win

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Contesting Shots Matters and Here's Why

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Earlier this season I listened to Eric Mussleman, head coach at Nevada, speak to his team on the importance of contesting shots.  He referenced the 2015-16 NBA season to explain why the distance of your closeout on a shot makes all the difference.  He said that defensive FG% was lower as shots were contested closer.  You can hear him talk to his team in the YouTube video at the end of this post.  

Sometimes it's difficult to compare NBA analytics with lower levels because of the type of athlete, the longer 3-point arc, etc., but I thought that this statistic could be applied at any level because of it's nature.  We decided to make it a point of emphasis with our team defense and it has been instrumental in our success.  We play Pack-Line defense, so closeouts are an important aspect of what we do.  Early on in the season we struggled to contest shots, but noticed we gave ourselves a chance when we did.  We kept working on closeouts every day and determined this could be the single most important statistic that we track.

HERE'S WHY

Over our last 13 games we have a record of 10-3.  Our defensive FG% is directly related to our W/L record and has proven to be a key factor in our success.  Here's what I mean:

Overall DFG% last 13 games (infographic below):

0-2 feet contests - 35/137 (25.5%) 

2-4 feet contests - 39/101 (38.2%)

4+ feet contests - 9/12 (75.0%)

DFG% in our 10 wins:

0-2 feet contests - 32/125 (25.6%)

2-4 feet contests - 23/76 (30.3%)

4+ feet contests - 4/7 (57.1%)

DFG% in our 3 losses:

0-2 feet contests - 3/12 (25.0%)

2-4 feet contests - 16/35 (45.7%)

4+ feet contests - 5/5 (100%)

You can see the difference between our wins and losses.  In our wins, we consistently contested shots 0-2 feet more often that any other distance.  We made teams uncomfortable shooting the basketball.  In our losses, we failed to consistently contest shots 0-2 feet and allowed teams to get comfortable shooting unguarded shots.  We have found that contesting/not contesting shots is a huge stat for us. I believe that contesting shots is extremely valuable at the college level.  The more our players see the proof of how contesting shots directly impacts our success, the more seriously we take it.  If you would like to discuss in more detail how we track this or see more examples of its impact, please reach out to me at awingree@bju.edu.  Happy contesting! 

Here is an example of what I use to track contested shots during games.  I will make my best judgment on the distance of the closeout and then go back and watch film to determine the accuracy.  If we have mostly 0-2 feet closeouts, we find that we win most of our games.  If the majority are in the 2-4 or 4+ column, we find that we typically are playing from behind.

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Deflections Matter

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When measuring a successful defensive team, most people will look to common stats such as turnovers forced, blocked shots, defensive FG%, and opponents PPG.  However, there is one "unofficial" statistic that may prove more beneficial than any of those.  

DEFLECTIONS.

Coaches will have various definitions of what a deflection is.  Some will claim it is only when a player misdirects a pass by getting a hand on the ball and others will tell you that charges and shot-clock violations count as deflections too.  No matter what your definition of a deflection is, there is no doubt that it is a valuable statistic to track.  

Every good defensive team plays with energy and aggressiveness, and deflections are a sure way to tell if your team is carrying that passion.  Deflections will help you understand how active your team is defensively and whether or not they are applying appropriate pressure.  It has been said that 40 deflections per game is the benchmark for most teams looking to secure a win.  Obviously, you as a coach will need to find an appropriate number that works for your style of defense at your level.  Active feet and active hands will dictate the intensity of your defense and will ultimately lead to deflections which have been proven necessary to win on a consistent basis. 

“Deflections tells you how much energy you’re playing with and how active your hands are. If you lack deflections, then you’re probably not being a very aggressive team and you probably don’t have very active hands.”
— Eric Musselman; University of Nevada Head Coach

Your players are giving a lot of effort whether you think so or not, and telling them to play harder on defense isn't always the answer.  Deflections are a tangible goal that your players can strive for.  This  allows them to feel more in control of the circumstances than when you give the vague answer of, "play harder!"  

Here are some drill ideas that we have used to emphasize the importance of deflections in our program:

QUICK HANDS 3 v 1

For this drill you will split your team into groups of four.   1, 2, & 3 will stand approximately 8 feet apart and pass the ball around in the triangle.  x1 will work to get as many deflections as he can.  x1 will be "in the middle" for a 30 second round and then a new player will rotate into the middle.   Each individual will keep track of his own points as follows: 1 point = deflection; 2 points = clean steal; -1 point = offensive player turns it over; 2 points = dive on the floor for a loose ball (we add this later on to make deflections "live loose balls").

Points of Emphasis: Offense must "catch and peek" and make strong rip throughs and passes.  Pass fakes are encouraged.  Defender must stay in a good stance and have active hands.  He should be applying "voice pressure" the entire time he is in the drill.

QUICK HANDS 4 v 2

This drill is similar to Quick Hands 3 v 1, but it adds an element of "team" and creates more energy.  You will have your players select a partner and then place them in groups of six (three teams of 2 players in each group).  The drill will proceed the same way as  3 v 1, except now you are competing as teams and your points count for both players.  The team with the most points wins.

Points of Emphasis: Offense (see above).  Defense must adhere to same emphasis as 3 v 1 and must work together as a team.  Constant communication should be encouraged between teammates.