James Bouknight's Pick and Roll Efficiency

James Bouknight had a stretch in the second half where he was involved in a pick and roll or dribble handoff for eleven straight possessions, making arguabley the correct read on each possession. The stretch is one of the main reasons why Bouknight's stock continues to rise and why he is planning on leaving for the NBA after this season.

In this article, we are going to start with some first half possessions and how Bouknight attacked the pick and roll while Creighton defended him. Then, we will delve into the second half and look beyond the 40 point performance to explain why the sophomore is as good as he is. 

**Again for optimal viewing, I would recommend changing the Playback Speed to 0.75 in Settings**

Clip #1 - 16:15 1st Half

Notice how #13 does not hard hedge as Bouknight comes off Carlton's ballscreen. If Bouknight could have a do-over, my guess is he pulls the three right away but instead reverts back to a step-back-three (something he is very comfortable with) and misses. Judging by the upcoming clips, this is not how McDermott and Creighton want to guard Bouknight.

The Next Possession - 15:50 1st Half

While this is not Bouknight coming off a ballscreen, it gives us a clear indication of how Creighton wants to defend him. Bouknight tries to curl off Carlton's downscreen is greeted by three Creighton defenders forcing him to give it up. Bouknight could try to slip it to Carlton but it would be a tough pass to make, especially so early in the game (just wait until the second half).

7:30 in 1st Half 

Similarly, later in the half, Creighton hard hedges Bouknight on the ballscreen and is in proper MIG position under the basket. Bouknight is forced to give it up.

Bouknight Trying to Counter - 6:40 in First Half

Here, Bouknight tries to force it to Whaley on the roll and is a little too late on the pass / it's not really there. At this point though, UConn is down 12 and he is trying to make something happen so you can't really fault him.

"I got this." - James Bouknight, 4:30 1st Half

Similar to a pick and roll, Creighton is defending dribble handoffs the same way, staying attached to Bouknight with multiple defenders forcing him to either give it up or into difficult shots. In this clip, Bouknight decides that his offense is simply better than the defense and he gets to his spot, rises it up, and drills the jumper.

Now to the second half where James Bouknight proceeded to put on a show to Basketball Nerds like ourselves (I'll try to have voiceovers on @BleedBlueBlog soon).

Possession #1 - Danny Hurley Special: Backdoor, Absurd finish, 19:40 2nd Half

In the first half, Bouknight was involved in many dribble handoffs by UConn's big men. To start the second half, Hurley countered this with a beautiful backdoor set from Whaley to Bouknight that resulted in an absurd finish. As you can see, #34 is trying to read the handoff and over the top of it. Bouknight makes the read and received a great pass from Whaley.

Possession #2 - Hit the Roller, 19:15 in 2nd Half

Whaley gives Bouknight a ballscreen early in the shot-clock and semi in transition. There is a hard hedge by Creighton but really no backside help. Bouknight makes the easy decision and delivers it to a wide open Whaley for two.

Possession #3 - Hit the Roller, 18:30 in 2nd Half

Same thing as last possession except this time Bouknight reads it early. A hard hedge by Creighton leaves Carlton wide open rolling to the paint. Bouknight delivers a smooth pass, but unfortunately Carlton is called for a charge.

Possession #4 - "All good." 17:55 in 2nd Half

Again, the very next possession and again, another ballscreen involving Bouknight. Creighton does a good job hedging and forcing Bouknight backwards. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Bouknight is then able to have a one-on-one matchup and dribble into one of his favorite spots to shoot from - a top of the key three. Bang.

Possession #5 - Too Hot To Handle, 17:20 2nd Half

Again, the next possession and again, another ballscreen with Bouknight. Here, it is Sanogo setting the ballscreen and rolling to the rim. Bouknight is patient and delivers just an absolute dime that is a little too much for Sanogo. The pass though is made at the correct time and thrown in the right place, an improvement from the pass he tried to throw Whaley in the first half. Additionally, this is a pass that will lead to plenty of dunks in the NBA and hopefully later this season.

Possession #6 - "What are you going to do now?" 16:20, 2nd Half

At this point in the second half, Bouknight has passed to the roller or attempted to pass to the roller four out of the last five possessions. Therefore, #13 on Creighton does not give a hard enough hedge and Bouknight, recognizing this, simply pulls an essentially uncontested three from his favorite spot - Bang.

Possession #7 - "LOL" 15:20, 2nd Half

While this is after an offensive rebound, it is still considered the very next possession. Here, Creighton's hard hedge forces Bouknight backwards but it is not in a contained manner. Therefore, Bouknight is able to turn the corner and show off his supreme athleticism, tying the game for UConn and eventually giving them the lead with the made free throw.

Possession #8 - No Hedge, Downhill. 14:40, 2nd Half

What is unique about this possession is the lack of hard hedge from #32 on Creighton. I'm not sure if this is a brekadown in coverage or an adjustment made by the coaching staff. Either way, it allows for Bouknight to get downhill quickly and draw the foul.

Full Disclosure, the next four possessions are not nearly as sexy but are still in the streak of ELEVEN straight pick and roll / dribble hand off possessions for Bouknight.

Possession #9 - Creighton figures it out. 14:05, 2nd Half

Creighton finally forces Bouknight to give it up here. #13 does a great job hard hedging and along with #4 are able to contain Bouknight and force him to give it up. The MIG defender is also in proper positioning, discouraging the pass to Sanogo on the roll.

Possession #10 - Trying Something New, 13:30, 2nd Half

For the first time since early in the second half, Bouknight rejects the ballscreen, aka, going in the opposite direction that the screen is coming from. My guess is Bouknight can anticipate the hard hedge coming so he pulls it back into a stepback. It's a tough shot and he misses, but at this point, Bouknight can practically do whatever he wants. Plus, it is still a very smooth move and release.

Possession #11 - Still Feeling it. 12:30, 2nd Half

Bouknight begins this clip by rejecting the ballscreen from Sanogo before deciding to use it. He is again met by a hard hedge and a double but he is able to deliver another slick one-handed pass to Sanogo, splitting the double team. Sanogo misses the short jumper but still, another dime and another great read by Bouknight.

Possession #12 - Hit the roller, ends in dunk. 11:45, 2nd Half

This is the last possession of this stretch and fittingly enough, it starts with Bouknight and ends in a dunk. Creighton hard hedges well again, forcing Bouknight towards the sideline as he tries to get downhill. Before falling out of bounds, Bouknight is somehow able to deliver a perfect one handed pass to the rolling Sanogo. Sanogo catches, gathers, and makes the easy pass to Martin for the impressive two-handed slam.

Bouknight then gets a very well-deserved rest on the bench.

My takeaway - James Bouknight is really freakin good.

An In-depth Look at UConn’s Pick and Roll Coverage and the Discipline and Communication it Requires.

In the game against number-ninth-ranked Creighton, UConn implored 28 hard hedges (give or take a few) on ball-screens, a staple of the Dan Hurley defensive scheme. The reason for using a hard hedge is to force the primary ball-handler backwards and prevent him from getting “downhill.” When facing talented guards who can either knife through the paint or have the ability to hit off-the-dribble threes (like Zergowski), the hard hedge is a great way to disrupt the offense. Furthermore, with UConn’s consistent full-court pressure, placing added pressure on the ball-handler by hard hedging is just another way to wear a team down, something Hurley has been adamant about.

As we have seen over the past two years, Isaiah Whaley may be the best hard hedger in the Big East and even the country. His ability to force the ball-handler backwards and recover in impeccable time is second to none (full disclosure - I don’t know much about other big men’s hard hedge ability but maybe Rothstein or Mark Titus can help me out on this one).

The only downside of the hard hedge is potential wide open dunks, layups, or three-pointers allowed. The most famous example I can think of is when defenses try to hard hedge or trap Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. A big part of the Warriors’ success was how they handled this - Draymond Green, the screen setter, would slip or do a bit of a half-roll to the free throw line, creating a 4-on-3 advantage.

With a smaller court in college and far fewer players with the same skill set as Green or Curry, the defensive scheme is a popular one and one that Hurley and co has tried to have the players master. There are two key components to a successful hard hedge. 

How the Hard Hedge Works

First, there is the initial ball-screen where the on-ball defender and the screener’s defender must make sure they force the ball-handler backwards. Any split of the two results in a potential 5-on-3 and certainly a high-percentage chance at a make. The initial on-ball defender must get above the screen-setters hip and “lock and trail” the ball-handler until he can get back in front. The screener’s defender, meanwhile, must hedge hard and long enough for his teammate to recover before quickly returning to his man, the roller.

The second component is the one we will cover in-depth in this article: the MIG - the Most Important Guy. For the most part, the MIG is a weak-side defender (opposite side of the court). On the roll or slip by the screen-setter, it is the MIG’s job to sit in the paint and “tag” the roller, discouraging an easy pass into the paint for a layup or a dunk. The MIG must also be aware of the potential of a skip pass to his primary assignment and have the ability to recover.

There are two schools of thought on designating the MIG. The first is to always make it the defender guarding a certain player, usually a non-shooting threat and a non-big man. The other is based on positioning and communication which seems to be the strategy Hurley relied on for the game against Creighton. With Creighton having usually four three-point threats on the court to go along their screen-setter, UConn had to rely on constant communication and proper positioning in order to avoid easy dunks, layups, or three-pointers.

How it Worked against Creighton

Against Creighton, Gaffney, Cole, Martin, and Adams were the primary players in the MIG position, and by no coincidence they are all guards/wings who are also arguably UConn’s best defenders (on or off-the-ball). The four of them’s IQ comes into play here as knowing the scout is key. If the player they were guarding is a three-point threat, they need to read the ball-handler’s eyes (almost like a safety reading the quarterback’s eyes) and know when to fully commit to the tag versus shading towards the shooter. If the player they are guarding is a non-shooting threat or a non-threat overall, then they can fully commit to tagging the roller before recovering to their man.

Bouknight was also involved in a lot of MIG possessions and for the most part was always in really good positioning. However, sometimes, he would become slightly undisciplined with his closeouts or staying on his feet. This is of course totally fair as he was literally putting the team on his back on offense. It should be reiterated that despite working his butt on offense in terms of scoring and being illegally grabbed, his on-ball defense and off-the-ball defensive positioning was really good AND he still has room to improve. For all the love he gets on offense, he is well on his way to becoming a legitimate two-way player, if he’s not already there.

Jackson was involved in one MIG possession which resulted in a Creighton dunk...Freshman learning the defensive scheme

Out of the 28 hard hedges, five ended with makes off the initial pick and roll action and almost all were wide open. While the success rate of not allowing a wide open dunk or layup is over 80%, it can be frustrating to a fan to see these possessions happen. Let’s take a look at what happened on those breakdowns and then more often what does happen in most instances.

**When looking at these clips, it may be helpful to change the "Playback Speed" to 0.75 in Settings**

Here is an initial look at Cole being the MIG in this possession - 

Notice how Cole is guarding #4 in this possession but he is stationed right in the middle of the paint waiting #13 to roll into the paint. Cole's presence discourages the pass to the roller and causes an errant pass out of bounds.

Now to the breakdowns (and fixes of those breakdowns) on defense:

Breakdown #1 - 10:05 in 1st Half, Creighton Dunk

This is a tough one. Freshman Andre Jackson is in the proper positioning initially but needs to wait until Sanogo returns to his man. By leaving #13 too early, it allows for an easy dunk. It's tough to fault a freshman for this mistake as you can see, he is worried about his own man, #0, being wide open in the ball side corner. This is where being a seasoned vet or being very in tune with the scout pays off. #0 was 3-11 from three heading into the game. (Additionally, the Gaffney-Sanogo duo could probably defend this a little better as well)

The Fix - 8:15 in 1st Half, Cole MIG, Solid rotation, better O

Here, notice Cole practically sit in the paint as #32 rolls into the paint. Jackson learned from his prior mistake and correctly defends the ball over his man, switching onto #0. Carlton also does a really good job forcing #11 out towards half court and quickly returns back to the paint. Cole waits for Carlton to return to #32 before flying back out to #24, a shooter (knowing the scout).  This is good rotation, just better offense.

Breakdown #2 - 6:50 in 1st Half, Creighton Dunk, No MIG

This is a great set by Greg McDermott, elevating everyone above the three-point-line and keeping two players on the far side of the court. As mentioned previously, the slip is a great counter to the hard hedge and when there is no MIG, it allows for easy opportunities. While UConn is caught in some weird matchups like Gaffney on #23, my guess is it should be either Gaffney or Cole in the MIG spot. Both are clearly far too hung up on their man.

The Fix - 2:55 in 1st Half, Cole MIG

Out of a timeout, McDermott tries to run a similar action, but notice Cole retreating to the paint rather than following #11 to the corner. He is in the MIG position even though #11 is a great shooter. Carlton also recognizes the action and stayed attached to #32 while Bouknight has far more active hands than in the breakdown.

Breakdown #3 - 7:45 in 2nd Half, Lucky

 

As you can see by McDermott's reaction, if #0 rolls to the hoop, he has a wide open lane to an easy layup or dunk. By the time Martin notices where he is supposed to be, it would have been too lane. UConn gets lucky. (Notice no RJ Cole in this possession)

Breakdown #4 - 7:00 in 2nd Half, Creighton Offensive Putback

This is a good offensive set by Creighton with plenty of misdirection. As #24 comes off the ballscreen and #13 rolls to the hoop, notice how Bouknight, Gaffney, and Martin are all hung up on their man and no one is in the MIG position. This is where the communication aspect is key. My guess is it is Gaffney's responsibility to be the MIG while communicating to Bouknight and Martin that #11 is coming towards the top of the key. (Notice no RJ Cole this possession)

The Fix - 6:10 in 2nd Half, Adams MIG

Notice how Adams gets into the paint while keeping his head on a swivel, noticing how Gaffney has moved to the corner and #24, a shooter, rotates to the top of the key.

Breakdown #5 - 1:05 in Overtime, Creighton Alley-oop, Dagger

Great finish by #13 on this but a couple of things here that I'm chalking mostly up to fatigue. First off, Carlton doesn't hedge hard enough. Secondly, #13 is rolling too far way from Cole for him to rotate all the way over so it is really Martin's responsibility to dig in there and "tag" the roller. He is instead too hung up on #23. Again, great finish, first game in 17 days, overtime, should have won in regulation. This is where the discipline factor comes into play.

Here are a couple looks at Martin's MIG play which along with Cole, was some of the best of the day, especially late:

5:25 in 2nd half, down 57-55

As soon as #11 comes off the dribble hand-off, Martin is in position, ready to tag #13. I love how he keeps hit feet moving and is ready to close out on #23 who had earned the respect as someone who could knock down an open three at that point.

1:10 in 2nd half, up 63-61

It is a little difficult to tell, but as #11 comes off the ballscreen and is being doubled by Whaley and Gaffney, he is looking for #13 rolling to the hoop. Martin, despite his man--#23--popping to the three-point line, stays in the paint long enough to tag the roller and discourage a pass being made. Gaffney and Whaley then force a turnover.

2:30 in overtime, down 69-68

Obviously critical point in the game here. Martin is in great position to tag the roller, waiting for Carlton to recover before closing out on #34. It is a hard high hand as #34 is a shooter and the Martin proceeds to play the drive perfectly.

One more for fun because it is by far my favorite defensive possession of the game due to circumstances. It could also be the fix for Breakdown #4, but I thought I would leave the audience with some top-notch defense and call it a day.

5:05 in 2nd half, Up 58-57, just took lead off Bouknight And-1

It starts with Cole's full-court defense. At the 4:50 mark, #32 comes to set a ballscreen for #11. Look at how all three of Gaffney, Bouknight, and Martin are in the paint - you can't even tell which one is the MIG because they all are! On the re-screen by #32, Martin becomes the official MIG and tags him as he rolls to the hoop. Once Whaley is back on #32, Gaffney's denial forces the ball to be caught way outside and allows plenty of time for Martin to recover onto #23. They then try to iso #34 onto Bouknight who will have none of it.

Hope you enjoyed the article and learned more about Hurley's defense. It is very good at the moment and is only going to get better. Also, shoutout to UConnHuskyGames for having all this great content for me to go to!

Film Review: USC versus BYU (First 30 minutes)

After 30 minutes, I had seen enough. It was a slow and painful death for BYU, reminiscent of certain games during the Ollie era where you may be saying to yourself “Come on Kevin, adjust!” or “You know what, we are getting good shots, we just aren’t making them!”

This article is about USC, though, not about BYU or about Kevin-Ollie led teams (real quick though- we love you Kevin and thank you for the ring!!!).

I was impressed with USC for two main reasons:

1. They dictated tempo throughout the whole 30 minutes I watched. In the first half, they almost appeared stuck in the mud, playing at their own pace. While it wasn’t the prettiest thing, it definitely affected BYU and they started to slowly pull away from the Cougars. The very first possession of the second half, they pushed it hard off BYU’s first miss, scoring easily in transition. BYU immediately pushed it up the court thinking “oh this pace, great!” Nope. USC reeled it right back in and continued to dictate tempo.

2. They have a really good grasp on who they are for this early in the season, especially given the circumstances. Offensively, they want to play out of the midpost/elbow/block area and they run simple actions to get the ball there. There was rarely an ill-advised shot and most turnovers came off illegal screens. Defensively, they keep it relatively packed in and are in position to help with length and consistent feet movement.

They also have Evan Mobley who is really really talented...so I guess it’s three things.

The game comes extremely easy to the #3 ranked ESPN recruit. I know there have been Kevin Durant comparisons which seems a bit absurd because, you know, Durant is one of the most talented players to ever play, but I get why people may say it. He went 8-12 in 29 minutes in the win over BYU and everything just came so natural to him. There were times he even looked bored! There were also times where you would forget he was out there (Good or bad??)

Either way, the dude is good. And his supporting cast isn’t so bad either.

Let’s take a look!

#4 Evan Mobley - 7’0, 210 Freshmen 

16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 67.7 FG%, 2-3 3PT

See above. #3 Ranked ESPN recruit

Can do it all → very good stroke from midrange and three; can put it on the deck; will bring it up in transition. A threat whenever he catches it. They love to throw it to him at the elbow.

Fake DHO and keep for a drive 

Looks bored at times...could lead to carelessness?

#13 Drew Peterson - 6’8, 185 Junior 

14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 63.6 FG%, 5-8 3PT

Legitimate threat

Extremely impressed with him → main scorer early

Very good body control, very crafty, loves to back defender down into midpost area and then playmake off there

Good coming off ballscreens, especially at keeping defender “in jail”

Good catch and shoot shooter

Defended BYU’s best player

#2 Tahj Eaddy - 6’2, 165 Senior 

12.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, 54.2 FG%, 5-11 3PT

Senior from West Haven, CT!!

Very shifty and has a very sound pull-up game especially to his right

Can catch and shoot from three but I think he would rather playmake off dribble

#3 Isaiah Mobley - 6’10, 235 Sophomore 

10.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 44.4 FG%, 0-5 3PT

Evan’s older brother → there are going to be times where he does something and you say “this guy”

Will put it on the deck, get to his spot, jump stop and go up strong (charge/travel opportunities)

Doesn’t do anything that special just a big bruiser who rebounds well and finishes strong

#5 Isaiah White - 6’7, 205 Senior

8.3 PPG, 50.0 FG%, 1-4 3PT

Decent stroke but would be better if he set his feet

They will throw it into post to him

Physical driver

#1 Chevez Goodwin - 6’9, 215 Senior

6.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 52.9 FG%, 

Didn’t get to him in fim → Must have scored late

#20 Ethan Anderson - 6’1, 210 Sophomore 

6.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, 50.0 FG%, 3-7 3PT

Started and played 9 minutes

Not a great release

OFFENSE: 

USC was pretty simple with their actions. They love to get the ball in the midpost/elbow area or on the block and will do it for any one of their players. They have two different ways they do this. One is a block to block screen. The other is by having someone curl off Mobley at around the elbow and to the hoop. Mobley then extends his long arms and receives a pass for an isolation situation. Also, the occasional UCLA cut for either a post entry or elbow entry.

Another popular action is having either Mobley brother set a backscreen for someone and then go set a ballscreen for whoever has it. This makes it difficult on the big guarding either Mobley brother since they have to defend the backscreen and the ballscreen.

Couple of nice sets out of timeouts to keep your eyes peeled for:

1. Lob set for Mobley that is very similar to the one we have seen Hurley run for Bouknight.

2. Three-point set for Peterson

They crash offensive boards hard. Two offensive boards off free throw misses

DEFENSE:

To start, let me say this...BYU shot 7-30 from three. That’s not good. 

BUT! USC had a good game plan to handle BYU’s continuity ball screen offense. They consistently went over on screens and were pretty packed in in terms of helping. There was usually very good help on baseline drives. BYU had their most success on “empty ballscreens” aka when the guy setting the ball screen rolls, he is rolling towards an area where NO one else is...all three players are on the other side of the court. When BYU did this, it would leave either the roller open, the ballhandler a pullup/floater opportunity, or a kickout to someone who’s defender came ALL the way over to help.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

As has been mentioned by many writers, one of UConn’s biggest strengths this year is their depth, particularly in the backcourt. Top to bottom, UConn’s guards and wings are better than USC’s. I would think there will be many ballscreen sets with an emphasis on Bouknight and Gaffney really getting into the paint and into the teeth of the defense (this is where BYU had the most success in terms of open shots, not necessarily made shots). RJ Cole will be relied on as well to create on these ballscreens but his ability to stretch the defense will be critical tonight (along with Polley and Brendan Adams corner threes). As long as he stays out of foul trouble, this is a game where Cole can really show his professional scoring ability to UConn fans.

On the other side of the court, the biggest question I have is how our frontcourt matches up with the Mobley brothers. Evan is better than his older brother, but Isaiah is still a huge body and is definitely no slouch. We know what we’re getting with Whaley (amazingness), but this could be a game where UConn fans continue to fall in love with Sanogo due to his thick frame and actual ability to contribute on offense (unlike Josh, sorry Josh). I’m sure Hurley and staff are eager to see what the freshman can do against a talented frontcourt this early in the season.

Newcomers delight tonight.