khandor’s sports blog

Yes, a poor Rebounding Differential [overall] has hurt the Toronto Raptors ability to win games against high calibre opponents … this season and in the past.

Yes, Reggie Evans [PF, 6-8, 245] is a player who could effectively help the Raptors address their deficiency in this specific phase of the game, i.e. Rebounding, as a highly industrious “boardman”. Working hard on the glass, at both ends of the floor, is precisely what Reggie Evans does best, as an elite level basketball player.

However, in this specific case … and despite what you might have read elsewhere, on this subject:

Evans could provide answer to defensive problems
[Excerpt #1]
“I don’t want to put it all on one guy’s shoulders … but there have been nights when we’ve gotten eaten alive on the glass. And Reggie would be able to go in and stop that flow,” Bryan Colangelo, the president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors, was saying Thursday. “Whether it was a five-minute span or a 10-minute span or what have you, he’s a weapon.”

[Excerpt #2]
“Probably the best example is the way (Memphis frontliners Marc) Gasol and DeMarre Carroll just kind of chewed us up (in a defeat Oct. 30). That’s one loss that was really painful,” said Colangelo. “Reggie could have helped. … But it’s important to point out that we’re 12 games into a season. We’re still learning new things. The team is learning how to play with each other. But we are obviously not performing as well as we’d like to defensively.”

———————————

what Reggie Evans brings to the court each and every day is NOT what’s going to solve the Raptors’ problems this season.

PART I

There are three distinct Phases to the game of basketball:

1. Offense [what happens when your team has possession of the ball]

2. Defense [what happens when your opponent has possession of the ball], and

3. Rebounding [what happens when neither team has possession of the basketball and either team is free to try and gain its possession]

… NOT just 2 [i.e. Offense and Defense], as many others would have you believe, with the sub-category of Rebounding, specifically, falling under each of the primary 2 [i.e. as Offensive Rebounding and Defensive Rebounding].

Individual basketball players can be placed into 1 of the following 3 classifications:

I. 1 Dimensional Players [i.e. who are proficient at: i. Offense, or ii. Defense, or iii. Rebounding ... at the specific position[s] which they happen to play].

II. 2 Dimensional Players [i.e. who are proficient at: i. Offense and Defense, or ii. Offense and Rebounding, or iii. Defense and Rebounding ... at the specific position[s] which they play]

III. 3 Dimensional/All-around Players [i.e. who are proficient at Offense and Defense and Rebounding ... at the specific position[s] which they play]

Although there are many basketball players who have been/are proficient at both “Rebounding and Defense” [i.e. fitting into the 2 Dimensional Player classification], it is by no means a given that any specific player who just happens to be adept at the skill-set associated with the 3rd Phase is also [and, by definition] adept at the skill-set associated with the 2nd Phase, as well.

In fact, the specific skill-sets involved with these two distinct Phases of the game are NOT one and the same for all basketball players … and, Reggie Evans just happens to be someone who, although he is properly classified as being a good rebounding PF, is also far from being classified properly as a good defensive PF.

i.e. Reggie Evans … given his size, quickness and agility … has major problems at the defensive end of the floor, when it comes to such things as:

i. Keeping his own check in front of him off the dribble [especially perimeter-oriented PFs]
ii. Preventing his own check from scoring in the Low-post area
iii. Preventing his own check from scoring in the Mid/High-post area
iv. Preventing his own check from scoring on the perimeter
v. Moving his feet laterally to Hedge & Recover vs Big-on-Little Picks
vi. Moving his feet laterally to Provide Help in Rotation scenarios vs dribble penetration
vii. Blocking shots when coming off the ball
viii. Getting back effectively in Defensive Transition scenarios
ix. Committing indiscriminant Fouls
x. Taking unnecessary risks/chances in an effort to make a steal

PART II

Chris Bosh [PF, 230] is 2nd in the NBA in Rebounding [12.3/RPG].

Amir Johnson is doing an adequate job as Chris Bosh’s primary back-up.

Reggie Evans can only play 1 position effectively, i.e. Power Forward.

A lack of Rebounding ability at the Power Forward position is NOT the Raptors’ only main problem, so far this season.

PART III

Fundamentally, the game of basketball is about scoring more points than your opponent.

In general, have the Raptors’ losses this season really stemmed from their lack of Rebounding prowess?

October	Opponent	Result	Toronto Rebounds	Opponent Rebounds
Fri 30	@ Memphis	L 107-115	36	45
November
Sun 01	vs Orlando	L 116-125	38 *	37
Sat 07	@ Dallas	L 101-129	39	42
Mon 09	@ San Antonio	L 124-131	29	41
Sun 15	@ Phoenix	L 100-101	39	46
Tue 17	@ Denver	L 112-130	48 *	33
Wed 18	@ Utah	L 91-104	50 *	49

 

POINTS SCORING ADVANTAGE CATEGORIES IN RAPTORS’ LOSSES, 2009-2010
TEAMS	FGM	FG%	2FGM	2FG%	3FGM	3FG%	FTM	FT%	ADV
Tor @	39	44.3	32	48.5	7	33.3	22	78.6
MEM	42	51.2	39	53.4	3	31.8	28	80.0	0+2+1
Orl	36	43.9	19	38.0	17	53.1	36	87.8	3+1
TOR v	40	54.1	30	52.6	10	58.8	26	74.3
Tor @	36	43.9	28	46.7	8	36.4	21	77.8
DAL	53	62.2	43	66.2	10	50.0	13	61.9	0+2+3
Tor @	45	59.2	34	57.6	11	64.7	23	79.3
SAS	42	48.3	28	47.5	14	50.0	33	75.0	3+1
Tor @	40	45.5	31	48.4	9	33.3	11	78.6
PHO	35	44.9	27	50.0	8	37.9	23	85.2	1
Tor @	42	46.2	35	46.7	7	43.8	21	75.0
DEN	48	61.5	41	67.2	7	41.2	27	77.1	0+2+1
Tor @	34	37.4	28	42.4	6	24.0	17	77.3
UTA	41	48.8	38	52.1	3	27.3	19	65.5	0+2+1
Legend: FGM – Number of Field Goals Made; FG% - Field Goals Made Percentage; 2FGM – Number of 2PT Field Goals Made; 2FG% - 2PT Field Goals Made Percentage; FTM – Number of Free Throws Made; FT% - Free Throws Made Percentage; ADV – Advantage; ADV 0 – Advantage in Number of Field Goals Made; ADV 1 – Advantage in Number of Free Throws Made; ADV 2 – Advantage in Number of 2PT Field Goals Made; ADV 3 – Advantage in Number of 3PT Field Goals Made.

 

SUMMARY OF OPPONENT ADVANTAGE CATEGORIES IN RAPTORS’ LOSSES
CATEGORY	Field Goals Made	2PT Field Goals Made	3PT Field Goals Made	Free Throws Made	L#	L%
ADV 0					0	-
ADV 0+1					0	-
ADV 0+2					0	-
ADV 0+3					0	-
ADV 0+1+2					3	42.9
ADV 0+1+3					0	-
ADV 0+2+3					1	14.2
ADV 1					1	14.2
ADV 1+2					0	-
ADV 1+2+3					0	-
ADV 2					0	-
ADV 2+3					0	-
ADV 3					0	-
ADV 3+1					2	18.6
ADV 3+2					0	-

Unlike recent editions, this year’s version of the Raptors is not losing games against high calibre opponents primarily because of an inability to rebound the ball effectively.

Unfortunately, this year’s team has more problems than just that … none of which will really be addressed effectively through the eventual return of a defensively challenged Power Forward like Reggie Evans … who’s a good rebounder with a very limited offensive skill-set … to their regular rotation.

Tags: Amir Johnson, Bryan Colangelo, Chris Bosh, Reggie Evans, Toronto Raptors

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am and is filed under Analytics, Basketball, NBA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.