u/CarBallAlex u/SquimJim u/efshoemaker u/King_of_Pants u/TOMA_TAN u/downeastsun u/xskarma

EDIT: forgot to include the OG /u/PebblyJackGlasscock

A week ago I made a post about the offensive and defensive roles that BBall Index listed for our players last season, but the limitation of that is a player can play multiple different roles, especially defensively. A good example would be that Derrick can be a ‘Point of Attack’ defender, a ‘Chaser’, or a ‘Helper’, and he’s good at all of them.

Given this broad list of roles, if you had to list which roles you think our players are capable of playing, what would your list look like?

Here are the roles (and their definition) for reference:

OFFENSIVE ROLES

** Guard/Wing Roles **

Primary Ball Handler: these players used most like Guards, categorized as such based on their pick and roll ball handler and perimeter isolation scoring possessions, that don’t isolate enough to be categorized as Shot Creators and have a higher percentage of their possessions on-court where they’re estimated to be the initiator of the offense. Examples from 2019-20 are Kemba Walker and Rajon Rondo.

Secondary Ball Handler: also Guards based on the same math, these players similarly have lower isolation rates as the Primary Ball Handlers, but have lower estimated initiation rates for the offense. Examples from 2019-20 include D’Angelo Russell, Alex Caruso, and Donte DiVincenzo.

Shot Creator: players in this offensive role are non-Bigs that we identify as have high rates of perimeter and interior isolation rates, creating their own shots within the offense as a key skill set. Examples from 2019-20 are Luka Doncic and James Harden.

Slasher: Slashers are on-ball players that have a high tendency to drive to the rim. We use 3PA rates, drives per 75 offensive possessions on-court, and some play type data to calculate this role. Examples from 2019-20 include Collin Sexton and De’Aaron Fox.

Athletic Finisher: these players, as opposed to Slashers, are off-ball Guards/Wings that do damage at the rim through their cutting and activity on putbacks. Examples from 2019-20 are Jonathan Isaac and OG Anunoby.

Off Screen Shooter: players in this role are Guards/Wings that have a high proportion of their offensive scoring possessions coming from off-screen and handoff play type possessions. Examples from 2019-20 are Joe Harris and JJ Redick.

Movement Shooter: these players are primarily shooters based on their 3PA rates, but do so often while moving around the court based on our estimations rather than being off-screen or stand still shooters. Examples from 2019-20 are Svi Mykhailiuk and Danny Green.

Stationary Shooter: guys here have high 3PA rates, but our estimations show these guys to be shooters mostly from catching & shooting standing still, rather than moving to get themselves open for their shots. Examples from 2019-20 include Eric Gordon and Cedi Osman.

** Big Man Roles ** The last four offensive roles belong to Bigs, which qualify based on frequencies of post up, roll man, putback, cut, and dump off chances.

Versatile Big: players in this category are Bigs that do it all. They’ll shoot 3s, post up, and be active with other Big man actions (roll man opportunities, putbacks, cuts, and dump offs). Examples from 2019-20 are Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Love.

Post Scorer: here we find Bigs that don’t have high 3PT attempt rates and have particularly high post up possession usage. Examples from 2019-20 are Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

Stretch Big: these players are Bigs that have lower post up rates and higher 3PA rates. Examples from 2019-20 are Marc Gasol and Frank Kaminsky.

Roll & Cut Big: our last category of Bigs belong to players with low post up and low 3PA rates. That leaves us with guys primarily adding value with their rolling, cutting, and ability to finish dump offs. Examples from 2019-20 are DeAndre Jordan and Clint Capela.

DEFENSIVE ROLES

Point of Attack: A guard who defends smaller ball handlers in pick-and-roll and in isolation on the perimeter with limited off-ball help responsibilities. In this role, Matchup Difficulty is generally an important stat for success.

Chaser: A guard who sticks to shooters and cutters on the perimeter with limited off-ball help responsibilities.

Helper: A defender who often helps away from his matchup, both on drives and at the rim. Rotational ability (trapping the box, tagging rollers, sinking to “help the helper,” and fill) is important for success in this role.

Wing Stopper: A wing who defends Shot Creators often and is defending in pick-and-roll and in isolation on the perimeter, with some off-ball help responsibilities. In this role, Matchup Difficulty and Defensive Positional Versatility are generally important stats for success.

Low Activity: Players in this role often aren’t guarding high difficulty matchups, aren’t involved in defending screening actions often, and also aren’t active helping off of the ball on drives or at the rim. Players in this role are often purposefully deployed in less strenuous ways, and can add value with communication ability.

Mobile Big: A big who defends aggressively in pick-and-roll, often switching and hedging to push ball handlers away from the rim.

Anchor Big: A big who defends deep in pick-and-roll, often dropping to protect the rim. Defensive Positional Versatility and Matchup Difficulty generally aren’t important stats for success in this role.

Justice for Tatum

https://www.404media.co/charges-dropped-against-person-who-clapped-at-a-city-data-center-meeting/

https://preview.redd.it/a27i03eciplh1.jpeg?width=6904&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=386c5b016ee2038463f0c61f0ad34d3f0fde504d

55 days until opening night Celtics