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A few days ago I posted a topic about new player tracking stats. They also have each totaled for the teams. Here are a few team tracking stats that stood out to me.  

1. Bobcats led the league in passes per game at 334, beating San Antonio (330). Combine that with the fact that Kemba Walker had 100 touches for game, and you start to see that the Bobcats offense involved a lot of Kemba Walker passing, cutting, and getting the ball back.

2. Rockets follow their gameplan – elbow touches per game are almost 5 less than anyone in the league (9.8 to 14.1). They focus their attacks at the three point line and in the paint. 

3. The Suns averaged the second fewest assists in the NBA (19.1), which is a surprise considering their uptempo offense. 

4. The Kings, Knicks, and Pistons were three of the five teams with the fewest secondary assists per game (passes that lead to an assist). That’s not a big surprise. Most fans knwo that those teams didn’t share the ball well. Who were the other two teams? The Suns and the Pelicans. As I already noted, something is different about the Suns offense. It seems like, even though the tempo is high, players generally attack by themselves on the break more than usual, rather than advancing the ball through passing.

The Pelicans were tied for worst in the league at secondary assists, which tells me that, even though they primarily have a dribble drive offense, they do not make the extra pass, but shoot on the kickout most often. (The leading teams in secondary assists were the Clippers and two teams who run the Popovich’s system, the Spurs and the Hawks)

5. The Suns defense at the rim is pathetic, allowing 12.6 field goals a game. That’s almost as bad as D’Antoni’s defense with the Lakers. This is the third time the Suns find themselves on this list of unusual stats, and none of them have been good. These three terrible numbers point me to one bold prediction: the Suns are a lot worse than their record showed last year and they will come down to earth this year. 

6. The teams who allowed the fewest field goals at the rim were the Bulls, Pacers, Grizzles, and the …. CAVS. What??? How??? With Bynum, Thompson, Zeller, Varejao (the only good defender), and Bennett defending the rim? With Irving and Waiters directing oppossing guards down the middle of the lane? Mike Brown must be a better defensive coach than we thought. 

7. The worst team in the NBA at rebounding was the Miami Heat. I really do not have any idea how that was. Their offense was efficient enough to not get many offensive rebounds, but were they really that bad at clearing the boards defensively? 

8. The Bucks got the fourth fewest catch and shoot points per game at 22. Expect that to change under Jason Kidd, who was previously a point guard for the Mavs and Knicks in their catch and shoot offenses before he went to Brooklyn last year. The Nets were seventh in catch and shoot points last year, after teams like the Spurs, Mavs, Hawks, and Lakers, who each have catch and shoot offenses. I imagine a lot of Parker/GiAnt postups on the elbow with GiAnt/Parker on the weakside three, Sanders/Henson/Pachulia on the weakside shallow corner, and Knight/Mayo/Illyasova/Wolters/Delfino spaced around the three point line. 

9. The best team at catch and shoot three point percentage was … the Wizards at 42%. While Wall’s driving ability should give teammates open threes and Beal is a great young shooter, Trevor Ariza’s career best three point percentage (in a contract year) probably had something to do with the Wizards being the best.

10. The Bulls were the worst in the league at points off the drive (9) and percentage of driving shots (39.3%). If Rose can stay healthy next year, those numbers will change. 

11. I pick on the Pelicans a lot. Maybe it is because I see the potential in their roster. Anyway, here they are again. The Pelicans only averaged 10.7 points on close shots a game, which is third worst in the NBA (plays originating within 10 feet). I know Davis is not that strong yet, and I know you like using him at the elbow, but I think the Pelicans are wasting opportunities by not establishing Davis in the post more. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts about stats. Any other stat junkies out there? Anyone find interesting stats?

 

 

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