DBP Newsletter #6
Evans, Lobs, & Lineups
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Relocation
Relocating into space is one of the simplest things a shooter can do to get open. Isaiah Evans did this well against Auburn - not standing, but moving into the next open area behind the arc. Here are a few examples:
With Kon Knueppel pushing in transition, Evans fills the empty space at the top of the key - he is open but doesn’t receive the ball. Instead of watching the play unfold, Isaiah cuts down the lane before spacing to the right corner. Kon’s drive occupies the defense, leaving Evans wide open.
In clip #2, Isaiah trails the play and reads the defense. Evans’ defender turns his back to focus on Coop as he works toward the ACC logo. Isaiah relocates by sliding down to the left wing - this creates a passing angle for Flagg and another open look for Slim.
After the offensive rebound and kick out, Isaiah drives the closeout and makes a nice pass to Maliq Brown. He could assume Maliq will take the shot - instead, Evans immediately relocates to the left corner for the return pass, knocking down his 6th three-pointer of the first half.
Evans followed up going 0-2 from deep at Louisville by hitting 4 out of 6 from three against Incarnate Word, making him 10 of 16 from beyond the arc in the last three games. Isaiah deserves a ton of credit for staying both ready and confident.
ACC Universe
With conference play starting last weekend, I wanted to look at analytics across the ACC. Ken Pomeroy’s D-I Universe tool allows you to view a variety of statistics, and filter by conferences. Here’s how adjusted efficiency margin looked across the ACC prior to the beginning of league play on December 7th.1 The team’s national rank in AdjEM is noted in the circle, and the green line indicates the average margin for Division I.
Lobs
In this offensive action, Khaman Maluach and Caleb Foster execute a hand-off with the left corner empty, leaving no additional help on that side of the floor. Both Cardinal defenders briefly corral Foster, creating a wide open lob dunk for Khaman.
In fact, my postgame notes on this possession were “excellent movement and cutting - need more of these.” These referring to lob passes for Khaman.
Duke did get more lobs against Incarnate Word - Maluach posted a career high 17 points, and consistently put pressure on the rim. In addition to hand-offs or screens in the half court, here are two other examples of Khaman making himself available for high percentage opportunities.
With Incarnate Word in a half court 1-3-1 zone, Duke does a nice job of reversing the ball multiple times and passing to the corner to shift the defense. Notice how Man Man positions himself behind the back of the zone, opening up the diagonal pass from Coop for an easy slam.
Duke should also look for the lob in transition. Khaman rim runs down the middle of the floor, with Proctor, Foster, and Flagg spaced around the three-point line. As Knueppel drives the lane, Khaman’s man must help, leaving the front of the rim open.
Notes
Duke was outscored in line points at Louisville (-13) for the second time this season.2 The Cardinals made 8 of their first 11 three-point attempts en route to a 33-24 advantage from beyond the arc, along with a 16-12 advantage at the free throw line. It was Duke’s first win with a negative margin in line points since the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.3
As Cooper Flagg went to the bench with his fourth foul, Duke trailed 55-50 at Louisville with 10:36 remaining. The lineup of Proctor/Brown/Knueppel/James/Gillis then proceeded on an 18-5 run over the next 5:54. This five-man lineup had played just 1:13 against Arizona, Kansas, and Auburn combined, but connected on 8 of 9 field goal attempts during that stretch and finished +11 for the game. Duke’s next best lineups at Louisville were Flagg/Proctor/Brown/Knueppel/James (+5); Flagg/Proctor/Brown/Knueppel/Gillis (+4); and Flagg/Evans/Proctor/Brown/James (+4).
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
ACC AdjEM after games on 12-12-24: Duke +30.66; Clemson +21.48; Pitt +20.43; UNC +19.39; SMU +14.38; Louisville +13.36; FSU +11.81; NCSU +9.62; Stanford +9.26; ND +8.89; Miami +7.13; Syracuse +6.82; UVA +6.79; GT +6.38; WFU +5.99; Cal +2.68; VT +1.75; BC +0.62
Duke was -23 in line points versus Kentucky (Line points = Pts from 3 + Pts from FT).
Duke was -5 in line points in a 74-51 win over Oral Roberts.
Sources