Hard to improve on that article. Thanks!
We have guys who can score in different ways, which makes us difficult to defend. It will be interesting to see how teams try to defend us going forward.
With respect to potential playmaking, I agree that generally Iggy is being used pretty well, especially considering the other pieces, but he could probably improve just a little on passing when the opportunity arises when attacking closeouts. I’m not suggesting he starts getting X number of PnRs a game, but I’ve noticed a few times where defenders rotate over and there’s an opening for one of our shooters or Teske near the rim that Iggy misses or is slow to see.
He definitely needs to improve as a passer, which is why his current role works so effectively. If you put him in a bunch of ball screens, that magnifies his weakness. Instead, he’s usually in a spot where the best option is to score. That won’t always be the case and he does need to continue to see the floor better, though.
Iggy is such an outstanding finisher and I am not sure kicking out to open shooters is necessarily a better option. Passing to open teammates cutting to the basket is the area that he could improve.
Great writing, I wonder if coaching staffs from other teams subscribe to your research
Interesting thought. Poole might be the starter where that’s the more efficient play. Still, I think he’s got to do it so they don’t just pack everyone in when he drives.
It was the better option for Michael Jordan to pass to Steve Kerr sometimes. Iggy is a great finisher, but when the defense helps or collapses in certain ways, kicking it to an open Poole/Livers/Brooks is the better option.
Thanks fort the compliment, but I’m guessing they have better resources and smarter basketball minds putting together their scouting reports
You are a humble guy.
Excellent article, thanks, as usual. From time to time I see Iggy come open, and it looks as though a teammate, usually Charles or Zavier, chooses not to make the pass and rotates the ball away. Is there any hint of jealousy at Iggy’s early success? A pecking order of sorts? Or do I not grasp some aspect of the offense (more likely).
I haven’t noticed this too often, but simplest explanation could just be that they didn’t see Iggy or thought they had a better opportunity to score. I definitely haven’t seen or noticed any sort of jealousy about Iggy’s success.
Iggy finishes 63% attacking the rim, equivalent to 42% 3pt attempt. Poole, Livers, Brooks are going to cover it but not by a great margin. You can also argue that Iggy should kick out those most difficult shots, for which he has lower successful rate. The opposing team, however, is mostly likely to stay with Poole, Livers and Brooks and not worry about X and Matthews.
The decision to kick the ball has more to do with how much teams are loaded up/helping at the rim. Iggy shoots 63% at the rim doesn’t mean he shoots 63% at the rim on all attempts there. Some are uncontested dunks, others are through around and over multiple defenders.
Great article Dylan! What’s intriguing to me is how, when we’ve needed to end a drought, he seems like the obvious choice to just go and get a bucket. And as @chezaroo likes to say, he’s got “Spurtability” that is hard to quantify!
I love having a wolf/hunter like him on this particular squad, because he does it in such a different way than opposing coaches are used to when gameplanning for a JB offense in the past!
Is your thesis that there are players that are just so good attacking the rim that they should never pass to open shooters regardless of how the defense plays? Even if multiple guys help off and are in perfect position to take charges and block shots? How many of these players are there?
Consider a somewhat similar situation: Nick Ward shoots over 64% on 2s. Does that mean that when Ward gets the ball in the post he should never pass to an open 3pt shooter even if he’s double teamed? Or that it’s not a weakness of his that he struggles when double teamed?
And the converse is true too. Stauskas was an outstanding 3-pt shooter and excellent driving to the rim – it was still the right play to pass it to Jordan Morgan sometimes.
Iggy is playing great and doing a great job attacking the rim. Doesn’t mean he can’t improve. Doesn’t mean he should never pass to someone behind the 3pt line. Beilein has even talked about Iggy’s assist numbers and passing as areas for improvement. Those passes can be to cutters or open shooters.
This is a great feature. I think the most interesting to look at would be how Z run’s the offense and is able to command so much attention.
And to think I pay less than $50 a year for this stuff. One of those times where I just feel like the money is not even a consideration. Great stuff Dylan!