[quote="Logen" post=407182]
Steals, like blocked shots, can very much be fool’s gold. How’s that steals stat working out in terms of our overall defense? The idea is to stop the other team from scoring, from shooting a high percentage. We currently rank 5th in the NCAA in steals, with the 1st ranked team having played 2 games and the 2nd only one, but rank 262nd in field goal % defense. Subjective addition to that is our defense does not pass any eye test nor have we exactly played a Murderer’s Row of opponents. CMA has his style and is the coach but I would prefer a slightly more fundamental approach, especially on the ball and in constantly scrambling to double team in the half court.[/quote]
I hear where you're coming from, and TBH I am an old-school basketball person too.
However, there's almost an "analytics" element to Anderson's defensive approach that's the mirror image of the old Pitino approach to offense.
The 3-point heavy teams take the view that if you can shoot 40% from 3 then that's as good as shooting 60% from 2, which (at least mathematically) is true. So they figure you're better off shooting a higher volume of lower-percentage shots because the point differential evens it out.
The Anderson approach is essentially that by overplaying on D you're going to get beat some and you may give up a higher opponent shooting percentage as a result of that. But if you get 20 turnovers a game, then the opponent will have fewer opportunities to utilize that higher shooting percentage, plus those turnovers will result in more easy baskets for you and boost up your shooting percentage.
The less analytics-based extension of the approach is that you should be able to wear opponents down by the end of the game. And the even-less analytics-based extension is that it is a style players like to play and should help recruiting.
At times it may be frustrating for purists to watch (although when it's in sync the timing of the traps with someone always getting into the right passing lane when the trapped player tries to pass it out is beautiful to my eye), but it does make logical sense and it also has a successful track record.
I also think that as the players settle in the fundamental D when the pressure doesn't work will improve. It's always going to have its holes, but then again every defense does.
