Freeze Frame: On Ben Simmons’ Defense
Posted by Brian Joyce on December 16th, 2015After three straight losses to Marquette, NC State and the College of Charleston, we criticized LSU’s offense for its inability to score. In the meantime, head coach Johnny Jones figured out how to get the ball to freshman phenom Ben Simmons, and it resulted in his offense hanging 119 points in a win against North Florida and another 98 points in a road loss against Houston. The problem is that a mediocre defense has only gotten worse, giving up 108 points in that home win over the Ospreys and hemorrhaging 105 in the overtime loss to the Cougars.
Ben Simmons’ defense doesn’t live up to his superstar status. (philly.com)
After charting every defensive possession LSU played against Houston last Sunday, a sound conclusion is that the defensive ability of the Tigers’ freshman superstar leaves much to be desired. Nobody questions Simmons’ talent with the ball – as demonstrated by his season averages of 19.0 PPG and 5.9 APG – but, at this early point in his career, the offensive juggernaut is just an average defender. In this edition of Freeze Frame, a microscope is taken to Simmons’ defense and the findings aren’t good. He was often lost in pick-and-roll situations; he couldn’t stop penetration; he was frequently the last player back on defense; he had some difficulty closing out on offensive shooters; and he rarely provided help defense on slashing wing players entering the paint. Instead, you will notice a lot of standing around and catching his breath for the offensive end. His size and athleticism allows him to get to blocks and steals that other players cannot, but his defensive fundamentals, particularly in the half-court, are underwhelming.
In the first frame, you can see his confusion defending the pick-and-roll. Simmons tends to overcommit on the ball-handler, leaving his assignment to roam freely. He does so here, even after guard Keith Hornsby fights through the screen.
Simmons follows the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll situation.
Houston’s Xavier Dupree runs a pick-and-pop and is left wide open at the top of the key while Simmons is stuck in no-man’s land. Dupree is then free to drive the lane while another defender has to step up to cut off penetration.
Simmons leaves a lot of daylight.
A larger issue for the Tigers is Simmons’ overall lack of defensive effort. Simmons is an excellent offensive rebounder (ranking 223rd in the nation at 10.8 percent), but there were several times against Houston when he was the last defender back upcourt after failing to grab the board.
The break starts for Houston, and Simmons lags behind.
Even after the initial push, he still trailed the play as Houston got into its half-court (fortunately for Simmons, a foul was called ahead of him and play was stopped).
Simmons is still behind.
Perhaps of most concern is Simmons’ inability to provide help defense to stop penetration into the paint. Simmons repeatedly allowed Houston to pull up and shoot jumpers without rotating over or getting a hand up in their faces. In this frame, Houston’s Chicken Knowles drives past Brian Bridgewater right toward Simmons and the bucket.
Simmons is in perfect position to step up and cut off the penetration.
Simmons is in great position to step forward and cut off Knowles’ drive…
Simmons is still watching.
But instead of cutting off the lane, Simmons keeps his hands down at his sides and sidesteps toward his right to avoid the play altogether. In the last frame, you can see how Simmons watches Knowles rise to the basket without challenging him at all.
Simmons purposely steps out of the way.
Simmons is an extremely talented freshman on the offensive end, but he has a long way to go in the defensive half of the game. If LSU is going to put together a team that can make a push to the NCAA Tournament, it needs Simmons to become a star on both ends of the floor. If Simmons doesn’t progress defensively (and carry his team along with it), his superior offensive skills will be on display in the postseason NIT along for as long as his subpar defense will allow.
Brian Joyce is an advanced metrics enthusiast, college hoops junkie, and writer for the SEC basketball microsite for Rush the Court.
