Looking At Kiki’s Style Of Play
by Sebastian Pruiti
Dec 18, 2009 Advanced Statistics
It has been 8 games since Kiki took over, and I think that there has been enough games to start comparing him to what Lawrence Frank has done. Below is the game by game data for each coach. I have included Offensive Efficiency, Defensive Efficiency, and Pace. After the jump, we are going to examine these numbers further.
Defensive Efficiency
Everyone has been talking about the defense (or lack thereof) since Kiki has took over. The game-by-game breakdown shows us this isn’t anyone’s imagination either. When Lawrence Frank was still the coach many people (including myself) felt like Frank was holding players accountable on the defensive end. The team’s defensive efficiency of about 102 (good enough for the top half of the league) when he was the coach proves that. Since Kiki has taken over, the Nets have given up about 111 points per 100 possessions, which if you compare it to the rest of the NBA, is second worst in the NBA, only ahead of the Raptors. This ridiculously high number might be skewed though, because Kiki coached the Nets against the Knicks, Warriors, and Hawks, three teams who can put up points in bunches.
Offensive Efficiency
Lawrence Frank’s team was good on defense, but it was the opposite on offense. Frank’s team was only putting up 91.16 points per 100 possessions, which would be last in the NBA if we were comparing them to the rest of the league. Some of it had to do with injuries, yes, but some of it had to do with his unoriginal playcalling and his refusal to design plays for Brook. Since Kiki has taken over, the offense has improved just as much as the defense has gotten worse. Some of it has been the fact that he has been determined to get the ball to Brook (at least in the first half), but it also has something to do with guys getting healthy.
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So what does this all mean? Well, in his first couple of games Kiki has told the Nets to run and try to put up as many points as possible, and not even worry about defense. It makes sense, looking back on the Nuggets teams he built, they were very talented offensively, but couldn’t stop anyone on the defensive end. It remained like that for quite a while in Denver, that is until Kiki left and Chauncey Billups arrived.
I also included pace in the chart, because I think it shows some very interesting things, and it might help tell us what will happen moving forward. Now, the averages are going to tell you that the difference in pace between Kiki and Lawrence Frank is a small one, but in his first 6 games as a head coach, Kiki has ratcheted up the pace of games. He even touched 100 possessions twice (the only team to average over 100 possessions for the season is the Warriors). The average isn’t higher though, because the last two games, the Nets have played at a snail’s pace, keeping the possessions under 90 both times (no team in the NBA averages under 90 possessions). This is something very interesting to look at moving forward. What I think has happened, is that Kiki has realized that this team isn’t talented enough offensively to run up and down the court and outscore teams. If they try to do that, the Nets will almost always hit a cold streak, and the opposing team will pull away at that point. So I think Kiki is trying to see what happens if the Nets slow it down and limit possessions. The less possessions there are, the less opportunities opposing teams have to score. That can only help this poor defense.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:45 PM
The team is pushing the pace more under Kiki, but they are not getting good shots. I agree with the notion that they have to attack the basket more as they are not from the perimter at this point.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:47 PM
Does anybody adjust the offensive efficiency statistics to account who they are playing against? For instance, one could take the offensive efficiency for a particular game and divide it by the season to date defensive efficiency of the opposing team. This way you get a feel for how well they do against the team versus other opponents who have played the team.
December 18th, 2009 at 1:39 PM
I think that although it is beneficial for the Nets to improve their offensive efficiency, they can’t slack off on their defense. That’s the only way they can learn to win in the future. Sure the increased offense is great but ultimately the Nets need defense to be a great team in the future. With their current athleticism, I don’t see why they can’t press more often or just play solid defense on a consistent basis. We do have quality one-on-one defenders in Lee, Harris, TWill, SWAT and even Hassel. Remember even during their 18 game losing streak, it was DEFENSE that kept the games close. The offense can really open up with good defense in the form of more fast breaks and the like.
December 18th, 2009 at 2:44 PM
Harris hasn’t been much of a defender since joining the nets except maybe some improment this year. T Will was a good defender in college that hasn’t translated to the nba yet he routinely messes up his defensive assignments. Obviously C Lee is a good defender and Hassel is too but he’s been placed against four or mismatches a lot this year. SWAT gets no playing time and gives up too many fouls. So thats why those player can’t or haven’t helped us on D I feel.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Comparions and comments aren’t valid because of the huge difference in rosters between the Frank and Kiki phases of the season.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:58 PM
The main difference here is the presence or absence of Devin Harris. When Devin was out, more often than not, the Nets defense was excellent. When Devin has played, more often than not, the defense is bad.
To use a crude methodology, look at the percentage of games below 100 in defensive efficiency.
When the Nets had Devin and were coached by Frank/Barrise, they were below 100 in DefEff in 2 out of 8 games.
When the Nets DIDN’T have Devin and were coached by Frank/Barrise, they were below 100 in DefEff in 6 out of 10 games.
When the Nets had Devin and were coached by Kiki, they were below 100 in DefEff in 1 out of 8 games.
It looks to me as though the defensive issue falls more towards Devin than the coach.
December 19th, 2009 at 3:40 AM
Damn, you need to get out more first off. Anyway, as was pointed out, the comparisons aren’t valid bc Coach Frank never had a full roster for maybe more than 3 games, and they still weren’t being hammered in losses like vs. Toronto by the way. I still say Frank deserves COY consideration for even keeping that group comepetitive, but since he didn’t get a win I’ll understand if he gets edged out. At least he’s still a solid coach, who will be back on the sidelines as soon as next season. As for Kiki, he’s way out of his depth here. The team already looks like they’ve quit on him. He’ll be back in the front office if he’s lucky next year, or more likely in the studio, or perhaps filling in for Rivers Cuomo on his nights off.
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