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Villanova Basketball Advanced Stats: Born to Run, Part Duh - Nova's Offense in Transition

Continuing what was started in the last article, this will be an analysis of transition and half-court offense in general, with a specific focus on Villanova.

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

This chunk begins with a breakdown - by 5 second blocks of shot clock - of Villanova's offense this year.

Shot Clock Breakdown of Villanova's Offense

Quick Summary
  • The team's most effective offense took place between 25 and 15 seconds remaining on the shot clock. 3 point percentages and assist totals went way up.
  • Shots attempted at the rim actually went up as the shot clock wound down.
  • Over 60% of Villanova's points were scored in the first 20 seconds after a possession change.
  • Chances off steals, in the first 5 seconds of the clock (a shot being taken within the first 5 seconds) are worth almost 1.5 points per possession.

Using the stats generated from the play-by-play data, referenced in my previous article, Villanova's possession were broken down by time into the shot clock (in 5 second intervals) from 0 seconds to 35 seconds and more, as well as the way the possession began.  The breakdown can be found in the following table:

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

AST %

Ort

0-5 seconds

Total

240

88.89%

8.18%

82.86%

63.64%

16.13%

28.18%

66.82%

54.93%

1.17

Makes

28

100.00%

11.11%

66.67%

66.67%

0.00%

22.22%

55.56%

80.00%

0.89

Misses

65

100.00%

4.00%

100.00%

44.00%

23.08%

52.00%

66.00%

66.67%

0.99

Stocks

132

100.00%

4.69%

84.00%

78.13%

9.09%

17.19%

72.66%

52.17%

1.42

DB TOs

13

75.00%

44.44%

0.00%

22.22%

33.33%

33.33%

50.00%

25.00%

0.94

6-10 seconds

Total

472

44.00%

15.48%

66.96%

35.60%

34.18%

48.92%

55.73%

62.75%

1.12

Makes

83

60.00%

11.11%

62.50%

17.78%

46.88%

71.11%

67.78%

69.57%

1.43

Misses

222

43.48%

15.44%

67.86%

37.58%

32.86%

46.98%

55.37%

66.20%

1.04

Stocks

108

50.00%

11.76%

65.85%

48.24%

17.65%

40.00%

48.24%

47.37%

1.14

DB TOs

53

44.44%

23.68%

70.00%

26.32%

42.11%

50.00%

60.53%

73.68%

1.15

11-15 seconds

Total

520

41.30%

23.90%

63.64%

31.43%

42.44%

44.68%

58.31%

61.70%

1.21

Makes

146

34.48%

29.29%

66.67%

30.30%

50.00%

40.40%

60.61%

62.00%

1.14

Misses

225

42.11%

22.35%

61.82%

32.35%

41.56%

45.29%

57.65%

67.07%

1.21

Stocks

57

60.00%

22.22%

71.43%

31.11%

33.33%

46.67%

58.89%

47.83%

1.30

DB TOs

74

50.00%

17.54%

55.56%

31.58%

37.93%

50.88%

55.26%

61.54%

1.31

16-20 seconds

Total

465

30.59%

24.85%

67.42%

26.02%

41.07%

49.12%

55.41%

61.29%

1.19

Makes

263

39.58%

25.26%

68.29%

21.58%

40.59%

53.16%

57.11%

60.23%

1.22

Misses

130

13.64%

22.68%

67.74%

31.96%

43.18%

45.36%

54.12%

69.77%

1.21

Stocks

27

20.00%

27.78%

85.71%

38.89%

50.00%

33.33%

63.89%

50.00%

1.29

DB TOs

42

37.50%

24.24%

50.00%

30.30%

33.33%

45.45%

46.97%

46.15%

1.06

21-25 seconds

Total

328

35.53%

27.94%

56.52%

25.37%

31.50%

46.69%

46.32%

55.66%

1.02

Makes

216

40.82%

27.07%

56.82%

24.31%

31.82%

48.62%

48.07%

49.32%

1.02

Misses

72

35.29%

28.33%

58.82%

28.33%

19.23%

43.33%

39.17%

61.90%

0.98

Stocks

15

20.00%

55.56%

100.00%

11.11%

66.67%

33.33%

55.56%

50.00%

1.05

DB TOs

22

0.00%

20.00%

42.86%

35.00%

44.44%

45.00%

45.00%

100.00%

1.06

26-30 seconds

Total

213

28.57%

27.37%

58.06%

34.64%

29.41%

37.99%

44.69%

52.86%

1.05

Makes

127

22.22%

25.96%

58.33%

34.62%

31.71%

39.42%

44.71%

55.00%

1.04

Misses

49

35.71%

31.82%

60.00%

34.09%

20.00%

34.09%

42.05%

47.06%

1.02

Stocks

17

60.00%

33.33%

66.67%

40.00%

0.00%

26.67%

46.67%

57.14%

1.04

DB TOs

20

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

33.33%

57.14%

46.67%

53.33%

50.00%

1.34

31+ seconds

Total

256

30.16%

31.03%

57.14%

31.03%

35.06%

37.93%

47.04%

51.22%

1.08

Makes

155

35.00%

32.26%

64.86%

29.84%

31.91%

37.90%

48.79%

43.40%

1.10

Misses

78

18.75%

27.59%

50.00%

34.48%

45.45%

37.93%

48.28%

65.22%

1.10

Stocks

13

100.00%

14.29%

50.00%

28.57%

50.00%

57.14%

71.43%

50.00%

1.39

DB TOs

10

16.67%

42.86%

25.00%

28.57%

0.00%

28.57%

14.29%

100.00%

0.68

Many of the individual breakdowns in the table help reconfirm a lot of the things gone over in the previous sections.  Chances in the early shot clock off steals (especially in the first 5 seconds) are the absolute best in the game - Villanova scored an average of 1.43 points on these opportunities over an appreciable sample size this year.  The efficiencies of each different type of possession start, once you pass the 10-second threshold, are about the same as the others within the same time bracket.  Barring some small sample size issues (and there are a few, concentrated in the dead ball turnovers and the steals/blocks in the later sections of the shot clock), most of the results make sense.  There are some interesting notes, though.

Villanova's most effective offense takes place between the 25 and 15 second marks of the shot clock (correspondingly on the chart, 11-15 and 16-20 seconds), averaging 120 points / 100 possessions.  This is driven mostly by the excellent marks from 3 during this time period - 42.44% in the 11-15 second range, and 41.07% in the 16-20 second range.  This period seems like the sweet spot for Villanova's ball movement and effective overall offense - the assist percentage hovers around 61.5% for both, drastically higher than any 5 second period other than 6-10 seconds (later offense - from 20 seconds to 35+ - averages 50-55%), and the great 3 point percentage points to a large number of in-rhythm, unforced, good looks from distance.

Interestingly, Villanova forced the ball closer to the basket as the shot clock counted down;  their percentage of attempts at the rim climbed from 25.37% at the 21-25 mark to 34.64% and 31.03% from 26 seconds on, well outstripping their season mark of 29.25%.  There was also a corresponding drop in 3PA% - while it sat around 47-49% in the middle of the shot clock, it dropped to 38% in the last seconds of the clock.  Logically, you might expect the trend to go the opposite way, but ‘Nova found a way to get it in close when they needed to get a shot off, and strayed away from bombing from 3 point range (not to suggest they didn't shoot a ton from 3 - they did - just less).

I like most of the trends seen, other than the aforementioned preponderance of 3 point attempts so early in the shot clock, and the % of shots as 2-point jumpers steadily increasing as the shot clock wears on.  Villanova concentrates its 3 point attempts - and success - in the middle portion of the shot clock, and takes its largest proportion of shots at the rim towards the beginning and end of the shot clock.  Its half court offense is EXCELLENT, scoring almost 120 points per possession, in the 10 second period right after the transition cutoff - and they score almost 40% of their points in this frame.  If they improve their efficiency in transition - by focusing more on driving to the rim than settling for pull up 3s - they could potentially play legitimately elite offense during portions of the possession in which they scored two thirds of their points this past year.

And, as the last portion of the offensive analysis, I went through each player's success in the transition and half-court games.  I utilized the ‘team' calculation to determine offensive rating, which is simply points divided by possessions, and radically different than what's typically used to calculate individual offensive player rating.  At its core, the analysis is simply a tool to determine how many points per possession the team should score when the play was finished (made shot, missed shot, free throws, turnover) by a player.  I wouldn't put too much weight on the rating;  the percentages and ratios are what's important.

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

Ryan Arcidiacono

Transition

Total

106

66.67%

26.92%

55.56%

11.54%

78

25.00%

61.54%

47.44%

57.69%

2.26

0.90

Off Makes

31

66.67%

25.00%

0.00%

8.33%

12

50.00%

66.67%

66.67%

141.67%

1.20

1.24

Off Misses

33

71.43%

23.33%

100.00%

6.67%

30

14.29%

70.00%

38.33%

56.67%

1.90

0.69

Off Stocks

24

75.00%

20.00%

60.00%

25.00%

20

18.18%

55.00%

45.00%

40.00%

2.50

0.86

DB TOs

12

57.14%

53.85%

0.00%

7.69%

13

20.00%

38.46%

42.31%

23.08%

N/A

0.83

Half-Court

Total

219

39.62%

29.12%

43.75%

8.79%

182

39.82%

62.09%

52.47%

21.98%

2.48

0.95

Off Makes

118

31.25%

34.78%

57.14%

7.61%

92

43.40%

57.61%

52.72%

33.70%

2.47

0.95

Off Misses

53

33.33%

18.37%

37.50%

16.33%

49

37.50%

65.31%

48.98%

12.24%

2.22

0.87

Off Stocks

23

75.00%

53.33%

0.00%

0.00%

15

42.86%

46.67%

70.00%

20.00%

2.00

1.32

DB TOs

23

33.33%

12.50%

0.00%

4.17%

24

35.00%

83.33%

47.92%

0.00%

N/A

0.88

James Bell

Transition

Total

143

33.33%

9.68%

78.57%

30.11%

93

39.29%

60.22%

62.37%

38.71%

0.65

1.07

Off Makes

23

100.00%

8.33%

100.00%

8.33%

12

50.00%

83.33%

79.17%

75.00%

0.33

1.19

Off Misses

60

20.00%

13.16%

80.00%

13.16%

38

42.86%

73.68%

60.53%

39.47%

0.75

1.05

Off Stocks

41

0.00%

3.70%

77.78%

66.67%

27

25.00%

29.63%

62.96%

33.33%

1.00

1.13

DB TOs

19

100.00%

7.69%

75.00%

30.77%

13

37.50%

61.54%

65.38%

23.08%

0.00

1.09

Half-Court

Total

319

26.09%

17.69%

60.38%

20.38%

260

36.65%

61.92%

50.96%

24.62%

1.25

0.99

Off Makes

159

36.00%

18.94%

65.22%

17.42%

132

34.52%

63.64%

51.14%

21.21%

1.00

0.96

Off Misses

96

9.09%

14.10%

63.16%

24.36%

78

37.50%

61.54%

51.28%

28.21%

2.29

1.01

Off Stocks

18

0.00%

15.79%

50.00%

21.05%

19

33.33%

63.16%

42.11%

10.53%

N/A

0.90

DB TOs

37

40.00%

20.00%

42.86%

28.00%

25

38.46%

52.00%

50.00%

48.00%

0.75

1.07

Darrun Hilliard

Transition

Total

131

33.33%

10.98%

73.33%

54.88%

82

28.57%

34.15%

58.54%

60.98%

0.76

0.97

Off Makes

19

100.00%

7.69%

100.00%

7.69%

13

36.36%

84.62%

61.54%

30.77%

1.14

0.87

Off Misses

46

25.00%

13.33%

70.00%

66.67%

30

33.33%

20.00%

60.00%

56.67%

0.20

0.87

Off Stocks

56

50.00%

6.25%

73.91%

71.88%

32

0.00%

21.88%

56.25%

84.38%

2.25

1.15

DB TOs

10

0.00%

16.67%

100.00%

16.67%

6

50.00%

66.67%

66.67%

33.33%

0.67

1.01

Half-Court

Total

333

42.42%

14.54%

52.38%

27.75%

227

44.27%

57.71%

59.03%

38.77%

1.40

1.07

Off Makes

164

47.62%

18.42%

43.48%

20.18%

114

40.00%

61.40%

54.39%

47.37%

1.32

1.01

Off Misses

100

40.00%

14.08%

52.00%

35.21%

71

44.44%

50.70%

57.75%

32.39%

1.33

1.06

Off Stocks

17

0.00%

9.09%

75.00%

36.36%

11

50.00%

54.55%

68.18%

27.27%

1.25

1.04

DB TOs

43

0.00%

3.70%

60.00%

37.04%

27

56.25%

59.26%

72.22%

22.22%

1.75

1.27

JayVaughn Pinkston

Transition

Total

110

36.36%

22.00%

78.38%

74.00%

50

0.00%

4.00%

66.00%

114.00%

0.52

1.12

Off Makes

13

N/A

0.00%

85.71%

100.00%

7

N/A

0.00%

85.71%

14.29%

N/A

1.74

Off Misses

48

33.33%

18.75%

76.92%

81.25%

16

N/A

0.00%

68.75%

231.25%

0.64

1.08

Off Stocks

37

33.33%

16.67%

84.62%

72.22%

18

0.00%

11.11%

66.67%

83.33%

0.22

1.08

DB TOs

10

50.00%

57.14%

33.33%

42.86%

7

N/A

0.00%

42.86%

57.14%

N/A

1.12

Half-Court

Total

345

35.11%

37.90%

61.72%

51.61%

248

30.77%

10.48%

50.00%

52.82%

0.97

1.00

Off Makes

160

43.24%

33.33%

61.67%

54.05%

111

28.57%

12.61%

53.15%

53.15%

0.67

1.02

Off Misses

116

31.43%

40.23%

62.79%

49.43%

87

44.44%

10.34%

50.57%

41.38%

1.33

1.03

Off Stocks

35

50.00%

42.11%

72.73%

57.89%

19

N/A

0.00%

63.16%

78.95%

1.00

1.24

DB TOs

32

18.18%

44.00%

50.00%

48.00%

25

0.00%

8.00%

32.00%

84.00%

1.40

0.80

Daniel Ochefu

Transition

Total

40

100.00%

5.88%

81.25%

94.12%

17

N/A

0.00%

82.35%

135.29%

0.42

0.85

Off Makes

5

#DIV/0!

0.00%

66.67%

100.00%

3

N/A

0.00%

66.67%

133.33%

0.00

0.72

Off Misses

26

100.00%

11.11%

87.50%

88.89%

9

N/A

0.00%

88.89%

200.00%

0.50

1.02

Off Stocks

9

#DIV/0!

0.00%

80.00%

100.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

80.00%

20.00%

0.33

0.78

DB TOs

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.50

0.00

Half-Court

Total

146

30.77%

37.14%

72.73%

62.86%

105

N/A

0.00%

57.14%

44.76%

0.86

0.86

Off Makes

75

22.22%

35.29%

75.76%

64.71%

51

N/A

0.00%

56.86%

52.94%

0.61

0.86

Off Misses

39

33.33%

40.00%

66.67%

60.00%

30

N/A

0.00%

53.33%

40.00%

1.23

0.80

Off Stocks

12

50.00%

28.57%

80.00%

71.43%

7

N/A

0.00%

71.43%

57.14%

3.00

1.21

DB TOs

18

60.00%

35.71%

66.67%

64.29%

14

N/A

0.00%

64.29%

28.57%

0.75

0.90

Josh Hart

Transition

Total

110

33.33%

4.84%

78.38%

59.68%

62

22.73%

35.48%

60.48%

79.03%

1.67

1.21

Off Makes

10

#DIV/0!

0.00%

0.00%

50.00%

4

0.00%

50.00%

0.00%

400.00%

1.00

0.74

Off Misses

44

0.00%

4.35%

84.62%

56.52%

23

55.56%

39.13%

80.43%

39.13%

N/A

1.61

Off Stocks

48

100.00%

3.33%

84.21%

63.33%

30

0.00%

33.33%

56.67%

63.33%

0.67

1.14

DB TOs

8

0.00%

20.00%

66.67%

60.00%

5

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

100.00%

0.00

0.96

Half-Court

Total

152

50.00%

16.67%

71.88%

29.63%

108

34.48%

53.70%

57.41%

38.89%

1.38

1.08

Off Makes

77

50.00%

20.00%

71.43%

23.33%

60

32.35%

56.67%

54.17%

28.33%

1.50

1.04

Off Misses

65

40.00%

13.51%

84.62%

35.14%

37

42.11%

51.35%

67.57%

59.46%

1.50

1.26

Off Stocks

4

N/A

0.00%

66.67%

50.00%

6

0.00%

50.00%

33.33%

0.00%

1.00

0.50

DB TOs

6

100.00%

20.00%

0.00%

40.00%

5

50.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

1.00

0.81

Tony Chennault

Transition

Total

21

100.00%

25.00%

12.50%

66.67%

12

0.00%

8.33%

33.33%

141.67%

3.14

0.78

Off Makes

4

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

1

0.00%

100.00%

0.00%

600.00%

3.00

0.82

Off Misses

8

100.00%

20.00%

25.00%

80.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

40.00%

80.00%

1.60

0.67

Off Stocks

8

100.00%

33.33%

0.00%

66.67%

6

N/A

0.00%

33.33%

83.33%

9.00

0.85

DB TOs

1

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

N/A

#DIV/0!

N/A

N/A

1.05

Half-Court

Total

67

33.33%

71.19%

66.67%

25.42%

59

0.00%

3.39%

40.68%

44.07%

1.43

0.71

Off Makes

45

37.93%

70.73%

80.00%

24.39%

41

0.00%

4.88%

46.34%

24.39%

1.25

0.73

Off Misses

20

33.33%

75.00%

33.33%

25.00%

12

N/A

0.00%

33.33%

133.33%

1.50

0.78

Off Stocks

2

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

100.00%

1

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

0.00%

N/A

2.00

DB TOs

0

0.00%

80.00%

0.00%

20.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

0.00%

0.00%

3.00

0.00

Dylan Ennis

Transition

Total

56

60.00%

14.71%

88.89%

26.47%

34

35.00%

58.82%

63.24%

55.88%

0.67

1.08

Off Makes

6

0.00%

12.50%

100.00%

12.50%

8

16.67%

75.00%

31.25%

25.00%

N/A

0.67

Off Misses

29

75.00%

23.53%

75.00%

23.53%

17

33.33%

52.94%

61.76%

58.82%

0.14

1.01

Off Stocks

18

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

57.14%

7

66.67%

42.86%

100.00%

100.00%

1.50

1.46

DB TOs

3

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

2

50.00%

100.00%

75.00%

0.00%

N/A

1.50

Half-Court

Total

93

18.75%

16.67%

42.11%

19.79%

96

27.87%

63.54%

38.02%

23.96%

3.25

0.78

Off Makes

60

28.57%

14.89%

45.45%

23.40%

47

37.93%

61.70%

50.00%

31.91%

4.00

1.05

Off Misses

24

20.00%

15.15%

40.00%

15.15%

33

17.39%

69.70%

27.27%

18.18%

4.25

0.60

Off Stocks

5

0.00%

33.33%

100.00%

11.11%

9

20.00%

55.56%

27.78%

0.00%

2.33

0.42

DB TOs

4

0.00%

14.29%

0.00%

28.57%

7

25.00%

57.14%

21.43%

28.57%

1.50

0.40

Kris Jenkins

Transition

Total

39

N/A

0.00%

50.00%

8.00%

25

39.13%

92.00%

58.00%

40.00%

2.50

1.23

Off Makes

12

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

6

66.67%

100.00%

100.00%

0.00%

N/A

2.00

Off Misses

14

N/A

0.00%

0.00%

8.33%

12

18.18%

91.67%

25.00%

66.67%

2.00

0.83

Off Stocks

7

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

20.00%

5

25.00%

80.00%

50.00%

40.00%

2.00

1.01

DB TOs

6

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

2

100.00%

100.00%

150.00%

0.00%

N/A

3.00

Half-Court

Total

98

25.00%

26.67%

60.00%

11.11%

90

37.50%

62.22%

48.33%

16.67%

1.60

0.91

Off Makes

41

8.33%

25.53%

50.00%

12.77%

47

34.48%

61.70%

40.43%

12.77%

1.00

0.72

Off Misses

39

36.36%

37.93%

66.67%

10.34%

29

46.67%

51.72%

56.90%

24.14%

4.00

1.14

Off Stocks

13

100.00%

14.29%

100.00%

14.29%

7

60.00%

71.43%

92.86%

0.00%

N/A

1.86

DB TOs

5

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

7

14.29%

100.00%

21.43%

28.57%

0.00

0.56

A few points of analysis for each player:

Ryan Arcidiacono

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

Arcidiacono

Transition

Total

106

66.67%

26.92%

55.56%

11.54%

78

25.00%

61.54%

47.44%

57.69%

2.26

0.90

Makes

31

66.67%

25.00%

0.00%

8.33%

12

50.00%

66.67%

66.67%

141.67%

1.20

1.24

Misses

33

71.43%

23.33%

100.00%

6.67%

30

14.29%

70.00%

38.33%

56.67%

1.90

0.69

Stocks

24

75.00%

20.00%

60.00%

25.00%

20

18.18%

55.00%

45.00%

40.00%

2.50

0.86

DB TOs

12

57.14%

53.85%

0.00%

7.69%

13

20.00%

38.46%

42.31%

23.08%

N/A

0.83

Half-Court

Total

219

39.62%

29.12%

43.75%

8.79%

182

39.82%

62.09%

52.47%

21.98%

2.48

0.95

Makes

118

31.25%

34.78%

57.14%

7.61%

92

43.40%

57.61%

52.72%

33.70%

2.47

0.95

Misses

53

33.33%

18.37%

37.50%

16.33%

49

37.50%

65.31%

48.98%

12.24%

2.22

0.87

Stocks

23

75.00%

53.33%

0.00%

0.00%

15

42.86%

46.67%

70.00%

20.00%

2.00

1.32

DB TOs

23

33.33%

12.50%

0.00%

4.17%

24

35.00%

83.33%

47.92%

0.00%

N/A

0.88

  • Arch took a lot more shots from the mid-range than you might expect: 27.3% - 74 total - of his attempts this year qualified as a mid-range jumper. And, while his FG% from this range dipped a bit (he was as high as 60% almost halfway through the season), he hit a well-more-than-respectable-and-actually-legitimately-elite 45.9% of them. No one on the team can shoot it from mid-range, though.
  • Sadly, his FG percentage at the rim was within 8 percentage points of his shooting percentage from long 2 range. He hit a well-below average 53.8% of his shots at the rim, when he bothered venturing there - less than 10% of his shots came from in close. That percentage only jumped to 11.54% in transition. His FG% of 55.56 at the rim in transition is about 15 points lower than the overall NCAA average - nearly 20 lower than Villanova's average.
  • Whatever shots he wasn't taking from the mid-range, he was launching from 3: 63.1% of his shots came from distance. A late season surge picked up his FG% from deep to a respectably average level - he was hitting under 30% ten or so games into the season.
  • And he was the main culprit behind the team's atrocious 3 point shooting in transition - he hit only 25% on his 48 shots from 3 in transition (nearly twice as many the 3rd place launcher). Unconscionable.
  • On a counterpoint note, he hit nearly 40% of his 3s in the half court, which is obviously excellent.
  • One more funny note regarding Arch's splits in transition and the half-court: his percentages were nearly reversed his freshman year, when he hit almost 40% of his 3s in transition (on exactly 48 attempts), and only 30% in the half-court. Who knows with this guy - but I still hate those early 3s.
  • If he had just stopped himself from launching those 3s, he might have been the team's best player in transition - the 43 transition assists he handed out were twice as many as anyone else on the team. The assists don't figure into his offensive rating, but they shouldn't be forgotten.

James Bell

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

J. Bell

Transition

Total

143

33.33%

9.68%

78.57%

30.11%

93

39.29%

60.22%

62.37%

38.71%

0.65

1.07

Makes

23

100.00%

8.33%

100.00%

8.33%

12

50.00%

83.33%

79.17%

75.00%

0.33

1.19

Misses

60

20.00%

13.16%

80.00%

13.16%

38

42.86%

73.68%

60.53%

39.47%

0.75

1.05

Stocks

41

0.00%

3.70%

77.78%

66.67%

27

25.00%

29.63%

62.96%

33.33%

1.00

1.13

DB TOs

19

100.00%

7.69%

75.00%

30.77%

13

37.50%

61.54%

65.38%

23.08%

0.00

1.09

Half-Court

Total

319

26.09%

17.69%

60.38%

20.38%

260

36.65%

61.92%

50.96%

24.62%

1.25

0.99

Makes

159

36.00%

18.94%

65.22%

17.42%

132

34.52%

63.64%

51.14%

21.21%

1.00

0.96

Misses

96

9.09%

14.10%

63.16%

24.36%

78

37.50%

61.54%

51.28%

28.21%

2.29

1.01

Stocks

18

0.00%

15.79%

50.00%

21.05%

19

33.33%

63.16%

42.11%

10.53%

N/A

0.90

DB TOs

37

40.00%

20.00%

42.86%

28.00%

25

38.46%

52.00%

50.00%

48.00%

0.75

1.07

  • Wow. While taking almost 80 more 3's than the year previous (for a total of 217, in 33 games), Bell managed to connect on a career high 37.5% of them. This increased volume and efficiency from 3 - balanced with a much-improved (from last year) dribble-drive game - made Bell one of the team's most dangerous offensive options for most of the year. While his shooting and confidence cratered at the end, he was one of the most important cogs in Villanova's return to national prominence.
  • Bell took more shots at the rim, and finished them better, than he did the previous year. He certainly expanded (at least by a respectable margin) his offensive game.
  • As the other resident 3-launcher, Tahj actually kept it respectable from 3 on the break. While he took even more threes than Arch in transition (56), he at least hit 39.29% of them, to go 22 of 56 from range on the break. While he didn't quite match these heights in the half-court, he still knocked them down at a well above average 36.65%.
  • Even so, it would have been nice to see him focus on taking it to the rim, especially as he was such a deadly weapon there in transition. He hit nearly 80% (78.57%) of such attempts in transition - but only took it to the rack 30% of the time.

Darrun Hilliard

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

D. Hilliard

Transition

Total

131

33.33%

10.98%

73.33%

54.88%

82

28.57%

34.15%

58.54%

60.98%

0.76

0.97

Makes

19

100.00%

7.69%

100.00%

7.69%

13

36.36%

84.62%

61.54%

30.77%

1.14

0.87

Misses

46

25.00%

13.33%

70.00%

66.67%

30

33.33%

20.00%

60.00%

56.67%

0.20

0.87

Stocks

56

50.00%

6.25%

73.91%

71.88%

32

0.00%

21.88%

56.25%

84.38%

2.25

1.15

DB TOs

10

0.00%

16.67%

100.00%

16.67%

6

50.00%

66.67%

66.67%

33.33%

0.67

1.01

Half-Court

Total

333

42.42%

14.54%

52.38%

27.75%

227

44.27%

57.71%

59.03%

38.77%

1.40

1.07

Makes

164

47.62%

18.42%

43.48%

20.18%

114

40.00%

61.40%

54.39%

47.37%

1.32

1.01

Misses

100

40.00%

14.08%

52.00%

35.21%

71

44.44%

50.70%

57.75%

32.39%

1.33

1.06

Stocks

17

0.00%

9.09%

75.00%

36.36%

11

50.00%

54.55%

68.18%

27.27%

1.25

1.04

DB TOs

43

0.00%

3.70%

60.00%

37.04%

27

56.25%

59.26%

72.22%

22.22%

1.75

1.27

  • Hilliard also helped dragged the team down from 3 in transition - he only hit 8 of his 28 attempts, good for 28.57%. The best thing you could say about it was he took less and shot better than Arch. Not much consolation, though.
  • He was great at the rim in transition, however. He took it to the rim more than any other player on the team on the break, took about 55% of his transition shots at the rim, and hit an above-average clip (73.33%) on the way. The rest of the wing rotation (besides transition star and wearer of my next jersey, Josh Hart) needs to follow his lead in transition next year.
  • Like Arch, Hilliard really picked it up from 3 point land in the half-court - though Hilliard was truly feeling the fire. His chances were up higher - he took 131 shots from 3 (in the half-court) to Arch's 113 - and buried 58 of them to finish at 44.27%. Cannot believe it.
  • Hilliard hit an above-average clip of every single shot type, overall, clocking in at 41.4% from distance (best on the team), 39.5% from the mid-range (2nd best, well above average), and 62.1% at the rim.  Hilliard's a legitimately dangerous offensive weapon in nearly all phases of the game, and could potentially improve (as he has in every year he's spent at Villanova) for his senior season. Even if he doesn't, he had the most diverse offensive skillset on the team this year, and will probably duplicate the feat next year, unless Josh Hart or Kris Jenkins grows up in a hurry.
  • Hilliard took nearly 36% of his shots at the rim - higher than every wing on the team not named Josh Hart (or JVP, if you count him as a wing) - and converted at the aforementioned 62.1%, while also maintaining a FTR (free throw rate) of 44.00%. He's got an underrated dribble-drive game and ability to get to the rim - this percentage is significantly higher than a number of well-regarded, quicker guards.

JayVaughn Pinkston

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

J. Pinkston

Transition

Total

110

36.36%

22.00%

78.38%

74.00%

50

0.00%

4.00%

66.00%

114.00%

0.52

1.12

Makes

13

N/A

0.00%

85.71%

100.00%

7

N/A

0.00%

85.71%

14.29%

N/A

1.74

Misses

48

33.33%

18.75%

76.92%

81.25%

16

N/A

0.00%

68.75%

231.25%

0.64

1.08

Stocks

37

33.33%

16.67%

84.62%

72.22%

18

0.00%

11.11%

66.67%

83.33%

0.22

1.08

DB TOs

10

50.00%

57.14%

33.33%

42.86%

7

N/A

0.00%

42.86%

57.14%

N/A

1.12

Half-Court

Total

345

35.11%

37.90%

61.72%

51.61%

248

30.77%

10.48%

50.00%

52.82%

0.97

1.00

Makes

160

43.24%

33.33%

61.67%

54.05%

111

28.57%

12.61%

53.15%

53.15%

0.67

1.02

Misses

116

31.43%

40.23%

62.79%

49.43%

87

44.44%

10.34%

50.57%

41.38%

1.33

1.03

Stocks

35

50.00%

42.11%

72.73%

57.89%

19

N/A

0.00%

63.16%

78.95%

1.00

1.24

DB TOs

32

18.18%

44.00%

50.00%

48.00%

25

0.00%

8.00%

32.00%

84.00%

1.40

0.80

  • JVP was a man in transition, burying 78.38% of his 37 attempts at the rim while making a concerted effort to get in close - 74% of his attempts in transition were at the rim. It's truly impressive for a guy who's maybe 6'-5", 6'-6" (though he does play the nominal 4 for us), as no one else his size cleared 60% of their transition attempts at the rim. Granted, the rest might feel more confident in their outside shots - but they should man up, JVP-style. TAKE IT TO THE RIM (in transition. It's easy. -ier, at least.)
  • Linked to that, he managed one of the highest eFG%'s in transition, coming in at 66.00%. His only competition - Ochefu - took 17 attempts in transition to JVP's 50.
  • He's also a dangerous, high-volume rim attacking weapon in the half-court - the only one ‘Nova had, unfortunately. He took over 50% of his shots at the rim - though this is relatively low for a nominal big man, it's pretty great for someone his actual size. He managed to hit 61.72% of his shots there, too - above-average on a high volume of shots (128 of them).
  • His two-point jumper does exist, and is at the least a slightly above average weapon. It's a shot he uses about 30% of the time - with almost all the others being rim attempts. After hitting it at a 43% rate last year, he backslid a bit this year to sit at 36.4% on all mid-range jumpers, which remains above average. It should be noted that his offensive rating this year per KenPom, when he hit a just-slightly-above average amount of his mid-rangers, was nearly 13 points per possession higher than the deadly mid-range shooter of the previous year. He also took more shots, and finished better at the rim, in the year in which his mid-ranger was less of a weapon.

Daniel Ochefu

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

D. Ochefu

Transition

Total

40

100.00%

5.88%

81.25%

94.12%

17

N/A

0.00%

82.35%

135.29%

0.42

0.85

Makes

5

#DIV/0!

0.00%

66.67%

100.00%

3

N/A

0.00%

66.67%

133.33%

0.00

0.72

Misses

26

100.00%

11.11%

87.50%

88.89%

9

N/A

0.00%

88.89%

200.00%

0.50

1.02

Stocks

9

#DIV/0!

0.00%

80.00%

100.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

80.00%

20.00%

0.33

0.78

DB TOs

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.50

0.00

Half-Court

Total

146

30.77%

37.14%

72.73%

62.86%

105

N/A

0.00%

57.14%

44.76%

0.86

0.86

Makes

75

22.22%

35.29%

75.76%

64.71%

51

N/A

0.00%

56.86%

52.94%

0.61

0.86

Misses

39

33.33%

40.00%

66.67%

60.00%

30

N/A

0.00%

53.33%

40.00%

1.23

0.80

Stocks

12

50.00%

28.57%

80.00%

71.43%

7

N/A

0.00%

71.43%

57.14%

3.00

1.21

DB TOs

18

60.00%

35.71%

66.67%

64.29%

14

N/A

0.00%

64.29%

28.57%

0.75

0.90

  • Not that you'd expect anything less from a guy who probably shouldn't shoot farther than 5 feet away from the rim at this point (this season), but Ochefu managed to take almost 95% of his shots in transition at the rim - with most of them probably two-handed dunks - and convert 81.25% of them (13 of 16). Always a good thing to see.
  • He tends to get pulled away from the basket as the shot clock goes up - he took well more than a third of his shots from 2 point jumper range in the half-court. Beyond the other negative aspects of pulling the 6'-11" guy away from the basket, he only hit 30% of them. It'd be a real big jump to even get to respectability (36% plus) next year.
  • BUT, he converted 72.73% (well above average) of his rim looks - something he was strangely awful at last year. In 2012-2013, he only hit 54.3% of looks at the rim, which is very low for such a big guy - definitely a product of his tentativeness (-ivity?) going for dunks last year.  He rarely looked sure with the ball in his hands near the hoop (last year).  Still crazy low - it's great to see his confidence rising, there.

Josh Hart

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

J. Hart

Transition

Total

110

33.33%

4.84%

78.38%

59.68%

62

22.73%

35.48%

60.48%

79.03%

1.67

1.21

Makes

10

#DIV/0!

0.00%

0.00%

50.00%

4

0.00%

50.00%

0.00%

400.00%

1.00

0.74

Misses

44

0.00%

4.35%

84.62%

56.52%

23

55.56%

39.13%

80.43%

39.13%

N/A

1.61

Stocks

48

100.00%

3.33%

84.21%

63.33%

30

0.00%

33.33%

56.67%

63.33%

0.67

1.14

DB TOs

8

0.00%

20.00%

66.67%

60.00%

5

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

100.00%

0.00

0.96

Half-Court

Total

152

50.00%

16.67%

71.88%

29.63%

108

34.48%

53.70%

57.41%

38.89%

1.38

1.08

Makes

77

50.00%

20.00%

71.43%

23.33%

60

32.35%

56.67%

54.17%

28.33%

1.50

1.04

Misses

65

40.00%

13.51%

84.62%

35.14%

37

42.11%

51.35%

67.57%

59.46%

1.50

1.26

Stocks

4

N/A

0.00%

66.67%

50.00%

6

0.00%

50.00%

33.33%

0.00%

1.00

0.50

DB TOs

6

100.00%

20.00%

0.00%

40.00%

5

50.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

1.00

0.81

  • The transition star took as many shots at the rim as JVP did - and converted the exact same number (29-37 = 78.38% = awesome). His 1.21 points per possession rated out as the best in transition for any player on the team (except Jenkins).
  • He was another of the culprits of Villanova's drought from transition 3-range - he went 5 of 22 from deep on the break. Never, ever shoot that many early 3s when you're hitting less than 25%, Josh. Ever.
  • Like Arch and Hilliard before him, he managed a bump in 3P% in the half-court, though his dead-cat bounce didn't quite reach the same heights. Hart was good for 34.48% - almost exactly average - on 58 attempts in the half-court.
  • He was probably the deadliest option in close on the team. Even in the half-court, the wing took almost 30% of his shots at the rim, and converted about 72% of them (incredibly elite). This mean's the 6'-5" frosh was almost as good driving from the wing as OCHEFU was in close - albeit on about 30 shots, as opposed to Daniel's 70(ish). Still, though. That shows incredible ball skills and body control - something we obviously saw in Hart this year. Here's hoping he can build on the positives for next year.

Tony Chennault

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

T. Chennault

Transition

Total

21

100.00%

25.00%

12.50%

66.67%

12

0.00%

8.33%

33.33%

141.67%

3.14

0.78

Makes

4

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

1

0.00%

100.00%

0.00%

600.00%

3.00

0.82

Misses

8

100.00%

20.00%

25.00%

80.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

40.00%

80.00%

1.60

0.67

Stocks

8

100.00%

33.33%

0.00%

66.67%

6

N/A

0.00%

33.33%

83.33%

9.00

0.85

DB TOs

1

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

N/A

#DIV/0!

N/A

N/A

1.05

Half-Court

Total

67

33.33%

71.19%

66.67%

25.42%

59

0.00%

3.39%

40.68%

44.07%

1.43

0.71

Makes

45

37.93%

70.73%

80.00%

24.39%

41

0.00%

4.88%

46.34%

24.39%

1.25

0.73

Misses

20

33.33%

75.00%

33.33%

25.00%

12

N/A

0.00%

33.33%

133.33%

1.50

0.78

Stocks

2

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

100.00%

1

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

0.00%

N/A

2.00

DB TOs

0

0.00%

80.00%

0.00%

20.00%

5

N/A

0.00%

0.00%

0.00%

3.00

0.00

  • The team's most offense/shot allergic player barely has enough of a sample size to bother talking about his shot selection, especially in transition. There are a few minor points, though.
  • He dished 22 assists in transition, and 33 in the half-court, despite averaging less than half the minutes Arch did. On a per-minute basis, Chennault had more assists than Arch.
  • He took wayyyyy too many 2 point jumpers (while hitting them at a poor rate), mostly because he couldn't shoot from 3/force his way to the rim every time. Tony Chennault will be missed for reasons other than his ability to shoot, that's for sure.

Dylan Ennis

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

D. Ennis

Transition

Total

56

60.00%

14.71%

88.89%

26.47%

34

35.00%

58.82%

63.24%

55.88%

0.67

1.08

Makes

6

0.00%

12.50%

100.00%

12.50%

8

16.67%

75.00%

31.25%

25.00%

N/A

0.67

Misses

29

75.00%

23.53%

75.00%

23.53%

17

33.33%

52.94%

61.76%

58.82%

0.14

1.01

Stocks

18

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

57.14%

7

66.67%

42.86%

100.00%

100.00%

1.50

1.46

DB TOs

3

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

2

50.00%

100.00%

75.00%

0.00%

N/A

1.50

Half-Court

Total

93

18.75%

16.67%

42.11%

19.79%

96

27.87%

63.54%

38.02%

23.96%

3.25

0.78

Makes

60

28.57%

14.89%

45.45%

23.40%

47

37.93%

61.70%

50.00%

31.91%

4.00

1.05

Misses

24

20.00%

15.15%

40.00%

15.15%

33

17.39%

69.70%

27.27%

18.18%

4.25

0.60

Stocks

5

0.00%

33.33%

100.00%

11.11%

9

20.00%

55.56%

27.78%

0.00%

2.33

0.42

DB TOs

4

0.00%

14.29%

0.00%

28.57%

7

25.00%

57.14%

21.43%

28.57%

1.50

0.40

  • Ennis was actually respectable from 3 in transition, hitting 35% of his 20 attempts. It was a small sample, though, and his 17 of 61-ness from deep in the half-court was irredeemably bad.
  • He was truly awful finishing at the rim in the half-court, managing to hit only 42.11% of his chances from in close. Kind of frightening (in both good and bad ways) how well this team played this year without a single point guard who could attack the basket/penetrate well. Arch rated out as the best rim attacker, and he hit 43.75% of his half-court rim attacks. Get me a paper bag.
  • His per-minute assist numbers were also nice, but he wasn't great at leading the break. 6 assists to 9 turnovers is pretty poor.
  • He showed flashes of his potential around the basket on the break, hitting almost 89% of his shots from in close. This was on just 9 shots, though, as he generally settled for 3s.

Kris Jenkins

Player

Time Period

Category

PTS

2PJ %

% Shots 2PJ

Rim %

% Shots @ Rim

FGA

3P%

% of
Shots 3PT

eFG%

FTR

A/T

Ort

K. Jenkins

Transition

Total

39

N/A

0.00%

50.00%

8.00%

25

39.13%

92.00%

58.00%

40.00%

2.50

1.23

Makes

12

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

6

66.67%

100.00%

100.00%

0.00%

N/A

2.00

Misses

14

N/A

0.00%

0.00%

8.33%

12

18.18%

91.67%

25.00%

66.67%

2.00

0.83

Stocks

7

N/A

0.00%

100.00%

20.00%

5

25.00%

80.00%

50.00%

40.00%

2.00

1.01

DB TOs

6

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

2

100.00%

100.00%

150.00%

0.00%

N/A

3.00

Half-Court

Total

98

25.00%

26.67%

60.00%

11.11%

90

37.50%

62.22%

48.33%

16.67%

1.60

0.91

Makes

41

8.33%

25.53%

50.00%

12.77%

47

34.48%

61.70%

40.43%

12.77%

1.00

0.72

Misses

39

36.36%

37.93%

66.67%

10.34%

29

46.67%

51.72%

56.90%

24.14%

4.00

1.14

Stocks

13

100.00%

14.29%

100.00%

14.29%

7

60.00%

71.43%

92.86%

0.00%

N/A

1.86

DB TOs

5

N/A

0.00%

N/A

0.00%

7

14.29%

100.00%

21.43%

28.57%

0.00

0.56

  • Jenkins was almost exclusively a transition 3-specialist - he only took 2 of his transition attempts at the rim, with the rest coming from 3. And, he only hit 1 of those 2 shots (sad face).
  • He was actually the team's best weapon from deep on the break, though, hitting 9 of his 23 shots (39.13%) to clock in as only the 2nd above-average 3 point shooter in transition (Bell being the other).
  • He claimed the ‘title' of most dangerous player in transition, generating 1.23 points per possession during his limited sample size. I wouldn't trust it too much, though. He only took 25 shots in transition the whole year.
  • Jenkins truly has the potential to be one of the team's deadliest threats from 3 next year. Even after a sluggish start from deep, he finished the year at 37% in 3P percentage. Adding a bit of inside threat to his game - with continued good shooting - could make him quite the weapon in years to come.

And, with the stats of the 9 rotation players, we'll conclude this slice of transition basketball analysis.

Next time, in Part 3 - defense! And rebounding!  Exciting times.