PPD: Despite Shooting Woes Destiny Pitts to Let it Fly.

[Ignatius L Hoops]

https://www.twincities.com/2019/01/23/umn-gophers-womens-basketball-destiny-pitts-purdue-big-ten/

[O]pponents have shifted to an aggressive 2-3 zone this season, forcing the Gophers to beat them from the perimeter, rather than off the dribble.

“It’s not just on one person to be confident and take those shots,” Whalen said, refusing to put the onus on Pitts alone. “We also have people turning down some good looks. We need people to stand in there and be confident and shoot it. It’s not just on one person.”

That said, it definitely starts with Pitts, and she’s not shying away from that role.

“No hesitation,” Pitts said with a smile. “Let it fly.”

 

[Shades]

When other teams use it on us, it’s referred to as an “aggressive 2-3 zone”. When the Gophers use it, it’s referred to as the worst defense in the world.

Perez is the best 3 pt shooter by percentage on the team.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

When other teams use it on us, it’s referred to as an “aggressive 2-3 zone”. When the Gophers use it, it’s referred to as the worst defense in the world.

Perez is the best 3 pt shooter by percentage on the team.

Scoring leaders through Nebraska game ...

3 Pointer Percentage Leaders

Pitts two best games .710
Garrido Perez 7/18 = .389
Brunson 11/33 = .333
Pitts (season) 35/113 = .310
Staples 11/36 = .306
Bell 7/28 = .250
Tomancova 1/4 = .250
Pitts (recently) .200
Byrne 3/16 = .188

2 Pointer Percentage Leaders

K. Bello 8/14 = .571
Lamke 70/127 = .551
T. Bello 77/142 = .542
Pitts 37/74 = .500
Kaposi 17/40 = .425
Bell 109/258 = .422
Brunson 35/89 = .393
Staples 12/31 = .387
Garrido Perez 5/14 = .357
Byrne 1/3 = .333
Tomancova 5/16 = .313

[Note: Perez stats were messed up (two disagreeing entries) on Gopher cumulative stats page https://gophersports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=wbball&clean=true , so I summed them from individual game box scores.]

We see that Staples 3-point accuracy has quietly crept up to almost match Pitts season average; and in fact beats Pitts recent average (after removing Pitts two 71% games from the overall average). Brunson is shooting 23/1000ths better than Pitts. Garrido Perez is shooting 79/1000ths better than Pitts.

Odd fact: Kehinde Bello leads all two-point shooters at .571 (although one could claim insufficient data). I guess it's easier to shoot against the other team's bench. If Kehinde could reign in the fouls and turnovers, perhaps Whalen might give her more minutes to see if those numbers hold up under a bigger data sample (or alternatively, perhaps next year we'll see).

But in general, the best two-point shooters are our posts plus small forward (or maybe wing is a better term) Pitts.

Conclusion:
(1) We need more two-point plays for our posts and Pitts.
(2) Even without Hubbard, we already have four fairly decent three point shooters among whom to spread the three point wealth, and take all the defensive attention off Pitts. Who knows, by the end of the season even Bell might improve her three-point percentage to add another threat.
(3) Until Pitts comes out of her 3-point shooting slump (which I predict will happen soon), it makes more sense to distribute three-point attempts more uniformly among Garrido Perez, Brunson, Pitts and Staples.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

Scoring leaders through Nebraska game ...

[Note: I added some Lindsay Whalen scoring statistics for reference, interspersed among team scoring stats.]

(Updated) Scoring leaders through Purdue game ...

3 Pointer Percentage Leaders

Pitts two best games -> .710
Lindsay Whalen (WNBA best season, 2012) 13/26 = .500
Pitts (Purdue game) -> 5/11 = .455
Lindsay Whalen (WNBA last season, 2018) 15/42 = .357
Garrido Perez 7/18 = .389 -> 7/21 = .333
Pitts (season) 35/113 = .310 -> 40/124 = .323
Brunson 11/33 = .333 -> 11/35 = .314
Staples 11/36 = .306 -> 11/37 = .297
Bell 7/28 = .250 -> 9/31 = .290
Tomancova 1/4 = .250 -> 1/4 = .250
Byrne 3/16 = .188 -> 3/16 = .188

2 Pointer Percentage Leaders

K. Bello 8/14 = .571 -> 8/14 = .571
Lindsay Whalen (WNBA best season, 2007) 138/247 = .559
Lamke 70/127 = .551 -> 73/133 = .549
T. Bello 77/142 = .542 -> 80/150 = .533
Lindsay Whalen (WNBA recent full season, 2016) 120/229 = .524
Pitts 37/74 = .500 -> 39/82 = .476
Bell 109/258 = .422 -> 114/274 = .416
Kaposi 17/40 = .425 -> 17/43 = .395
Brunson 35/89 = .393 -> 35/90 = .389
Staples 12/31 = .387 -> 12/32 = .375
Garrido Perez 5/14 = .357 -> 5/15 = .333
Byrne 1/3 = .333 -> 1/3 = .333
Tomancova 5/15 = .333 -> 5/15 = .333

... (3) Until Pitts comes out of her 3-point shooting slump (which I predict will happen soon), it makes more sense to distribute three-point attempts more uniformly among Garrido Perez, Brunson, Pitts and Staples.

Well, the good news is that Pitts came out of her 3-point shooting slump with the Purdue game. [When I said "soon" I was not clairvoyant, but just playing the odds.] She shot 5 for 11, or .455 from deep. Also, Kenisha Bell shot 2 for 3 from deep - perhaps a sign that her 3-point shot is improving (as is her free-throw shooting of late). Unfortunately, the rest of the team was 0 for 6. This includes three misses for Perez, who perhaps was a bit nervous on her first start.

Interestingly, note that in the Purdue game, Pitts three-point shooting was more in historical Whalen territory. If Pitts can keep it up (the non-slump, that is) and the other three-point shooters can contribute a decent three-point percentage (presenting multiple out-court shooting threats to opponents), then that will go a long way towards winning games.