Nick Young Misses the Memo on the Whole Dangerous Inbounder Thing

(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

How many times have we heard an announcer prattle on about how the inbounder is the most dangerous player on an out-of-bounds play?  Down by three with 1.5 seconds remaining, the Raptors had the ball on a sideline out-of- bounds play with a chance to tie.  Let’s take a look at how the Wizards and Raptors put the “dangerous inbounder” trope to the test.

Andre Iguodala Cements His All Star Spot

It can be tough for defensive-minded players to get accolades, especially if they aren’t accumulating blocks and steals at a league leading pace.  However, Andre Iguodala has gained some All-Star momentum this season on the strength of his defensive play.  This year, any small forward going against Iguodala has turned into Devin Ebanks.  By shutting down Kobe Bryant in crunch time on Monday night, Iguodala strengthened his All Star candidacy with a signature moment.  Let’s take a look at three minutes of hell for Kobe Bryant…

Monta Ellis: Low Post Star?

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

When one thinks of the perimeter players that attack defenses from the post, Monta Ellis is not usually the first name that comes up.  However, the open court speedster has quietly developed a post game that is 2^nd best in the NBA in points per possession, according to Synergy.  Yes, Ellis has been better in the post than Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, and Joe Johnson, among others.  Ellis has spent less time in the post than those players, but his improvement in undeniable.

Head Coach Mark Jackson wanted to get more touches in the post for Ellis.  Not only did  Ellis increase his number of post-up possessions per game since last season, going from less than one to more than two, he has also become more efficient.  Let’s take a look at some of the moves in his arsenal.

Reading Defenses With John Wall

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Coming off a strong rookie campaign, John Wall was expected to make progress in the 2011-12 season.  That, however, has not happened yet.  His shaky jump shot has been dissected, but Beckley Mason’s post on Derrick Rose at Hoopspeak.com made me think about John Wall’s struggles in reading the defense.  Mistakes like this are just part of learning on the job.  As Mike Prada pointed out, even Gary Payton did not look good early in his career.  But he wasn’t forced to carry his team.  Unfortunately, John Wall makes the Wizards go, and his decision-making is key to that.

According to the invaluable numbers at Hoopdata.com Wall’s assist rate has dropped drastically, and he is taking more shots at the rim and from 3 to 9 feet when compared to last season. His perimeter shooters, Nick Young, Rashard Lewis, and Jordan Crawford (using the term “shooter” loosely here) are all being hurt by this change.  Young and Crawford have each seen their percentage of assisted three-pointers drop.  Lewis, who relies almost completely on others to set up his three-point attempts, is shooting 1.5 fewer threes and has seen his percentage drop by nearly 11 points.