How finishing, or a lack thereof, is holding back Wichita State’s offense this season
Four games in a season of more than 30 is an inadequate sample size to draw too many sweeping conclusions about the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
But 160 minutes of basketball has produced some early trends.
A troubling one that has emerged is Wichita State’s porous ability to finish around the rim, particularly in transition offense. The Shockers have converted just 44.7% of their 2-point tries in transition so far, good for No. 348 in the country by Synergy’s tracking. Take away three dunks and WSU has made just 11 of 29 looks at the rim during fast breaks.
Some of the issues stem from decision-making: like when WSU doesn’t have a numbers advantage, but a player still barges forward into traffic to try to force their way to the rim. But there have also been multiple times when WSU has squandered what should have been a golden opportunity with a point-blank miss.
“We’ve got good enough athletes to be able to capitalize in those situations,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said.
Again, it’s a small sample size, but it’s a problem that WSU’s three most aggressive guards — Justin Hill, Harlond Beverly and Xavier Bell — have combined to shoot just 34.6% (9 for 26) at the rim in transition.
While those fast-break misses can be momentum-killers, the Shockers have struggled finishing around the rim in general this season. According to Synergy, WSU is making just 52.5% of its field goals at the rim and scoring just 1.05 points per possession at the rim, which ranks No. 310 nationally in efficiency at the rim.
Outside of centers Quincy Ballard (11 of 13) and Matej Bosnjak (6 of 8), WSU’s collection of guards and forwards are making just 46.5% of their shots at the rim.
Those struggles were more pronounced in Monday’s 70-66 victory over Monmouth because the Shockers missed 14 of 17 jump shots in the game. With hardly any production coming outside the paint, WSU’s poor finishing in the first half — just 19 points on 19 possessions ending at the rim — allowed a 16.5-point underdog to stick around for the entire game.
WSU didn’t make any drastic changes to its game plan following halftime, it simply finished at a much higher rate. The Shockers pushed about the same in transition and ran the same number of pick and rolls as the first 20 minutes, but the team made 14 of 17 attempts at the rim and pummeled Monmouth for 1.63 points per possession on 19 takes to the basket in the second half.
“It was frustrating because shots aren’t falling,” said WSU forward Corey Washington, who had three close-range misses in the first half. “That’s the automatic thing you go to in your mind, but just staying with it, staying poised. Don’t go in a panic. I just trust the guys around me.”
WSU deserves credit for finding a way to manufacture a win with nowhere close to its best play, but there’s no doubt the Shockers (4-0) will need to raise their level to find the same result Friday when they take on Saint Louis (2-1) at the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Even without their star center Robbie Avila, who is still on his way back from a sprained ankle, the Billikens have been strong at defending the rim this season.
It’s somewhat encouraging WSU has managed to still produce good offense without good finishing. The team has pumped out a healthy 1.13 points per possession in its first four games and the Shockers rank No. 92 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, which is on pace to challenge the program’s best mark in the last seven years.
That’s why as the tests become harder this season, it’s worth keeping an eye on if WSU can start scoring more points around the rim.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 6:02 AM.
.jpg)