Full Article:
http://www.nycbuckets.com/2014/01/st-johns-lineups-little-bit-everything-leads-nothing/
Excerpt:
Before we go any further there’s one huge caveat to all of this: Because St. John’s subs so much and has so many inconsistencies in its lineups, even the most-played lineup has only played 127 total possessions (offense and defense) together this season. That’s just less than a full game. Therefore this isn’t a particularly large sample. The extremes though could still be relevant. For instance, there are a number of lineups with Sir’Dominic Pointer that have been successful. The defensive numbers of the fifth and sixth most used lineups seem too good to be true, but Pointer is nationally ranked in both block percentage (5.7%) and steal percentage (3.9%). Those lineups also provide plenty of rebounding, with the 6’5″ Pointer playing small forward. Why is rebounding important? Well, the Red Storm are excellent at making shots difficult for opponents. The problem on defense, especially against more talented opponents, is corralling the misses. St. John’s currently ranks last in the Big East in defensive rebounding percentage. Getting a third, bigger player to crash the boards instead of forcing Phil Greene or Max Hooper into that position on the boards should translate into slightly better defensive numbers.
It’s also worth noting that the most-played lineup, which is a little smaller, struggles a bit defensively, but is the third best of these 10 lineups offensively. That helps those five at least stay in front of opponents. It makes sense that lineups with Sanchez would be better offensively. Right now he has a much more refined offensive game than Obekpa. That’s probably why St. John’s is almost 10 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court versus off of it against those same “Big East quality opponents.” Unlike Hooper, who gives almost all the offensive gains back by struggling on the defensive end, Sanchez is passable on both. Here’s how St. John’s (the entire team) has performed with certain players in and out of the lineup against the upper echelon of opponents:
http://www.nycbuckets.com/2014/01/st-johns-lineups-little-bit-everything-leads-nothing/
Excerpt:
Before we go any further there’s one huge caveat to all of this: Because St. John’s subs so much and has so many inconsistencies in its lineups, even the most-played lineup has only played 127 total possessions (offense and defense) together this season. That’s just less than a full game. Therefore this isn’t a particularly large sample. The extremes though could still be relevant. For instance, there are a number of lineups with Sir’Dominic Pointer that have been successful. The defensive numbers of the fifth and sixth most used lineups seem too good to be true, but Pointer is nationally ranked in both block percentage (5.7%) and steal percentage (3.9%). Those lineups also provide plenty of rebounding, with the 6’5″ Pointer playing small forward. Why is rebounding important? Well, the Red Storm are excellent at making shots difficult for opponents. The problem on defense, especially against more talented opponents, is corralling the misses. St. John’s currently ranks last in the Big East in defensive rebounding percentage. Getting a third, bigger player to crash the boards instead of forcing Phil Greene or Max Hooper into that position on the boards should translate into slightly better defensive numbers.
It’s also worth noting that the most-played lineup, which is a little smaller, struggles a bit defensively, but is the third best of these 10 lineups offensively. That helps those five at least stay in front of opponents. It makes sense that lineups with Sanchez would be better offensively. Right now he has a much more refined offensive game than Obekpa. That’s probably why St. John’s is almost 10 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court versus off of it against those same “Big East quality opponents.” Unlike Hooper, who gives almost all the offensive gains back by struggling on the defensive end, Sanchez is passable on both. Here’s how St. John’s (the entire team) has performed with certain players in and out of the lineup against the upper echelon of opponents: