, but if you make them in critical situations, then they can cost you the game. Let’s use the Nets’ game as an example:
Now, the video starts when Devin Harris takes the foul to give with 6.9 seconds left in the third quarter. This is after he hit a jumper to cut the Grizzlies lead down to two points (After they were down 16 to start the half). The Grizzlies re-enter the ball, and end up scoring as time runs out. Yes, the foul is early, but the biggest problem here is where the foul takes place, right around half court. Mike Conley isn’t a threat out there, so if Devin Harris was to allow him to dribble it down to the three point line or deeper in, it could have taken another 2 to 3 seconds off the clock. The mistake ended up giving the Grizzlies a two point lead and taking away all the momentum from New Jersey. Memphis also scored the first basket of the fourth quarter, so you had a 2 point game quickly jump back up to a 6 point game because of the foul.
Last night the Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Bobcats were locked in a tight game. The Timberwolves were up 1 with under 10 seconds left, and they were able to get the shot they want (a Boris Diaw 21 footer), however the rebound bounces off two Timberwolves and heads out of bounds. This is where Cory Brewer does something you are taught not to do in high school:
He save the ball under his own basket. Now, you can’t knock the hustle that Corey Brewer shows here, but there are other options he has. Instead of throwing it blindly underneath his own he could throw it away from the basket, into the corner (where there was a teammate). With around 5 seconds left, he can also just heave it as far as he can down the court and hope that time runs out (I understand this might have been difficult to do based on his body position).
His final option is eating the basketball and taking it out of bounds with him. Now that doesn’t sound like a smart idea, but think about it, would you rather set up your defense to try to get another stop or would you rather keep the ball in bounds as two of your teammates are falling out of bounds? By eating the basketball and going out of bounds with it, he is putting his team in a better position to win.
Now, here is another example. This is from the Nets-Celtics game last week:
The ball gets saved by Devin Harris as he is going out of bounds. By saving the ball on his own end like that, he is basically taking himself out of the play, and the Celtics are able to use this to get a wide open back-breaking jump shot..
