For the past two offseasons, we have been looking at players coming to the NBA after playing at least as season overseas. With the lockout, we are going to have plenty of time on our hands.  With that being said, I plan on doing scouting reports for each of the 30 first round picks from this past draft.

Past Editions: Kyrie Irving (#1) | Derrick Williams (#2) | Tristan Thompson (#4) | Jonas Valanciunas (#5) | Jan Vesely (#6)| Bismack Biyombo (#7)

Out of all the draft prospects who were projected to go in the early lottery, Brandon Knight was definitely the most interesting.  That’s because he had widest range of projections.  There were rumblings that he could go second or third, but if he got passed up there, who knows where he could fall.  Eventually, he fell to Detroit, who had the 8th pick in the draft.

Strengths

Getting In The Lane/Finishing

Despite not being a crazy athletic ball handler like a Derrick Rose or John Wall, Knight simply has a knack to get into the lane with relative ease.  He has a quick first step and and uses hesitation/misdirection moves very well, allowing him to get his defender on his hip and get by him on his way to the paint.  Off of the catch, Knight loves using the jab step and it is easy to see why, he does a great job of using it to catch his defender leaning one way or the other and then takes advantage, going by him with the dribble:

Again, unlike a Derrick Rose or a John Wall, Knight isn’t going to explode to the rim and finish with powerful dunks.  He’s simply not that type of athlete.  However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t able to score once he gets into the paint.  According to Synergy, on shots around the basket Knight shoots 62.4%.  Knight has a great touch and he loves to use that touch when shooting a variety of floaters over bigger help defenders:

Read more…

After a bucket by the Washington Wizards with about 40 seconds left, the Detroit Pistons found themselves in a situation where they were looking to take a lead with the game tied.  However, after a drive and kick jumper, they went from being tied to being down 2 points in four seconds flat, thanks to a John Wall fast break dunk.  Wall was able to get out on the break due to a poor decision by Austin Daye.

We pick up the Pistons’ possession as Tracy McGrady dribbles the ball at the top with 10 seconds left on the shot clock.  McGrady attacks the rim, and when this happens Will Bynum slides to the corner.  This leaves Austin Daye as the man responsible for getting back on defense.  Initially, he makes the right play by sliding towards the top of the key, replacing McGrady.

Read more…

A team’s performance after a timeout may be the best way to judge a coach’s Xs & Os knowledge, and his ability to draw up plays. The Clipboard Awards is a competition where I choose the top three post-timeout plays each night, adding up the scores over the course of the season.

Play #3 (1 point)- John Kuester/Detroit Pistons

For the third place play, the Detroit Pistons ran a very quick hitting play that was designed to open up Ben Gordon.  The play worked, and it forced the defense’s hand, leading to an open basket.

The ball gets inbounded from Ben Gordon to Tayshaun Prince in the post.  Once Gordon inbounds the basketball, he gets a backscreen from a Piston big.  Gordon uses that backscreen to flare out to the high post.

D.J. Augustin gets caught up in the screen, leaving Gordon wide open.  This forces the defense to step up and close out hard on Gordon, who has been shooting very well this game.

Read more…

Last night against the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons trailed by one point with 2.7 seconds left in the game.  The Pistons tried to win the game with a lob play, and it almost worked, due to a Miami Heat defensive mistake.  If you are familiar with this site, you are probably guessing that the mistake is Miami playing man to man here instead of zone, but I actually agree with going man in this situation.

The reason is because there is so much time left on the clock that the Pistons can take a few dribbles before the shot, meaning zone wouldn’t really work.  No, the defensive mistake was a much simpler one against Detroit’s very good set:

The play starts with Chris Wilcox setting a pindown screen for Tracy McGrady who flashes to the top of the key around the three point line.

After Wilcox sets his pindown screen, he sets a screen along the baseline, allowing Ben Gordon to use it to flash to the ball side corner, effectively clearing out the are around the rim.

Read more…

With about a minute left in their game against the Detroit Pistons, the Utah Jazz went to the pick and roll twice in one possession to try and break the tie.  The Pistons employed a strategy to try and keep Deron Williams out of the paint, and while it worked the first time, the Jazz were able to get a wide open three on a defensive mixup on the second PNR:

On the initial screen, you have Al Jefferson setting a screen for Williams and then rolling straight to the rim.  Greg Monroe (Jefferson’s man) shows hard, trying to keep Williams out of the paint as Tayshaun Prince works over the screen.  This forces Richard Hamilton to sink in to help on the roll.

Read more…

In recent years, Richard Hamilton has been one of my favorite players to watch, and usually it is when he doesn’t have the basketball.  Hamilton might be the best players using screens off of the basketball (Ray Allen is up there as well), and coach John Kuester was able to use that skill to get his team (and one of his best shooters) a wide open look late in their game against the Utah Jazz.

As soon as the ball gets handed to the trigger man, Tayshaun Prince goes from his spot at the top of the key and uses the two screens that the Pistons’ bigs set for him.

Read more…

In the past, I have praised John Kuester’s ability to draw up plays and get good looks out of timeouts late.  Against the Bulls two nights ago, Kuester again drew up a solid play, however there were a few problems with it, and Charlie Villanueva was unable to get a clean look from three to tie the game:

Charlie Villanueva is initially open, but there are two reasons why he is unable to get a shot off. The first is the way that Charlie Villanueva slides up and uses the screen (He starts from a standing position, then he backpedals, then turns to face the ball. After making the catch, he needs to turn to face the basket). Also, Villanueva has a long and elongated shooting form, and by the time he is able to get into his form, it is too late.

Read more…

Against the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls were up one point with about 50 seconds left.  They were looking to get themselves a basket and stretch their lead to three points, and by doing that, forcing Detroit into a situation where they need either a three pointer or two quick buckets.  To get this done, the Bulls run a nice little set to get into a pick and roll.  This leads to a defensive error, one that the Bulls react correctly to, leading to an easy lay-up:

As Derrick Rose brings the basketball up, Kurt Thomas comes from one elbow to set a screen for Carlos Boozer on the opposite elbow.

Boozer is going to use the screen to come to the top of the key and set a screen of his own for Derrick Rose.

Read more…

After Willie Green missed a free throw to keep the margin of the Hornets-Pistons game to three points, the Pistons called a timeout.  Down three, John Kuester needed to draw up a play to get his team a clean look at a three, and that is exactly what he was able to do:

As the ball goes to trigger man Tayshaun Prince the Pistons are set up in a box set.  The play starts with the two men closest to the basketball turn their backs to the ball and set screens for Ben Gordon.  Gordon splits the two screeners as if he is going towards the sideline.

Read more…

In their game against the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks were behind by three points with about nine minutes left.  The Hawks let a poor Piston team stay with them, and it looked like the Hawks were going to try and step back on the gas and pull away.  However, the Pistons went on an 8-0 run using two big three pointers as bookends.  These three pointers came from lazy defense from the Atlanta Hawks:

To start the play, Rodney Stuckey attacks the basket and gets by Jamal Crawford.  This attack forces Damien Wilkins to help.

It looks like the Hawks have Stuckey corralled, however Stuckey is able to squeeze the ball out to Ben Gordon in the corner.

Read more…