In last night’s win over a short-handed Pacer team, the 76ers flashed some great execution on both ends of the floor. Without Danny Granger and George Hill, Indy could only muster 86 points. However, on the other end of the floor, Philly absolutely shredded the Indiana defense with some great side pick and roll action.

The fourth possession of the game foreshadowed what was to be a long night for the Pacer defense. Quick ball reversal through the top leads to an Elton Brand post-up. Brand, without ideal positioning, kicks the ball back out two Iguodala at the top. The much-improved Spencer Hawes then sprints from the weakside block to ballscreen with Iggy on the wing. Brand, meanwhile, begins to circle back under the rim away from the ball.

This subtle movement illustrates one of the things that make Philly tough to defend in ballscreen situations. The players off the ball are usually shifting and shaping up to good operating areas as the screen is being set. Because they are still moving, opponents help defenders are prevented from settling into their stances with vision of both their man and their help responsibilities.

As Iguodala comes off the screen, Hawes slides to the short corner looking for a shot. Because Indiana was hedging hard and recovering, Hawes movement after the screen forces Hibbert to rotate across the lane in order to prevent an easy jumper as Hawes’ defender, David West, recovers back to him. Due to all the shifting movement off the ball, Brand gets lost in the shuffle and Iggy finds him for an easy dunk. Here is the video:

The next play showcases Indy’s inability to actually corral the two men involved in the ballscreen itself. In the next clip, Lou Williams and rookie Nikola Vucevic team up for a pick and pop on an emptied out side of the floor. Because the help defense has so long to rotate on this action, it is quite possibly one of the hardest to defend on the NBA level. We see why here as Williams’ slick pocket pass sets up a wide open jumper for Vucevic:

Yet another thing the Sixers do well in this action is have their screeners read space. Instead of simply always popping or always diving to the rim, Hawes, Thad Young and Vucevic make their move defense dependent. In the following clip, Roy Hibbert is checking Hawes. Knowing that Hibbert is big and immobile, Hawes sets his screen and immediately sprints toward the rim to put pressure on Hibbert to recover or the helpside defense to shift to him. Neither happens and the result is yet another dunk off this action:

Despite a dearth of deadly 3-point shooters, Philly also managed to find open looks from outside. Here Young sets a ballscreen for Holiday on the right wing. As the screen is being set, Iguodala cuts along the baseline from strongside to weak and leaves the help defense in limbo. Hibbert, perhaps thinking there is no one behind him to pick up Young on the roll, sags off Vucevic (a noted shooter in college who was 1-1 entering Monday’s game) and watches helplessly as the Swiss sniper nails a 3-pointer.

What the Sixers lack in star power on the offensive end of the floor, the make up for in discipline and execution. While we get caught up with the star-power in the NBA, sometimes it’s not who is running a specific action but how it is run. With their off-ball movement and versatile big men, Philadelphia is going to be quite a handful to defend. Indiana found that out last night.

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After an exciting opening day win against Boston, New York promptly dropped four of their next five games and were left scrambling for answers. One of the chief concerns was a lack of consistent offense. Three out of those four losses during that stretch contained brutal offensive outputs. Fans and observers alike questioned whether the Knicks were destined to be a train wreck all season. However, recent wins against Washington and Detroit (I know, I know, not exactly Murderer’s Row) have shown that New York is at least taking steps in the right direction.

The Knicks major problem on offense has been the lack of a true playmaker to fit Mike D’Antoni’s spread pick and roll system. While eliminating a vast majority of that pick and roll action was certainly an option, it would perhaps move away from New York’s biggest strength; explosive roll men. Amare Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler, while not Nick Collison-esque screeners, are incredibly dangerous because of the speed and effectiveness they display diving to the rim after a ballscreen. Rookie Josh Harrelson can also be a force screening on the ball in Glen Davis-type way, using his big, wide body to get the on-ball defender caught up on the screen and allowing the offense to play with a man advantage.

Even though their ballhandlers will never be confused with Steve Nash, the pick and roll is still a dangerous action for them due to the aforementioned screening trio (and even Carmelo Anthony). So instead of crossing their fingers and hoping someone on their roster becomes a pick and roll savant in a shortened season filled with little to no practice time, the Knicks have decided to run the action itself more frequently. In a sense, they have replaced the quest for quality with pure quantity. Everyone has a green light to run a pick and roll and they look to run pick and rolls early, often and with an added emphasis on ball movement out of them.

In the first quarter of the Detroit game, New York had every member of their starting unit, minus Chandler, handle off a ballscreen (yes, even Stoudamire). In the following video showcasing the first half of the first quarter, you’ll see the following screening combinations (with the ballhandler listed first and the result of the possession in parenthesis):

Possession 1: Shumpert-Chandler (Melo 3pt FG)
Possession 2: Shumpert-Anthony, Stoudamire-Chandler (Shumpert 3pt FG)
Possession 3: Shumpert-Chandler, Fields-Stoudamire (Fields shooting foul)
Possession 4: Anthony-Chandler (Chandler dunk)

In just four trips down the floor the Knicks used six screening combinations (from about every area other than the middle of the floor) that resulted in ten points. Here a video of them:

Thanks to this diverse approach, New York cruised to a 25-18 lead with three minutes left in the quarter. However, they started the second quarter with only a one point advantage thanks to series of possessions that lacked any real flow.

In the first clip of the following video, Carmelo Anthony has a great opportunity to run a corner pick and roll with Chandler off of ball reversal from a transition drag screen between Toney Douglas and Josh Harrelson. Melo, instead of making the Pistons defend another tough action, holds the ball and ends up shooting a contested 3-pointer in the corner.

The second clip contains a step-up screen between Chandler and Douglas. This time the ball doesn’t even change sides of the floor and the Knicks get a contested mid-range two (one of the worst shots in basketball) as a result. The next play has plenty of ballscreen action, but the ball is moved more with the dribble than the pass and the result is a Melo isolation post up with very little time left on the shot clock.

The final clip is the last possession of the quarter. With twelve seconds to play with, the Knicks choose to simply post up Anthony on the right side of the floor. Take a look:

The result of those four possessions? A scintillating zero points. It is clear that when they don’t get to a second pick and roll or lack crisp ball movement/reversal, the Knicks are far less dangerous, even though Anthony is so dangerous in isolation.

That being said, it doesn’t mean the Knicks need to stray away from creating isolation opportunities for their big stars. In fact, an equal opportunity system with a commitment to ball movement will actually make things easier on both of them to get their points, Carmelo in particular. In the following video, we’ll see the Knicks swing the ball to the corner out of transition, reverse it back to the other side of the floor while looking for isolation post-ups from both Stoudamire (strongside) and Anthony (weakside). The result is Anthony re-posting against a shifting defense for a paint score. Check it out:

Obviously, the second quarter shooting spree that blew the game wide open will make any offense look good. But once Mike Bibby stops with the illusion that he’s still an NBA player, New York will have to find consistent sources of points outside of Anthony. Their quantity versus quality approach may just do the trick. If their stars (particularly Anthony) continue to buy in (and most importantly, move the ball), New York could have a system that helps them maintain success on the offensive end of the floor.

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Despite ankle problems limiting his ability to stay on the court, in just his third season, Steph Curry has shown the offensive ability to be a leader for the new look Warriors. With the shot-happy Monta Ellis and the sharpshooting Curry pairing in the backcourt for the Warriors, a defense must prepare for a dynamic scoring combination each night they’re both healthy (even though they may give it all back on the other end of the floor). Howver, Curry, at a young age, is not just a shooter. He shows off an impressive basketball IQ with his ability to read and dissect opposing defenses.

A popular topic amongst the NBA crowd is whether Curry is a PG or a SG and exactly which role does he fit in the best. According to 82games.com, last season Curry spent 59% of the team’s minutes as PG, while only 3% at SG. While at PG, Curry is able to stretch the defense especially in a PNR situation because a defense must choose whether to go over the top of the screen or come underneath it. If a defense were to do their homework, they would know the right play is to go underneath the screen. Curry last year shot just 35% and had a PPP of .745 when the defense would go under the screen, putting him in the bottom 25% of the league, according to Synergy Sports. By having Ellis also in the backcourt, Curry is able to feed off what Ellis is doing and run through the progressions of the offense at a much more fluid pace. So although he was the initiator of the offense on most occassions, Curry still had the knowledge and the sets to allow him great looks off screens and PNR’s.

Even with his minutes limited minutes due to an ankle injury, Curry has been able to pick up exactly where he left off from last year and then some. Early in the season, Curry is in the top two-thirds in overall offense, with a PPP of .95 with a minimum of 80 possessions. He is also 12th in the NBA in Adjusted Field Goal %. By reading the defense and taking the correct shot, Curry is able to be incredibly efficent.

In the following clip is a very simple PNR involving Curry on the wing. Notice that the defense, primarly Joakim Noah, hedges to push Curry back while Curry’s defender C.J. Watson tries to get get back on ball. Noah recovers to the roll man when he believes Watson has control of Curry. Steph can either back it out and reset or, as he does here, take advantage of the opportunity to penentrate on a slightly out of position Watson. Something that is often overlooked with Curry is his ability to stay low and get his shoulders in front of his feet on dribble penetration.

In the following image, we’ll watch Curry make a great read off the ball. Dominic McGuire is at the elbow ready to set the backscreen for Curry, allowing him to either recieve a backdoor pass for a lay-up or free him up to head towards the corner.

Curry Fade Screen

Curry reads Nash’s defense of the screen and decides to fade instead of taking the screen all the way down to the corner as most often, this play leads to Curry heading towards the corner and then back up to the wing for a ballscreen.

Curry Fade Screen

Curry, allowing his high basketball I.Q. to take over, makes the fade cut and finds himself with a wide open look.

Curry Fade Screen

Here’s a look at the play in real-time:

In the next video, we’ll take a look at the court vision which gives us glimpses of how special Steph could be and why his absence hurts the Warriors. In the first edit, Curry makes a very tough pass from the wing to the opposite block, slicing through the defense. While it looks risky, his passing accuracy and understanding of defensive positioning allows him to execute it.

In the second clip form the video, we’ll see a play that the Warriors run quite frequently, Curry sets a pick on the weak side block for a quick post. If it’s not there, Curry is the recepient of a double-screen and catches the ball at the top of the key. Both Curry and Ekpe Udoh’s defender slide up to take Curry, trying to take away his open three, which leaves Udoh a wide open 17-footer.

Finally in the third clip, Curry recieves a short pass followed by a PNR in which the defense follows and Steph is doubled. The defense trying to take the ball out of Curry’s hands, ends up leaving David Lee wide open for a 17-footer.

Steph will certainly be a major factor in deciding exactly where the Warriors rise to in the West. It’s still yet to be seen if his ankle will be a problem throughout his career, but when healthy, he is an exciting player to watch and most certainly makes the Golden State a harder team to beat.

The Cavs are off to a somewhat surprising 3-3 start and a key piece of their improved play has been the spark 4th overall pick Tristan Thompson has given them off the bench. The “other” rookie along with 1st overall pick Kyrie Irving, Thompson has produced to the tune of 8.3 pionts, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in just under 20 minutes per night, good for a 16.8 Player Efficiency Rating(PER).

The success Thompson is having isn’t indicative of a giant leap in his skill set, however.  The strengths and weaknesses in Thompson’s game are largely the same as scouts saw in college. Sebastian wrote on him here and my other affliation, DraftExpress, also profiled him.

This is both good and bad depending on the perspective of the observer.  Good in that it shows his strengths provide him with an effective role in the NBA already. The bad being that he still has a ways to go in order to fully tap his potential as a player.  While he’s obviously not finished developing as a player at 20 years old, progress is something fans are always impatient to see.

Let’s take a look at which part’s of Thompson’s game have translated to the NBA.

Read more…

LeBron and the Heat’s gaudy offensive numbers may get all the headlines, but the Heat defense is beginning to operate with devastating efficiency. Even without Dwyane Wade, the Heat, thanks to their defense, still had no problems defeating one of the East’s better teams at home last night. While this season’s Pacers aren’t exactly the second-coming of the 2005 Suns, the real story of the previous night’s tilt was how Miami’s D simply dismantled the Pacers’ offense in the second quarter.

Much of the Heat’s defensive success is attributed to their athleticism, as it should be given Wade and James are two of the most athletic players in the league. Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh certainly rank near the top of that category for their respective positions as well. However, not enough credit is given to the intelligence, activity and grit the rest of this current Heat roster shows, especially with Shane Battier on board and Udonis Haslem healthy. That combination, under the guidance of head coach Erik Spoelstra, should have the Heat challenging for the title of “Best Defensive Team” come year’s end. While taking a look at last night’s second quarter, we’ll see they are well on their way.

With James on the bench to start the quarter, the Miami has a lineup of Bosh, Haslem, Battier, Jones, and rookie Norris Cole on the floor. The first play we’ll see starts with a high, flat ball screen between George Hill and Tyler Hansbrough. The Heat defend it by corralling (basically a soft trap-like action) Hill with the screener’s defender (Haslem) and the on-ball defender (Cole).

Behind the play, Bosh rotates off Lou Amundson and picks up Hansbrough as he slides toward the paint after screening. The other two Heat defenders of the floor (Battier and James Jones) zone up on the three Pacers on the weakside (Battier dropping low on Amundson in the short corner to prevent an easy look at the rim with Jones playing between two Pacers spotting up on the perimeter).

Hill looks to defeat the trap by passing over the top of it to Hansbrough. Thanks to Bosh’s quick rotation, Hansbrough can’t make an immediate attack on the rim and instead looks to move the ball opposite. Jones, playing the role of free safety to perfection, positions himself between his two offensive threats and denies an obvious passing lane. Battier sits on Amundson near the block until Haslem, switching assignments with Bosh, who was originally guarding Amundson, recovers back to him.

The end result of all this defensive activity is the ball being forced back out top and the Pacers essentially having to restart their offense with nine seconds on the shot clock. After a deflection on a skip toward the weakside, Shane Battier’s on-ball defense results in a travel from Lance Stephenson. After all that exhaustive mental imagery, here is a visual of the play:

The next clip is perhaps the Heat’s finest defensive possession of the game. For starters, both Battier and Cole do an impressive job guarding the ball. Battier recovers nicely through a ballscreen while Cole takes away a middle penetration on a difficult closeout against Hill filling behind the Amundson’s roll toward the hoop.

The final thing to notice is Haslem’s activity on the play. On the second pick and roll, he rotates across the lane to pick up the dive man (Amundson) then sprints back across the court to get into a position to contain dribble penetration off a third Pacer ballscreen. Battier finishes off the play by switching onto the roll man (David West) and forcing him into a tough, contested shot. Here is the video:

While not every Heat defensive possession was executed that well, they were certainly of high quality. Here is a brief three edit reel of three other top notch Miami defensive stands in the second quarter that all resulted in turnovers:

In the end, Indiana ended the quarter with only three more points than turnovers (12 to 9) and mustered only one made field goal (a Louis Amundson dunk on a late rotation by Heat rookie Norris Cole). It was perhaps the final play of the quarter that added an exclamation point to their dominating, 12-minute performance. Check it out:

Watch out NBA. It looks like the new-fangled Heat offense isn’t the only thing you need to worry about in 2012.

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If a 91-86 defeat to Denver was any indication, Milwaukee’s collection of inefficient scorers and defense-only cast-offs are destined to yet again be an instant channel-change-team by League Pass owners across the country. A team that ranked dead last in offensive efficiency behind a depleted, D-League filled, 19-win Cavs team will do that to a fan. Head coach Scott Skiles, known for his defense-first (and second, and third) approach, could find his Bucks on the outside looking in come playoff time if he doesn’t find a way to make the offense rise from the depths of their basket-making futility.

It’s pretty much a given that Skiles isn’t going turn his valuable practice time offense-only endeavors, so the only option seemingly left for the Bucks is to cross their fingers and hope Andrew Bogut or Brandon Jennings make “the leap” to a number one scoring option. While that outcome would certainly make fans in Milwaukee happy, it’s not only unlikely, but perhaps not the only thing that can save their offense.

The Bucks may not need a player to become a superstar scorer overnight. A series of minor improvements could make their offensive production move from “horrendously awful” to the much more palatable “not terrible”. Then to make the playoffs, they just have to let their defense do the rest.

One of those is small tweaks could be playing rookie Jon Leuer more. Leuer, an unheralded second round pick, has been incredibly efficient through his first four games and definitely seems like he has a solid future in this league. Despite limited time, Leuer is showing the Bucks he could provide what they thought they were getting when they threw their mid-level exception at the well-traveled Drew Gooden two summers ago; a four man that could pair well with the block-based Bogut.

Despite the Bucks using him as a back-up center at points this season, Leuer has still been able to showcase his high skill level. However, just because he possesses a smooth jumpshot doesn’t mean it’s accurate to slap the label of “face-up four” on him. In fact, the most impressive part of Leuer’s brief offensive displays has been his post-ups. Here is an example from last night:

Let’s look at what that play shows us about Leuer. The first thing to notice is that when he moves to screen down for Stephan Jackson in triangle (screen the screener) action, he actually slides (legally) to put his body in front of Jackson’s man. With the dearth of willing and effective screeners in the NBA, this is actually a very positive trait.

The next thing is that on Leuer’s catch there is a small sliver of space for him to put the ball down and attack the baseline. Most young players would make this catch without scanning the floor first (unlike how Leuer makes his catch), feel the space and dribble to the opening without thinking. Leuer exercises great patience and instead waits for the baseline help defender (Koufas) to retreat back to his man.

His pace is particularly impressive because he doesn’t just aimlessly hold the ball. Instead, he holds briefly then quickly and aggressively attacks Danilo Gallinari before he gets back into a good defensive position (Gallo hangs out on Leuer’s high side). Leuer then executes a picturesque post sequence. He takes a counter dribble toward the middle, makes a quick baseline spin to create space (in balance) and nails a silky turnaround jumper. Here is the play again slowed down:

Leuer also flashed a skill that no other four man on the Buck’s roster posses; the ability to execute a quick, efficient pull-up jumper. That type of attack is valuable in creating good shot opportunities in isolations or attacking closeouts.

Late in the first quarter of the Denver game, Leuer is trailing on a controlled push out of a make. He catches the pass inside the arc near the top of the key, issues a freeze fake and takes one attacking dribble into a pull-up before his defender (Al Harrington) is able to contest. Here is the clip:

Now whether Leuer can make these shots consistently against starting fours in the NBA, no one can say for sure due to the small sample size at our disposal (we can certainly bank on the fact he won’t continue to shoot a blistering 68% from the field though). However, if the Bucks want to make the playoffs this season, Skiles might want to relent on his all-defense or no-play approach and give the rookie a chance to see if he can add an offensive element for twenty to thirty minutes a night that the offensively-challenged Bucks currently lack.

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Ever since the acquisition of Chris Paul, the Clippers have had more buzz around them than any team in the league. The “other” L.A. finally had a superstar tandem to do battle with the West’s elite. But early this season, it is becoming apparent that another off-season import will determine how high the Clippers ceiling actually is.

Caron Butler was inked to a three year deal in hopes of filling the vacant small forward spot on the Clippers frontline. The original planned called for Butler to be teamed with sharpshooters Mo Williams and Eric Gordon. When Gordon was moved as a part of the Paul trade, Butler’s role and expectations changed. More than ever, Butler will need to help spread the floor for numerous pick and rolls L.A. plans to run in Lob City.

Outside of his 29 games in Dallas last season, in which he shot a blistering 43.1%, Butler has been a non-threat outside the 3-point stripe for his entire career, shooting just 31.9%. L.A. is hoping that his production this season mirrors that of his brief time in big D. Whether that percentage was a fluke due to a small sample size or real improvement hindered by his knee injury is something the Clippers will find out this season. Thus far, the early signs haven’t been great.

According to Synergy data, Butler is just 4-16 in 3-point spot-up situations and 6-20 from behind the arc overall. It’s yet another small sample size that by no means carves his fate into stone, but it certainly doesn’t head in an encouraging direction either. So while the Clips came away with a 93-88 win over Portland last night, Butler’s 2-8 performance from behind the 3-point line certainly didn’t alleviate concerns of L.A. going forward. Here is a video of Butler’s shot attempts from last night in all situations out of a pick and roll:

The final tally is 1-4 with the lone make being a long two, statistically speaking the most inefficient shot in basketball (for more on that see: Hollinger, John). Obviously Butler isn’t going to make every shot, but consistent misses out of these situations will mess with both his confidence and the overall flow of the offense.

Late in the 2nd quarter (don’t be confused by the score, it’s the late second), Butler gets the ball reversed to him from the wing out of a pick and roll on the opposite side of the floor. He has a great look for a 3-point shot (and baseline drive) but passes up on the shot and ends up passing back out to Randy Foye on the wing. Foye, an inferior offensive player, is now tasked with creating offense with little time left on the shot clock. Here’s the clip:

Butler, perhaps due to the not having the mindset of a shooter used to success, passes up on a great shot (a corner 3) for the worst shot in basketball (a contested long two). Sure, the ball goes in, but focusing on just the result ignores the underlying problem.

Butler makes a similar decision just before half-time. Paul comes off a pick and roll and sucks in Butler’s defender (Gerald Wallace). The kick-out pass gives him the opportunity to shot, but Butler ends up making an extra pass to Mo Williams in the corner for an uncontested 3. Here is video:

A clean look from the corner for a better 3-point shooter is a great read by Butler and will be great offense for the Clippers this season. But here’s the problem, come playoff time, when teams prepare for L.A., defenders like Wes Matthews won’t leave a good shooter (Williams) to stunt so aggressively at a poor shooter (Butler). Now if both players are hitting a high percentage of their shots, the defense obviously has to pick their poison and it will be time for the offense to burn out the lights on the scoreboard.
However, a prepared, disciplined team, like the ones they’ll face in May and maybe June, will be able to adjust to this. When creating a gameplan to defend Paul and the Clippers’ pick and roll action in a seven game series, an opposing coach will basically find the most palatable thing to give up (because when Paul is in a ballscreen with Griffin or Jordan, a team is going to give something up). That option will be Butler, assuming he hovers around his 31.9% career mark from 3 all season.

Scheming around a non-threat like Butler makes things infinitely easier on a defense. Using the last play as an example, instead of Matthews flying out at Butler like he did, his marching orders could be to stunt to stop only a direct drive to the rim, but keep himself in a position to chase the shooter he’s assigned too (Williams in this case) off the 3-point line. In the most basic sense, the Clippers’ opponents can play the odds that a below-average shooter can’t beat them for four games out of those pick and roll situations.

This type of scheme can also affect a player’s confidence and when an athlete loses that, it can have damaging affects to the team. The following video is of Butler receiving a kick-out off ballscreen penetration. Butler actually elevates into a wide open 3-point look before trying to thread a low percentage pass toward Blake Griffin near the rim. The result is an ugly turnover. Take a look.

By unofficial count, Butler was involved in seven possessions spotting up off the pick and roll in which his involvement directly affected the play. The results? One field goal (a long two), an assist (born from a tough shot) and a turnover. That’s .57ppp (pts per possession) with a turnover, numbers that certainly aren’t going to cut if the L.A. wants to be a top tier offensive team this season. While the certainly can hang their hat on the defensive end in order to be successful, one can just ask Memphis and Chicago what poor offensive play does to your chances deep in the playoffs. Bottom line, if the Clippers want to be serious contenders, the Butler will have to give a helping hand.

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Does it really matter how precisely a play is ran if, in the end, it’s a missed opportunity? It’s a question to think because there is a natural tendency to dismiss plays that don’t result in points. If baskets aren’t scored, the chances are the plays that occurred on those possessions won’t stay lodged in your memory banks after the game is over. And we see them all the time — a kick-out to a brick, a beautifully threaded bounce pass that’s mishandled, an open lane for a dunk that’s saved by a great contest. Plays that could have been. Here’s where we pay our respects.

The Hornets shot a putrid 28.9% against the defensively challenged Suns on Friday night and finished the game with an 86.7 offensive efficiency. That’s bottom of the league poor. They did it by missing from everywhere, even at the rim, where they managed to shoot only 48%.

One of those misses came off a well-designed set that caught the Suns sleeping and gave Marco Belinelli an open lane for a layup. Here is a video of the play:

Even though the play ends in an ugly miss, there is still good action in the set itself. At the start, Hornest forward Al-Farouq Aminu sets a cross-screen on the Sun’s Marcin Gortat. Gortat’s man, Emeka Okafor cuts across the paint to establish deep post position. As Okafur moves toward the block, Belinelli sprints around a Carl Landry screen and curls toward the basket.

Hakim Warrick, not exactly a defensive savant, doesn’t pick Belinelli up as he comes off the screen while Jared Dudley, Belinelli’s defender, gets caught up in it allowing Okafor to feed him with a well-timed bounce pass near the rim.

Belinelli doesn’t meet any opposition until he’s one jump from the basket and even then Grant Hill moves to avoid the foul. Here is the play again:

If the Hornets want to avoid being in the West’s bottom rung, they need to avoid missing opportunities like this.

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.