Understanding the angles: How WSU freshman Tyson Etienne became a sharpshooter
There are many reasons why Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker are remembered as greats for Wichita State, but an overlooked reason and one that coach Gregg Marshall loves is how they used to move in synchronization on the basketball court.
VanVleet was elite at creating angles and seeing things on the floor that no one else did, while Baker was elite at his off-ball work and constantly hunting on the perimeter for an open three-pointer.
“They were the yin and the yang,” Marshall recollected. “Fred used to penetrate and I always saw Ron adjust and move to stay in that passing window, so (VanVleet) could make a successful pass on a direct line as opposed to a lofted pass where the defense could recover while the ball was in the air.
“In a lot of ways, basketball is about angles, and no one understand that better than those two.”
Tyson Etienne isn’t in the master class as shooters like Baker or even Landry Shamet from Wichita State’s past, but the WSU freshman is starting to show signs of moving without the ball much like those two snipers did. Through nine games in his rookie campaign, Etienne is knocking down 46.2% of his three-pointers and leads the American Athletic Conference with 26 threes.
So how is Etienne turning heads this early in his career? The key is just that — turning heads. After Etienne drilled five three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points in WSU’s impressive 80-61 win at Oklahoma State on Sunday, The Eagle spoke with Marshall and Etienne about how Etienne’s movement away from the ball is setting him up for success.
Learning from past WSU greats
One of the first things that Etienne requested when he arrived at WSU was film on the best shooters who have recently come through the program. Etienne spent hours this summer dissecting Baker and Shamet.
A similarity between the two he noticed right away was how they moved without the basketball, each cut was made with a purpose. They excelled at moving until they saw the back of their defender’s head, which more times than not, meant game over for the defense.
As soon as they noticed their defender staring at the ball when a ball handler penetrated the paint, Baker and Shamet were experts at shuffling along the perimeter to stay in the ball handler’s vision and make themselves available for a wide open kick-out three.
This was an effective way of manufacturing open catch-and-shoot looks, which are the most efficient jump shots in basketball.
While Baker worked well with VanVleet on those kick-outs, Shamet took it to another level. Shamet is arguably the best to come through WSU under Marshall at his off-ball movement and setting himself up for threes. During his record-setting sophomore year from the 2017-18 season, Shamet made 50.9% of his catch-and-shoot attempts and scored at 1.53 points per shot, both of which nearly led the country that season.
Shamet made 84 three-pointers that season, second-most in program history. If WSU plays the minimum of 32 games this season (and he stays healthy), Etienne is on pace to make 85 threes.
Applying that knowledge this season
You can watch great shooters and study their tendencies all you want, but you still have to go out and apply what you’ve learned.
This is where Etienne being a perfectionist falls perfectly in sync with Marshall, who pushes the freshman in practice to improve in this aspect. Etienne might be good now, but he can better.
“He’s very coachable and a wonderful young man and he listens,” Marshall said. “We talk a lot about finding the window. When the penetration occurs, find the window. He’s really good at it and he’s getting better.”
So what is finding the window?
Marshall is referring to the fictional window that exists when a ball handler penetrates the lane. If a shooter is not in the ball handler’s eye sight, he is outside of the window. By sliding down the perimeter, shooters can stay within the ball handler’s eye sight and give them a passing window.
This is where that special trait Baker and Shamet possessed — capitalizing when the defender turned their head — comes into play for Etienne.
It’s clear that Etienne is trying to replicate that kind of movement this season. It’s been inconsistent, but there have been a handful of times when Etienne has noticed a turned head, then he leaves his defender clueless by scampering across the court or down to the corner or up to the top of the key for a wide-open look from three.
Of course, these types of plays are only a portion that make up Etienne’s three-point repertoire. He’s also excellent at coming off screens, planting his feet and rising quickly to get his shot off. He showed Sunday against Oklahoma State that he’s not afraid to launch a shot five feet beyond the arc.
How Etienne applied it for a big Sunday
It was clear at the start of the season that Etienne was still in the feeling-out process for where his spot was in the offense. But now that he has gained his confidence, Etienne is a crucial piece for the Shockers.
Etienne is averaging 13.3 points in his last seven games and his play has elevated him to WSU’s starting lineup the past two games. Perhaps Etienne’s most impressive performance to date came Sunday in the 80-61 win over Oklahoma State, as the freshman scored 19 points and shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
That kind of sharpshooting is vital to WSU when it comes up against aggressive man-to-man defenses like OSU that are quick to help off of shooters to stave off penetration.
An example came midway through the second half when point guard Jamarius Burton took his man off the dribble along the baseline and drew two help defenders, including Etienne’s man from the opposite wing. Instead of putting his hands up and calling for a difficult pass on the wing, Etienne slid down to the corner when he saw the back of his defender’s head to stay well within Burton’s eye sight. That made for an easy pass from Burton and Etienne swished the corner three.
“Coach has been telling me to find the back of the head,” Etienne said. “The first couple of games, I wasn’t doing it or I wasn’t doing it consistently. Every time there’s a drive, I try to get to the back of (my defender’s) head. We have great point guards and great play-makers, so they were able to find me in the windows.”
What’s even more encouraging than Etienne’s quick learning track is his maturity in recognizing what type of shot to shoot.
There have been instances earlier this season when he sneaks by the defense, but then the defender makes a surprising recovery and is able to contest the quick-trigger shot better than expected.
Etienne showed his growth against Oklahoma State by holstering two different attempts and driving in for a closer jump shot.
The first came late in the first half when Burton once again penetrated the lane and Etienne’s man started to ball watch with him on the opposite wing. Etienne once again slid down to the corner to make himself available and Burton kicked it out to him.
Instead of shooting over a desperate close-out by the OSU defender, Etienne pump-faked, let the defender fly by out of position, then drove the baseline for a short jumper that he floated in the air and straight through the net for a 34-24 lead.
Etienne scored four separate times not through a set play or WSU’s regular offense, but by doing what Baker and Shamet did before him and move without the basketball to set himself up for scores. Four of Burton’s career-high 11 assists went to Etienne on a cut when Burton penetrated.
“Tyson and Erik (Stevenson) were getting in my vision when I drove to the basket, so I could see them,” Burton said. “I drew two or three guys and kicked it out to them and I know they were knocking them down.”
Against top-flight defenses like OSU, Etienne is starting to become a safety valve for the Shockers. It’s rare for a freshman to come in his first season and be able to put it together as quickly as Etienne.
The quicker he continues down this path, the higher the ceiling raises for WSU’s offense. And the faster he starts becoming the best friend for WSU’s point guards.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 5:58 AM.
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