One to Look Back on
Data Visualization + Video Breakdown
The Knicks came into Portland having lost five of their last six, that’s what you call a rough patch. I mentioned before this game how it would be nice to grab a win given the two days of rest, something the Knicks hadn’t had since the NBA Cup game. That’s nearly 30 days of consistent basketball, and in a sense, it’s worn me down as well. Thankfully, that brutal stretch lined up with my winter break, giving me some extra time to complete tracking and get a few articles out, including a deeper research piece, check it out, it’s well worth your time:
Wanted to quickly break down what we saw against the Blazers, since they threw out some interesting macro looks: 5 on Hart, along with a unique wrinkle, their 3-2 zone. Spoiler alert, the Knicks dominated it.
x5 on Hart
The Blazers didn’t shy away from having their center guard Hart. Not only that, unlike most teams, they showed him ZERO respect as a shooter.
It pays for Hart to be aggressive in these situations, not just as a three-point shooter, but by pushing the ball in transition to generate easy baskets against this coverage. Unlike his shooting, this is where his true strength lies.
The Knicks scored 1.44 points per possession when the center defended Hart in the half court, paired with a strong possession quality of 1.22 ePPP on a fairly high 24% usage rate.
That’s encouraging news for the Knicks, especially since Mike Brown appears to favor the starting five of Brunson–Hart–Bridges–OG–KAT, even though Hart, not KAT, is the player drawing the opposing big. Earlier in the season, I detailed the way Brown deviates from Tom Thibodeau in how he deploys Hart against this type of coverage:
They’re running more offense, though that has dipped recently, and Brown isn’t simply defaulting to Hart setting ball screens for Brunson. There’s more creativity in how he’s being used, and yes, Hart’s improved jumper helps a ton.
Speaking of offense, a couple plays stood out in this game, both involving KAT. Normally, his True Usage% (scoring + passing usage) drops when the opposing big defends Hart, so it’s encouraging that KAT finished this game with 41% True Usage, above his 37% average with 5-on-Hart lineups.
Double Drag - with empty corner
Even though Portland didn’t play high coverage, double drag is usually most effective against that, Brunson’s pull-up three off the action still drew a contest, leaving KAT’s roll to the basket completely untouched. With the weak side empty, there’s no one to tag or box him out. Only ran once, but I would love to see it more. It puts the defense in a bind having to defend Brunson’s ball-screen and tag Towns’ roll.
Wedge Punch - Hart weak-side
The Knicks used wedge screening for KAT a bit last season and have started doing it more often. I particularly like this play, because Hart recognizes that KAT’s post is fronted (the punch option). He acts as a release valve, getting the ball back to KAT and creating a 2-on-1 on the backside.
Notice how strong that performance was against Portland compared to the rest of the regular season, especially against the zone looks, which brings us to the next talking point.
