🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Jesse's provided another great analysis of the team...

Newell: KU basketball's disappearing stat ↗

Steals figure to be even more valuable for KU this season, as the Jayhawks don’t appear to have a dominant shot-blocker inside following the departure of Joel Embiid.

Adjusted defensive efficiency from KenPom.com is considered the gold standard when judging a team’s effectiveness defensively. The following chart shows KU’s national rank there compared to its national ranks in block percentage and steal percentage each year (the lower the line, the better the defense).

!chart ↗

I've always felt that you are either good at stealing the ball, or you are good at having your balls stolen.

A big part of it is awareness. A big part of it is sleight of hand (or body). A big part of it is desire. It is the same skill set needed by a capable thief.

When you are a good thief the last thing you want to do is have someone steal from you.

I hope this team doesn't look back at our recent teams to learn from example. I hope they are individuals who want to stand out for who they are... a bunch of crooks who are dangerous pickpocketers in a crowd!

@drgnslayr

I hope they look at the RussRob- Mario Chalmers combo, the best stealing duo I can remember.

@drgnslayr

" or you are good at having your balls stolen. "

It's gonna take me a minute to clean up the coffee from my desk and keyboard.....

@drgnslayr

P...%#@?!...HOF!

@et al

If the refs call it the same as last season, steals remain an endangered species. Here is why.

There are two ways to steal: crowd and strip; or jump in the passing Lane and strip.

Last season, if you crowded, they just drove in to you and got the whistle.

So crowding is out.

Second, so much driving the ball forces off-ball defenders into help defense positioning and limits when they can jump in passing lanes.

Inference: the trend of declining steals is probably not over, unless the refs restore XTReme Muscle Ball on the perimeter.

@nuleafjhawk

I didn't slip on that one.... some guys are capable of losing their balls!

@drgnslayr I better leave this one alone. Could go from pg* to R rating quick as the proverbial jack rabbit on a date !!

It's an old coaching line, one I heard more than once back in the day...

"If you would protect the ball half as well as you protected your balls..."