On the Pacers' "garden" variety rebounding struggles (Patreon)

And the double-edged sword of doubling

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

The New York Knicks, who were down by Julius Randle and O.G. Anunoby as key starters, clawed back from a 15-point deficit against the Pacers for a ninth-straight win despite shooting just 39 percent from the field, largely, for two reasons: Jalen Brunson played big, scoring 40 points against all types of match-ups and coverages, and the Pacers came up too small, surrendering the team's third-worst opponent offensive rebounding rate of the season. The question is, how much were those two things directly related, if at all? Remember, prior to this game, the Pacers were a perfect 8-0 in games in which their opponent shot below 45 percent from the field. Turns out, that calculus shifts against the league's best offensive rebounding team, especially when Brunson is on the floor.

In that regard, although Brunson only pulled down one of the team's 24 offensive rebounds, the Knicks had a 45.8 percent offensive rebounding rate in the minutes he played compared to 29.4 percent when he was on the bench. Granted, it's a one-game sample size and he played 37 minutes, but that swing also speaks to the extent to which scrambling a defense can facilitate second chance opportunities. For example, just look at this key possession from the fourth quarter, in which the Knicks tied the game and arguably shifted momentum. While not the product of an offensive rebound, the lack of defensive focus to prevent Jalen Brunson from getting the ball back in the wake of trapping him shows the degree to which holes can be surrendered on the glass when defenses are put into heavy rotation.

For more on that possession, and the double-edged sword of doubling, here's a film room investigation on why the trapping was necessary and what the numbers say about the gravitational waves which contributed to a mammoth 71.4 percent offensive rebounding rate for the Knicks in the fourth quarter.

Timestamps:

0:00 - *sigh* let's talk about it

1:32 - that's a lot of offensive rebounds!

2:15 - the impact of defensive execution and attention to detail

3:52 - the relentlessness of Jalen Brunson to compromise a defense

4:45 - equal opportunity hunting (i.e. Buddy Hield wasn't the only player who was targeted)

9:39 - so, what happened when the Pacers sent two defenders to the ball?

14:44 - summarizing the numbers on whether trapping exacerbated the rebounding

16:33 - oh hey, the rebounding also wasn't good when they weren't trapping

17:38 - perhaps what had improved can improve again

18:25 - thank you and goodbye (without offering any medical advice)