Category → Game Preview
Anthony Davis and Hornets come to the D
Essentials
- Teams: New Orleans Hornets (17-34) at Detroit Pistons (20-32)
- Date: February 11, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
After losing to the Toronto Raptors last night, the New Orleans Hornets will try to bounce back tonight when they face off against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Monty Williams’ team might be in the midst of a bad season, but the team has shown some steady improvement, particularly on the defensive end, which could go a long way towards determining what kind of squad they will be in the future.
Indeed, their defense has consistently improved this season, to the point that they are no longer abysmal, but rather working their way towards being respectable.
On the season, they allow 106.7 points per 100 possessions which is 27th in the league, but if we look at the breakdown per month, we’ll notice that things have progressively looked better. Have a look at the graphic below courtesy of data obtained from NBA.com’s advanced stats tool:
|
Month |
Games Played |
Defensive Efficiency |
|
October |
1 |
101.6 |
|
November |
13 |
107.6 |
|
December |
16 |
106.4 |
|
January |
16 |
105.3 |
|
February |
5 |
111.2 |
Things have fallen apart a bit in February because of two awful defensive showings against the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Nonetheless, their steady improvement on this side of the ball has occurred because stud rookie Anthony Davis is slowly getting better accustomed to understanding what NBA offenses are trying to accomplish on the floor.
In December, I wrote a piece explaining some of the issues the Hornets faced with the Kentucky product on the defensive side of the ball. Here’s a quick excerpt:
For instance, defensively he recognizes his assignments but it often takes him a split second to figure out where to run to and who to rotate to; which is usually the difference between an open shot and a contested one. Thus, it’s common to see him run out late to close out shooters or simply hug his man if it’s a player capable of converting perimeter jumpers.
The big man has improved on this front and provides better support for his teammates when opponents force him to make decisions.
Davis now helps out in the pick-and-roll and rotates back to his man all the while tracking the ball and placing himself to be in a help position at all times. Furthermore, he is becoming more adept at rotating at the proper time when helping out his teammates and even calls switches with the other big man playing alongside him whenever appropriate, like in a situation where the opposing team runs a staggered screen.
With that said, for all of Davis’ improvements and that of his team, they are still a team that will occasionally surrender easy points to their opponents because of their youth.
As a group, the Hornets do not yet grasp when to completely sell out to bail out a teammate and when to stunt and recover back to their initial assignment as the player initially beaten recovers back in time to pick up his man.
Consequently, they allow the seventh most amount of shots at the rim per game (26.5 shots) and also yield a 65.7 percent conversion rate on those same shots, which is the 10th highest figure in the Association.
This particularly happens whenever Austin Rivers enters the game because shooting guards love to bring him down to the box and overpower him for an easy shot right at the basket, or force the defense to throw an extra defender to help out, which opens up driving lanes and allows for second chance opportunities.
Hence, the Detroit Pistons will have an opportunity to create some shots at the rim tonight against the Hornets, but it will be important that their defense comes prepared to defend the 3-point line because the Hornets are one of the best long-range shooting teams in the league as evidenced by their 37.3 percent 3-point shooting this season (seventh best in the league).
More importantly, Detroit should focus on the corners, but particularly the right one, where New Orleans converts 42 percent of their treys.
Enjoy tonight’s contest.
Read about the Hornets
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Last game versus Milwaukee this season…
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (19-32) at Milwaukee Bucks (25-23)
- Date: February 9, 2013
- Time: 8:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
After defeating the San Antonio Spurs last night at home, the Detroit Pistons will try to win back-to-back games tonight when they take on a Milwaukee Bucks team that has lost four of its last five games.
The Pistons presently own the season series by virtue of defeating the Bucks two out of three times, but the last contest saw Milwaukee put a choke hold on Detroit in a 117-90 rout on January 29th at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
In the last meeting between both teams, Detroit was simply annihilated defensively.
The Bucks scored 60 points in the paint (!) and also converted 11-of-23 shots from 3-point range.
Jim Boylan’s group is incredibly streaky.
They are an average long-range shooting team, but once the shots start going in, their opponents typically find themselves in trouble given that game plans usually revolve around forcing their players to take long 2-point shots.
The main offenders are Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, both of which take a substantial amount of long 2-pointers and 3-point shots.
Jennings hoists up 3.7 shots from 16-to-23 feet (converting 35 percent of them) per Hoopdata and 5.6 shots from downtown (converting 37.2 percent of his 3s) while Ellis attempts 5.3 shots from 16-to-23 feet (converting 33 percent) and 3.5 shots from behind the arc (converting 24.1 percent).
Where things get tricky is when one of them gets going and starts to make shots. It usually forces the defense to run a defender at them, thus resulting in opening up driving lanes for either player who attack the rim or find teammates cutting to the basket or stationed for an open 3-point shot.
This has happened twice against the Pistons.
On December 30th, Monta Ellis went on a tear in Detroit and scored 30 points and gave the Bucks a shot to win a game they ultimately lost. However, in the most recent matchup, Jennings’ 30 points helped open up the court for his teammates that connected on the majority of their shots, which resulted in a rout of the Pistons.
It may seem like an oversimplification, but if the Pistons can find a way to contain the Milwaukee backcourt, it should certainly give them fairly great odds of defeating the Bucks on the road tonight.
Read about the Bucks
San Antonio makes lone trip to Detroit
Essentials
- Teams: San Antonio Spurs (39-11) at Detroit Pistons (18-32)
- Date: February 8, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The San Antonio Spurs will be making their lone appearance at the Palace of Auburn Hills tonight and might be without the services of Tim Duncan (knee, ankle) and Manu Ginobili (hamstring) when they try to stretch their 11-game winning streak to 12.
Let’s make this clear: the Spurs are not better without Duncan and Ginobili, but boy are they still impressive and fun to watch.
What San Antonio lacks in terms of highlight packages, they make up for with simple and yet beautiful basketball execution.
It’s in fact almost comical how the Spurs attack their opponents’ weaknesses.
Where they might force one team to defend multiple options on a given play, they might toy with a poor defensive squad simply by running their basic stuff and still confuse the heck out of their rotations.
For instance, Tony Parker will run a simple pick-and-roll with Tiago Splitter and hit him on the roll for an easy basket at the rim. Per MySynergySports, the Spurs’ roll men are converting 56 percent of their field goals in the pick-and-roll, which typically results in opposing teams shading their defenders to the paint to converge on the rolling big man to take away that option.
But San Antonio is smart.
If teams converge in the paint, Parker will pass the ball to the player at the wing who will then swing it to the open player for the corner 3-pointer (his man was the one that crashed down the paint to help out on the big man that rolled to the basket).
But NBA teams are smart and make adjustments right?
Well, Greg Poppovich teams are usually a step ahead of their opponents.
Should opponents alter their defensive coverage of the pick-and-roll and decide to still send the same perimeter player to converge on the roller in the paint, the player defending the first pass recipient (the player on the wing that receives the first pass from Parker and swings it to his teammate in the corner) will have to make the decision of helping a little in the paint and then running back out to his man or the player in the corner depending on which is the better shooter.
But again, San Antonio’s coaching staff is smart enough to always put players on the court that have the ability to handle the ball a little but more importantly shoot it. Thus, whichever perimeter player ends up with the ball open behind the arc is typically a good if not great open shooter. Indeed, according to MySynergySports, Gary Neal and his teammates convert 39.5 percent of their spot up 3-point field goals.
And just for good measure, Tony Parker might keep the ball and go all the way to the basket or take the open mid-range jumper.
As scary as this type of offensive execution is for the 29 other teams in the Association, we are only talking about their pick-and-roll options here. The Spurs have a host of other sets and plays that they will run specifically to pick on an opponent’s weakness.
Take the Minnesota Timberwolves as an example.
Pop had Parker bring the ball up the court, pass it to Boris Diaw, who ran the offense from the top off the floor. Then, Tony Parker essentially became the Boston version of Ray Allen; running Ricky Rubio through screens and dictating when and where he wanted to catch the ball for an open jumper.
This type of impressive offensive execution is part of the reason that San Antonio owns the fourth best offensive efficiency in the league, scoring 106.7 points per 100 possessions. And keep in mind, even when the Big Fundamental has been either in street clothes or on the bench, the Spurs have still produced 105 points per 100 possessions according to NBA.com’s advanced stats tool.
The Pistons will have their work cut out for them tonight and will have to not only play hard, but also play smart to make things difficult for the road team and possibly pull out the victory.
Read about the Spurs
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Hosting Brooklyn
Essentials
- Teams: Brooklyn Nets (28-20) at Detroit Pistons (18-31)
- Date: February 6, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The Brooklyn Nets will be in Detroit tonight to take on a Pistons team that was recently defeated at Madison Square Garden by the New York Knicks.
The Nets have split their last four games (all played at home), defeating the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls, but losing to the Miami Heat and most recently the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
In what may sound like an obvious statement, P.J. Carlesimo’s unit produced solid defensive performances and decent offensive efforts in their wins, but failed to reproduce them in their losses.
They held the Magic and Bulls to 77 and 89 points respectively, all the while scoring 97 and 93 points in those same contests.
In their defeats against the Heat and Lakers, Brooklyn surrendered 105 and 93 points, but also only scored 85 and 83 points in those respective games.
Brook Lopez is having the best season of his career as evidenced by his All-Star selection this year — albeit as a replacement — but the Nets’ offense is prone to some poor shooting nights because of the struggles for their backcourt.
Deron Williams and Joe Johnson were supposed to be the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference while the Los Angeles Lakers guard tandem was expected to carry that same title for the Western Conference, but they’ve both underachieved this season.
Williams and Johnson have struggled with their ability to convert form the field this season and it’s been problematic for a Nets team that isn’t exactly stellar defensively.
Just last night, Brooklyn’s starting backcourt combined to produce 26 points, 11 assists and six turnovers on 9-for-28 shooting from the field.
They did a terrible job of supporting Brook Lopez who was a monster with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
On a tough shooting night, great teams can usually still get wins provided they have a great defense to support them and keep the game hanging in the balance. But that isn’t the case for Brooklyn.
Deron Williams and company allow 103.4 points per 100 possessions (18th in the NBA) partly because their interior defense is average at best.
Per Hoopdata, the Nets yield 25.5 shots at the rim per game (16th in the NBA) and allow a 65.5 percent conversion rate on those same shots, which is in the NBA’s bottom half in terms of league leaders.
That very same defense was on full display last night as the Lakers scored 46 points in the paint at the Barclays Center, a poor defensive performance punctuated by a sensational Kobe Bryant dunk over both Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries.
The battle between Greg Monroe and Brook Lopez is bound to attract some attention, but more importantly the paint battle between both teams will be huge in determining the outcome of the contest.
Detroit and Brooklyn are within the same vicinity in terms of defensive efficiency (Brooklyn is 18th while Detroit is 19th) and the one team that manages to defend the rim best may very well come out victorious.
Read about the Nets
Kobe makes lone appearance at the Palace
With the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Detroit Pistons today, PistonPowered reached out to Phillip Barnett and Emile Avanessian of Forum Blue and Gold, the Lakers TrueHoop Affiliate blog, to go 3-on-3.
Essentials
- Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (21-26) at Detroit Pistons (18-29)
- Date: February 3rd, 2012
- Time: 1:00 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
1. Is it fair to say that the evolution of Kobe Bryant’s role has turned Steve Nash into a glorified version of Derek Fisher?
Phillip Barnett, Forum Blue and Gold: I don’t think that’s a fair assessment. With Kobe looking to be a facilitator, Steve Nash has essentially turned into a two guard with the Lakers looking for him to pick up some of the scoring Kobe has sacrificed to get his teammates involved. Also, if you’re watching these sets closely, Nash is really the one initiating the offense, directing everyone where they need to be before Kobe even touches the ball. Fisher, especially during his later years with the Lakers, was a guy the Lakers were just hoping could make some open shots, and anything more than six points in any given game was a bonus as Kobe was still leaned on to score 25 points per game. The roles for Nash and Fish are completely different.
Emile Avanessian, Forum Blue Gold: I don’t know that I’d go quite that far, but it’s certainly fair to say that Kobe’s newfound love of playmaking has marginalized Nash’s role on the team. At his best, Nash is the NBA’s equivalent of Peyton Manning – not only the engine of the offense of which he’s at the helm, but also its brain. Beyond his obvious aptitude for making crisp passes and shooting from the perimeter, Nash possesses a Cousy-esque hoops genius that’s only fully on display when the ball is in his hands. Steve Nash is truly Steve Nash when he’s exploring opposing defenses – tightroping the baseline, probing, pinballing in the paint, and emerging, ball on a string, the opposition in disarray.
These days, Nash is, nominally, the Lakers’ point guard, though in reality his role hinges on the ability provide a spot-up release valve while one the game’s greatest- ever scorers shows the word how much better he thinks he is than Nash at Nash’s job.
Huh. Let’s move on, shall we?
J.M. Poulard, PistonPowered: Ever since the January 25th game versus Utah, Kobe Bryant has essentially abandoned the idea of solely focusing on scoring and is instead more focused on sharing the ball with his teammates and getting all of them involved. The consequence has been that Nash has had far less ball-handling duties and has been reduced to the role of spot up shooter for the most part.
In Fisher’s last three seasons under Phil Jackson, his usage rate (percentage of a team’s possessions) hovered around 14, while Steve Nash’s usage rate in the last five games since the shift in Kobe’s game has been at 14.7 per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool.
The two-time MVP has been more of off-ball threat, but he’s also been converting a sizzling 56.8 percent of his field goals and 58.8 percent of his 3-point shots. So yes, Nash has been a glorified version of Fisher.
2. Which player would you rather have for the next three years: Greg Monroe or Pau Gasol?
Phillip Barnett: Based on age alone, I’d want Greg Monroe. If you take a look at Monroe’s game, he has a lot of skill sets that fit well with the current makeup of this team. He’s been the best this season cutting off the ball and in pick-and-role actions. He has a very good feel off the ball of knowing when to cut and where the soft spot in the defense is. With Kobe in his facilitator mode and Steve Nash on the roster, Monroe could have some fantastic games just making the correct basketball move. Gasol’s skill set is far superior to Monroe, but Monroe does some great things and has shown some improvement as a playmaker for others. He’s going to be a very good player as he continues to develop, and that coupled with his age, I believe, is enough to give him the nod over Pau for the next three years.
Emile Avanessian: At the peak of his powers, the group of bigs in NBA history for whom I’d trade Pau Gasol is not terribly large. These days, unfortunately, thanks to the effects of human aging, tendinitis and the cumulative toll on the psyche of an extended stay in Lakerland, the peak of Pau’s powers is firmly ensconced in the past. Under the right set of circumstances (I don’t want to say “without Dwight”… though I just did) Pau remains a very good NBA big man and, as we discussed ad nauseum prior to the season, an excellent stylistic fit alongside Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Were we to look only to the next year, I’d almost certainly opt to stay the course with Pau.
For the next three, however? Despite something of a Junior Slump (that’s a thing, right?) that’s removed him from this year’s All-Star conversation and temporarily put the “Monroe v. DeMarcus” debate to bed, it’s Monroe. For starters, he’s just 22, extremely durable (just two games missed in over two and a half NBA seasons) and provides a versatility similar to that delivered by Pau. Monroe’s productivity is down compared to last season, but he remains a fairly efficient scorer (52.6% true Shooting, 19.3 PER with a moderate 25% Usage Rate), a very good defensive rebounder (though his Offensive Rebound Rate has tanked, from 13.3 a year ago, to just 9.8 this season), one of the best passing big men in the NBA (http://bkref.com/tiny/EwcFx) and an excellent ballhawk for a man his size (http://bkref.com/tiny/wLwLx).
J.M. Poulard: In a vacuum, the answer might be Pau Gasol given his immense post skills — passing and scoring — as well as his ability to play in the high post.
But the poor use of Gasol’s talents leaves you wondering if his confidence has taken a small dent.
Greg Monroe on the other hand is already a terrific passer, good high post player and also a big man that can be devastating in the low post if he gets the right matchup. It stands to reason that he will only improve within the next three years and become an unstoppable force at the center position.
So the answer: Greg Monroe.
3. Favorite and least favorite Kobe Bryant moment involving the Detroit Pistons?
Phillip Barnett: Favorite: During that ridiculous 2006 season, Kobe led the Lakers to a win over the Pistons with 40 points on 26 shots. He had a True Shooting Percentage of .676 and an offensive rating of 157 (!).
Least Favorite: Game 3 of the 2004 Finals. 11 points on 13 shots. Four TOs. Lots of depression. Actually, everything about that series except for his game winner makes me want to vomit everywhere.
Emile Avanessian: Buzzer beater in Game 2 of the ’04 Finals.
Least favorite? Every other moment from the 2004 Finals.
J.M. Poulard: My favorite Kobe Bryant moment against the Pistons has to be Game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals. Back then, the player that wore no. 8 sent the game to overtime with a killer 3-point shot and helped the Lakers close the game out in the extra period.
My least favorite Kobe Bryant moment is the 2004 title round as a whole. The Black Mamba ignored some of his teammates and force up some incredibly tough shots with Tayshaun Prince defending him.
The killer stat of the 2004 NBA Finals: Kobe attempted 27 more field goals than Shaquille O’Neal, and yet the Diesel managed to produce 53 field goals to Kobe’s 43. Bryant converted 38.1 percent of his field goals in that series but never stopped firing.
Read about the Lakers
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Cleveland coming to the Palace
Essentials
- Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (13-33) at Detroit Pistons (17-29)
- Date: February 1st, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FS Detroit Plus
What to look for
In the 2006 postseason, the Detroit Pistons faced a young up and coming team in the second round in what many assumed would be a cakewalk for a Detroit team that would surely make it back to the NBA Finals.
But that series was far tougher than anyone outside of Ohio ever anticipated it would be.
Backed up by a famous Rasheed Wallace guarantee — that was wrong in terms of his prediction of the amount of games necessary to win the series but right in that his team was ultimately victorious – the Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a hard fought seven-game series, but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual champion Miami Heat.
Whether anyone knew it or not, a brief rivalry had just taken shape.
The following year, Cleveland met Detroit again in the playoffs, however this time with a trip to the title round as at stake.
Before the world even realized what was happening, the legend of LeBron James began to take shape as he led the Cavs to a stunning upset of the Pistons, a victory highlighted by a masterful Game 5 performance in which the King produced 48 points in victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
But that was then, and this is now.
With Tayshaun Prince getting traded Wednesday night, there are only two players left on both the Pistons and Cavs teams from that heartbreaking but yet wonderful 2007 playoff run: Daniel Gibson and Jason Maxiell.
That’s it.
But new rosters mean new players, which in turn translate to perhaps new rivalries.
Although Anderson Varejao is injured, he and Greg Monroe may very well become a fun battle of centers in the future when they play head-to-head. Both are skilled passers from the low block and high post, and contribute to their respective teams in many subtle ways that often go beyond the box score.
But for all of their talents, the Cleveland-Detroit pairing seems destined to be defined by Kyrie Irving.
The former Dookie is already a game changer and one of the best players in the league.
Consequently, pitting either Brandon Knight or Jose Calderon against him is bound to make for some riveting basketball.
Remember, the Pistons have been victorious twice so far in this campaign against the Cavaliers, but Irving missed both contests. Tonight will be his first meeting against Detroit, and one has to think that he will play well, especially after a tough night against the Golden State Warriors in his most recent game earlier this week.
As the Pistons transition into a slightly different team starting tonight, they may very well be welcoming their newest rival.
Last season, Irving averaged 20.3 points, seven assists and two steals per game on 51.2 percent field goal shooting in three games against Detroit; hence it’s not much of a stretch to imagine him waltzing into the Palace of Auburn Hills and making it rain.
But maybe with Calderon now on board, the Pistons answer back…
Read about the Cavaliers
Greg Monroe can learn from Roy Hibbert tonight…
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (17-28) at Indiana Pacers (26-19)
- Date: January 30, 2013
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
The NBA is a funny league in some respects. The dominant center is slowly becoming extinct, thus paving the way for good centers to be considered as great.
A quick look at the Eastern Conference standings will reveal that Miami has the best record in the east. They do not have anything resembling a prototypical center other than perhaps Joel Anthony; but they manage to get by because of LeBron James.
However, if we look at the rest of the leaders in the conference, you will find something relatively interesting:
- New York Knicks (second best record in the east) start Tyson Chandler at center.
- Chicago Bulls (tied for second best record in the east) start Joakim Noah at center.
- Brooklyn Nets (fourth best record in the east) start Brook Lopez at center.
- Indiana Pacers (fifth best record in the east) start Roy Hibbert at center.
- Atlanta Hawks (sixth best record in the east) start Al Horford at center.
Other than the Miami Heat, the top teams in the Eastern Conference all have a center that already has or will participate in the All-Star game — this is conjecture but one has to assume that with Rondo out for the season that Lopez will earn an All-Star selection as a replacement — at some point.
Of all the top teams in the east, an argument could be made that the roster that is mostly similar to the Pistons’ is that of the Pacers.
They have decent or good talent at just about every position, but offer some quality talent in the frontcourt with David West and Roy Hibbert.
It’s worth noting that Hibbert has struggled offensively this season, but his value to this team is still fairly important on the defensive side of the ball.
Since joining the NBA five years ago, the former Hoya has improved defensively to better play alongside his teammates and cover up for them. As the big man has gotten better on this front, so have the Pacers. Have a look at the graphic below showing the team’s defensive efficiency as a whole as well as the breakdown when he has been on or off the court in the last four seasons per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool:
|
Season |
Indiana Def. Eff. |
Def. Eff. w/ Hibbert |
Def. Eff. w/o Hibbert |
|
2012-13 |
96.5 |
96.4 |
96.8 |
|
2011-12 |
100.4 |
100.2 |
100.8 |
|
2010-11 |
103.4 |
104.0 |
102.6 |
|
2010-11 |
104.2 |
102.3 |
106.3 |
Obviously, not all of the credit can go the Georgetown product.
Indiana’s turnover in personnel plays a huge part into that and so do the tweaks in the team’s defensive concepts.
But Hibbert certainly deserves some praise because the team has in fact gotten better on that side of the ball as he’s grown and become a better defender.
The Pacers’ center has a good understanding of angles and how to position himself to prevent ball handlers from driving past him when he is out on the floor and how to contest shots while avoiding fouls. Consequently, it’s been hard to score on Indiana in the interior.
This season especially, the Pacers have done an excellent job of packing the paint and preventing teams from getting scoring opportunities at the rim. Indeed, no team allows fewer shot attempts directly at the basket, per Hoopdata. Hence, the Indiana coaching staff has been far less reliant on Hibbert this season to keep players away from the rim this season because as whole they’ve done a better job of simply shutting off the driving lanes.
However, whenever opponents have gotten an opportunity to shoot right at the basket, it’s been incredibly difficult.
According to NBA.com’s advanced stats tool, when Roy Hibbert is on the court, the Pacers yield a mere 51.3 percent conversion rate inside the restricted area, whereas when the 7’2’’ center is on the bench, that figure gains a slight boost and goes up to 55.6 percent. We are looking at a difference between the top and fourth best mark in the league with or without the big man on the floor.
Needless to say, the Indiana Pacers are tough to score on as a whole, but particularly when the five-play veteran is on the court.
But this speaks to something particularly important to Detroit.
Greg Monroe is obviously not the same player that Roy Hibbert is; and really it’s not close. The Pistons’ center has proven throughout his career to be a better scorer, better rebounder and passer. Basically, he’s been the better player.
Mind you, the Pacers’ big man is a slightly better defender.
He rarely if ever gets stuck in no man’s land, where he is just defending air. Every movement has a purpose.
Given his lack of speed, Hibbert always has an eye on his man and another one on the ball. The further away his man drifts from the action, the better his help position gets. The former Hoya is also quite adept at figuring out how long he’s been in the paint away from his man, and typically jumps out the paint towards the ball and then gets back into his help position to avoid and defensive three seconds violation.
His size as well as well the angles he takes typically leave the driving ball handler with one option: go to the basket; which is what the big man wants. There he jumps straight up to contest the shot and force the miss.
Monroe has improved defensively but can still get better.
He doesn’t always sprint back defensively if his man isn’t part of the action, gets caught ball watching and tends to hug his man a split second too long when rotating defensively.
In addition, in pick-and-roll defense, he opens himself a bit too much to one side of the court as opposed to facing towards the ball and being able to change directions whenever needed. Ball handlers take advantage of this by passing the ball to the opposite side of where his body is facing (might be the roll man in pick-and-roll or shooter on weak side of the court) or simply dribbling the ball at him and changing directions to throw him off balance.
Also, he doesn’t always do a good job of helping off the ball if his man sets a screen, which allows shooters to get free.
But fear not Pistons fans, he can improve in these aspects. Have a look at the Pistons’ defensive efficiency as well as the breakdown when he is on and off the court in the past three seasons, courtesy of NBA.com’s advanced stats tool:
|
Season |
Detroit Def. Eff. |
Def. Eff. w/ Monroe |
Def. Eff. w/o Monroe |
|
2012-13 |
103.1 |
102.2 |
104.9 |
|
2011-12 |
104.0 |
107.4 |
97.6 |
|
2010-11 |
109.0 |
108.8 |
109.3 |
Some mixed results, but the results are getting better mind you.
The left-handed big man is good at crowding the air space of opposing big men and preventing their drives because he is typically quicker than them. Also, he can switch out on some perimeter players and contain them, which allows the Pistons to close out defensive possessions late in the shot clock.
Clearly, Monroe has a few things to get better at, but it’s worth noting that he is already a more than capable defender in certain situations.
With that said, Roy Hibbert is an example of how Greg Monroe could improve and become a terrorizing defender that anchors the Pistons’ defense.
When both players meet tonight in Indiana, we may very well be looking at defenses that will mirror each other in the next two seasons, so it’s important to pay attention to its potential growth as it unfolds before our eyes.
Read about the Pacers
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Monroe does not Feer the Deer…
Essentials
- Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (23-19) at Detroit Pistons (17-27)
- Date: January 29, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
Is Greg Monroe the new old Dwight Howard?
The question probably sounds ludicrous at first glance given that D12 has the chance to one day make the Hall of Fame, whereas Monroe is playing in his third NBA season and is still developing as a big man.
But if we look at his production against the Milwaukee Bucks so far this season, it would be hard not to take that comparison seriously.
Keep in mind, the former Hoya isn’t in the same athletic class as the former Magic player, but in terms of his impact on both ends of the court against the Bucks, he’s been the real deal.
In two games this season, the left-handed center has averaged 20 points, 10.5 rebounds and two assists on 54.8 percent field goal shooting; but more importantly he’s made life painfully difficult for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee likes to run their perimeter players off screens to create advantageous situations where they curl off screens for jump shots; but if the big man steps out to thwart their attempt, they’ll dish off the ball to the screener rolling to the basket for the easy deuce.
This type of action as well as the pick-and-roll are tough to run when the Georgetown product is on the court because he not only sniffs those plays but defends them quite well. Indeed, Monroe helps out on the screen by jumping out onto the would be shooter and then quickly recovering to his man, or simply finds the perfect balance in remaining in between both players as his teammate recovers from the screen to come pick up his man.
The end result is that the player coming off the screen must settle for a semi-contested jumper or pass it out to another player camped out at the 3-point line because the Pistons’ other defenders sagged off the perimeter shooters.
In addition, in the instances that the Pistons’ center has been late in his rotation, he’s recovered nicely by contesting the shot attempt at the rim because the Milwaukee player tried to get all the way to the basket. So far this season, Milwaukee has only converted 55.3 percent of their shot attempts directly at the rim when Monroe is on the court, per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool.
Monroe poses a conundrum for the Bucks: continue to attack him and take contested mid-range shots and attempt some difficult looks at the basket, or pass out to the perimeter for 3-point looks on a team devoid of true pure shooters.
Regardless of the strategy, it’s been difficult for Jim Boylan’s group this season against Detroit. NBA.com’s advanced stats tool tells us that when Monroe is on the bench, Milwaukee scores 112.3 points per 100 possessions, but when he is on the court, the figure nosedives to 89.2 points per 100 possessions.
In other words, Greg is the difference between the best and worst offense in the league for Milwaukee when matched up against Detroit.
On the other side of the ball, the third year big man has been just as terrorizing.
His assist numbers against Brandon Jennings and company may be low, but that’s a little deceiving. The Pistons have fed him the ball on the block and he’s found cutters, open shooters and even ran a few quick hand offs with his teammates that all led to high percentage shots as well as some scores. On a few occasions, his passes led to other players getting fouled, or helped set up an assist.
The reason he’s drawn so much attention from the opposing coaching staff is rather simple: they cannot stop him.
Whether it’s in the post, pick-and-roll or on the boards, Monroe has simply been able to get whatever shot he wants against Milwaukee.
Per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool, with Monroe on the court, Detroit scores 116.3 points per 100 possessions on 49.1 percent shooting, but with their prized big man lounging on the bench, the Pistons produce an anemic 83.6 points per 100 possessions on 38.3 percent field goal shooting.
No matter how you slice it, Greg Monroe is a game changer of the highest order whenever the Bucks are involved.
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Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
Rodney Stuckey inactivated due to ‘coach’s decision’ against Magic
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (16-27) at Orlando Magic (27-12)
- Date: January 27, 2013
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Television: Fox Sports Detroit Plus
What to look for
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:
Stuckey’s inactive status is "coach’s decision," I am told. I’m sure LFrank will be asked that first postgame.
Rodney Stuckey has been struggling lately, but this seems like a rather harsh move. Does Lawrence Frank really believe Khris Middleton will be better than Stuckey? Or is there more to this?
Read about the Magic
House of the champs: on the road in Miami
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons (16-26) at Miami Heat (27-12)
- Date: January 25, 2013
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
What to look for
After losing a tough contest in Chicago Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons will be in Miami tonight to take on a Heat team that they convincingly defeated at the Palace of Auburn Hills on December 28th.
In that contest, the Pistons scored 109 points on 58.1 percent field goal shooting thanks to their performance on both the interior and perimeter. Indeed, Detroit managed 48 points in the paint and also converted an astonishing 12-of-19 shots from 3-point range, with Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye combining to go six-of-seven from downtown.
The Heat were in somewhat of a funk at the time and played without the services of Dwyane Wade.
This time around, Miami is playing a little better basketball, as evidenced by their back-to-back wins in Golden State and Los Angeles (Lakers) where they held their opponents to 75 and 90 points respectively.
But again, they are still prone to some lackadaisical efforts, which occurred on Wednesday night at home, when they needed overtime to dispatch the Toronto Raptors.
Nonetheless, with Dwyane Wade returning to the lineup tonight, expect this contest to be played differently in comparison to the last time both teams squared off.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh dropped 63 points on 26-for-39 field goal shooting in the first tilt, but received little help from their supporting cast.
Wade’s presence will undoubtedly reduce the scoring burden for both James and Bosh given his ability to put up points on the board, which allows the team to better balance out the point production. NBA.com’s advanced stats tool tells us that LeBron James produces 23 points and seven assists per 36 minutes on 55.8 percent shooting with Wade playing alongside him, whereas when the Marquette product is on the bench, he manufactures 28.5 points and 5.9 assists per 36 minutes on 53.6 percent field goal shooting.
It’s also worth noting that Miami is a better shooting team with the former Finals MVP on the court because they generate more free throw attempts, finish much better around the basket and convert a slightly higher share of their above the break 3-point shots per NBA.com’s advanced stats tool.
Thus, it stands to reason that Detroit won’t be able to replicate the exact same defensive game plan they used in late December against Miami because the variables are much more different now with Wade weaving through defenders off the dribble to get to the rim.
The Heat will find a balance between attacking the paint and setting up their shooters for long-range shooters where they are converting 38.8 percent from downtown (third best mark in NBA).
So how does Detroit win this game?
They have to absolutely win two statistical categories: rebounding and turnovers.
Much has been made of the Heat’s rebounding deficiencies, but the team still has the best record in the Eastern Conference and a huge part of that stems from their at times suffocating defense that forces turnovers and permits them to get out in transition for easy baskets.
The defending champions make up for their lack of size with speed, quickness and an ability to force miscues. Consequently, if Detroit can produce positive results in both areas, they should have a terrific chance of pulling out the contest on the road.
Read about the Heat
Statistical support provided by NBA.com.
